(bar of) sweet-potato paste
same country; same province; the (said) country
God bless me!; Good heavens!
major change; major transformation
licensed; chartered; officially allowed; legitimate
unsung hero; person who does a thankless task
dango; dumpling (usu. sweet); ball-shaped object; something round; lump; group
stage assistant dressed in black (in kabuki); stagehand; prompter; behind-the-scenes supporter; string-puller
dirt under one's fingernails; shred (of decency, etc.); scrap; bit
volume of water (in a river, pond, flood, etc.)
unification of the whole country
that's right; yes; uh-huh
peerless; unequaled; unequalled
to ride on a person's shoulders; to be carried on a person's back
if anything; conversely; putting it the other way around; coming at it from the opposite angle
picking up trash; collecting garbage
tone of command; authoritative tone; commanding tone
Sanzu River (Buddhist equivalent of the River Styx)
well-balanced; considerate; of fine character
sushi shop; sushi restaurant; sushi bar
the same night; that night
definitely; absolutely; without doubt; absolute; unconditional
one stroke (of a brush); a few lines (of writing); note; writing in one go (without stopping to apply more ink to the brush); parcel (of land); same handwriting
this for sure; certainly is
to boil; to decoct; to infuse
internal organ; viscera; gut
mole; lentigo; beauty spot
ghost that appears at sea during a shipwreck; something strange or suspicious; idiot; fool; noh mask for roles involving dead or ghost characters
the right person in the right place
I wonder about that; don't bet on it; famous last words
when it comes to the cause; when you get right down to it; as for what started it; as for the reason; originally
shamisen; samisen; three-stringed Japanese lute