as usual; as always; as before; as ever; still
eighth day of the month; eight days
company president; manager; director
sake cup; cup for alcoholic beverages; counter for cupfuls, bowlfuls, spoonfuls, etc.; counter for boats; counter for octopuses and squid; cup (in sports)
mass meeting; convention; tournament; competition; grand event
meeting up; gathering; assembly; set
temporary; provisional; interim; special; extraordinary; extra
hurrying (to somewhere); rushing; hastening; express (train)
number of persons; personnel
two people using the same (vehicle) (often two on a bike)
new rice field; newly developed rice field; wasteland or marshland newly reclaimed as a rice field (Edo period)
embarking (a ship); embarkation; boarding; ship (carrying someone)
fault; defect; minor; 5-point card
diversion into illegal channels; putting on the black market; selling through illegal channels
weather forecast; weather report
to indulge in; to give oneself up to; to be obsessed by; to be engrossed in; to be lost in; to be absorbed in
great teacher (i.e. a buddha, bodhisattva or high monk, esp. Kobo Daishi)
downpour; pouring rain; heavy rain; pelting rain; cloudburst
judging; inspection; examination; investigation; review
important; significant; precious; valuable; careful
I'm told; is what I heard; is how it is, apparently; is what they said
literally; to the letter; literal
handsome man; looker; good guy; great guy; influential person (esp. in the yakuza); sumo wrestler
standing figure; standing posture; dancing pose
harvest; crop; ingathering; fruits (of one's labors); gain; result
taikō (esp. Toyotomi Hideyoshi); title for a regent, later for the grand chancellor, also for the father of an Imperial adviser (advisor) who passed the role to his son
account; history; chronicle; Kojiki; Records of Ancient Matters
(relative) length; advantages and disadvantages; pluses and minuses; strong and weak points
spear; lance; javelin; lance; (arch.) jeering
match; game; bout; contest
advantageous; favourable; better; profitable; lucrative; gainful
argument; discussion; dispute; controversy
or; either ... or; maybe; perhaps; some ... and others ...; sometimes ... and at other times ...
to cross over (e.g. mountain); to go across; to get over (e.g. hardship); to pass time (e.g. a winter); to surpass; to be better than; to move house
else; in addition; on top of that; furthermore; further; besides
craftsman; artisan; workman; carpenter
commemoration; celebration; honoring the memory of something; turning something into a memento; memory
denotes uncertainty; such things as A and B; A and B and so on; A and B and the like
tokonoma (alcove where art or flowers are displayed)
overall victory; championship
shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext