everyone; everybody; all; everything; all
soup containing rice cakes and vegetables (New Year's dish)
mochi; (sticky) rice cake
shiruko; sweet red-bean soup with mochi
special; particular; extraordinary; exceptional; especial
be supposed or expected to (do); be sure to (do); ought to (do)
first sunrise of the year; sunrise on New Year's Day
mature age; advanced age; maturity; age when one is old enough to know better
special; auspicious; happy; naive; innocent; good-natured
every year; yearly; annually
second day of the month; two days
established practice; custom
long-distance relay race; stagecoach; post horse
holiday; day off; sleep; rest; Good night
to hold back (e.g. emotions); to rein in (e.g. a horse, unruly people); to get the better of; to control; to command
to pick up; to find; to gather
(I) will; (I) shall; let's; (I) wonder (if); might it be (that); hey
unable to leave the work at hand; right in the middle of something; tied up; busy
championship race; struggle for victory
to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze; to squeeze (fruit to extract juice); to press; to rack (one's brains); to strain (one's voice); to extort
to be packed (with); to be full (space, schedule, etc.); to be blocked (road, pipe, nose, etc.); to be clogged; to shorten (width, interval, etc.); to shrink (shirt, word form, etc.); to be at a loss
first calligraphy of the year
it doesn't matter what; anything is fine
to protrude; to stick out; to be forced out; to be pushed out; to go over (e.g. a budget); to go beyond
don't worry about it; never mind; that's OK
bustling; busy; crowded; lively (party, voices, etc.); loud; noisy
catching up on one's sleep; storing up sleep; getting extra sleep while one has the chance
cancellation; liquidation; resolution; reduction (e.g. of stress)
because ...; for ...; the reason being ...; as for ...; when it comes to ...; regarding ...
to each his own; people differ; different people (have different likes)
(way of) life; living; livelihood; life circumstances
New Year's gift (usu. money given to a child by relatives and visitors)
riches; wealth; resources; lottery
man (esp. one who is well-respected); samurai; person (in a certain profession, esp. licensed); member
omurice; fried rice wrapped in or topped with omelette
about when; about what time; how soon