clouds and haze; swarm (of people); throng; drove
night chat; tale told at night; book of informal essays
Seto Oohashi; Great Seto Bridge
post crown; dowel crown; false tooth; "tooth" on a geta clog
uninteresting; boring; not amusing; not fun
almost; roughly; approximately
basket clam (Corbiculidae spp.); freshwater clam; freshwater mussel
male-dominated society; patriarchal society
independent business; self-employment
earning the first (runs); preoccupation
to swell; to become swollen; to become puffy (e.g. face from lack of sleep); to become bloated (esp. from fluid retention)
ups and downs; bobbing up and down; rising and falling; ebbing and flowing
nature; spontaneity; natural airhead
to waste time; to kill time
women's college; women's university
waterfowl; water bird; shorebird
what the hell?; what are you going on about?; what the hell are you doing?; you've got to be kidding
how should I know?; don't ask me
to couch (a sword); to look at cynically or ironically; (arch.) to stand ready (to do); (arch.) to adopt a formal attitude
knot; tying; bundle; lumping; conclusion; ending
selling or divesting in unwanted stocks; hiding bad loans
timewasting; killing time
at a loss for what to do; at one's wits' end; having no choice
will not do; do not; does not
and yet; despite this; but even so; but even then; however; nevertheless
to bear; to carry on one's back; to take responsibility for; to accept a duty; to receive (wound); to incur (damage)
reserve; spare; note; memorandum; duplicate; copy
to tell; to inform; to announce; to indicate; to signal; to mark
to be refined (character, manners); to be classy; to be polished
interesting; fascinating; intriguing; amusing; funny; comical
sense; idea; desire; concern; attention; care
to strike (with a stick, whip, etc.); to hit; to punch; to go to (a place to eat, drink, etc.)