all take and no give; rip-off
collection of haiku poems
watercolor painting; watercolour painting; mizu-e; early type of ukiyo-e with faintly printed outlines
being fond of children; person fond of children
living in obscurity; lying low; remaining unnoticed
secondhand book fair; antiquarian book market
written pledge; signed note of assurance; memorandum; legal instrument
unpublished; not yet announced
office job; clerical work
to join a household (as a housewife or househusband); to become a housewife; to become a househusband
good-for-nothing; parasite; deadbeat; loafer; drone; idler
literary world; literary circles
to be seized with fear; to be intimidated; to lose one's nerve; to be frightened; to get cold feet; to chicken out
wall with exposed timber pillars
comparatively; quite; rather; rate; ratio; percentage
looking for something; searching for something; object being sought
irritating; annoying; tedious (work, person, etc.); boring; depressing; dark (e.g. story)
making off with (something); absconding; stolen; absconded (with)
comfortable (to live in); snug; cozy; cosy
please remember me; please help me; please treat me well; please do; please take care of
haiku; 17-mora poem, usu. in 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 morae
to be boiled down; to come to a standstill; to reach an impasse; to approach a conclusion (of a discussion, investigation, etc.)
Shizuoka (city, prefecture)
as likely as not; 50-50; even match; tie
jumping straight to the business, ...; I know this is abrupt, but ...; let's skip the pleasantries; getting to the point
in contrast to (one's, its) appearance
secondhand bookshop; secondhand bookstore; secondhand bookseller
there in body, but not in spirit; distracted; in one ear and out the other
childcare; child-rearing; nursing; upbringing
person living with a family; lodger; housemate; flatmate; roommate
to compose (a Japanese poem); to write; to use as the theme of a poem; to recite (e.g. a poem); to chant; to intone
major cleanup; spring cleaning
thousand years; very long period; forever
specialist shop; shop specializing in a few types of product
misfortune; bad luck; ill luck; ill fortune