It's that time of year when opportunities to reach for a glass, tumbler or ochoko (おちょこ, sake cup) increase by the evening, while days continue to be crammed with duties, professional and otherwise.

That's what shiwasu (師走, the old calendar name for December) is all about — when everyone is so harried that even teachers hotfoot it (hence the kanji, shi 師, teacher; and wasu or hashiru, 走, to run). The more colloquial term for this time of year, however, is: ketsu ni hi ga tsuku toki (けつに火がつくとき, when your backside is on fire).

With alcohol coming on top of work, we are reminded to nomu maeni nomu (飲む前に飲む, take a digestive solution or pill before drinking) and to control the drinking so as to make it home OK on the train — and show up for a commitment-packed day of work the next morning. The trick is to make sure you're the one in charge and not the other way around: sake ni nomareruna (酒に飲まれるな, don't let the sake drink you up) is a time-honored phrase uttered before millions of nomikai (飲み会 drinking parties) since time immemorial. And take it from one who knows, it pays to listen to this stuff.