Gamblea innovans (species of deciduous tree); extremely spicy form of chili pepper; variety of high-quality green tea
technical college; higher schools and colleges
Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica); flowering bamboo
wild rose; briar; multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora); baby rose; Japanese rose
snipping sound; cutting sound; to cut
great purification; purification rite performed twice a year, before daijōsai and after major disasters
aiki (principle that allows a conditioned practitioner to negate or redirect an opponent's power)
one's nature or personality; inherent; innate
dropout; straggler; outcast; failure
to breathe in and breathe out
to distract a person's attention
such a thing; something like that
something long; useless things; white elephant; boondoggle
talking about (behind one's back); backbiting
three branch Tokugawa families (Owari, Kii, and Mito); big three; top three
absence; being away from home; house-sitting; house-sitter; being left unattended to (of one's studies, etc.); neglecting
team competition; team game
gathering; mixer; meetup; assembly; social; exchange meeting
miser; niggard; cheapskate
seat; seats; stands; grandstand; bleachers
esoteric Buddhist ritual where incantations are chanted; magic
your countenance (his ..., her ..., etc.)
merit system (as opposed to seniority); meritocracy; ability-ism
quick on the uptake; quick to catch on; perceptive; intuitive
long sword (esp. the tachi, worn on the hip edge down by samurai); large sword; straight single-edged Japanese sword (from the mid-Heian period or earlier); guandao; Chinese glaive
iai; art of drawing one's sword, cutting down one's opponent and sheathing the sword afterwards
to form a pair; to pair up
simmering; (boiling) gently
scabbard; sheath; cap (on pen, brush, etc.); case; margin (between two prices); spread
starting line; starting point
dark; gloomy; depressed; dispirited; dark (in colour); dull; ill-boding