Siberia; cake made with layers of sweet bean paste and sponge cake
on the contrary; far from it; if anything; in fact; instead
to accept someone's challenge; to take up the gauntlet
unseasonable; out-of-season
to advance on; to close in; to march on; to descend on (the enemy); to move towards; to surge forward (crowd, wave of nostalgia, wave, etc.)
fierce; intense; severe; very; extremely; terribly
(temporary) closure of school
Emishi; Ezo; non-Yamato peoples in northern Japan; Yezo; Hokkaido, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands
mystery novel; detective novel; whodunit
to often be the case; to occur frequently; to be common; to be popular
dying message (message left by a murder victim just before death; in mystery novels, etc.)
to spell; to write; to compose; to bind (e.g. documents); to patch
udon; thick Japanese wheat noodles
fat; thick; deep (of a voice); thick; daring; shameless
evidence; (positive) test results
sky; heaven; God; svarga (heaven-like realm visited as a stage of death and rebirth); deva (divine being of Buddhism); top (of a book); sole (of a Japanese sandal)
perhaps; possibly; maybe; by some chance
establishment; founding; organization; organisation
beginning; start; outset; at first; at the beginning; initially
counting song; enumerative form (of waka)
lavender; lavender (color)
cup (drinking vessel, measure, brassiere, prize, etc.)
to read the situation; to sense the mood; to read the room
weather; fair weather; fine weather
limited time; limited-time offer
this place; where one comes from; here
riches; wealth; resources; lottery
good (quality, condition, etc.); Good (grade); B
cruel; merciless; pitiless; tragic; horrible; terrible
closely (packed, lined up, etc.); tightly; densely; (work) sufficiently
care; precaution; guarding; caution
to make an appearance; to show up
swordsman; swordswoman; fencer
(sleeveless) undergarment; padded undershirt
to learn; to acquire knowledge; to carry; to wear (clothes, etc.); to put on
end-blown flute (esp. the recorder)
small tool; gadget; (stage) properties; prop; prop master
simultaneously; all at once; in unison
to surround; to crowd around; to gather around; to encircle; to besiege