close; intimate; on good terms
gunshot; bullet; lost messenger; truant messenger; bull's-eye (candy)
(theatrical) fighting scene
civilian clothes; plain clothes; mufti; plainclothes police officer
(wearing) low over one's eyes
carriage; poise; bearing; demeanor; movement (of the body)
to wander from place to place; to change jobs
national language; Japanese language (often as a school subject in Japan); native Japanese words (as opposed to loanwords)
sense of language; feeling of a word; impression a word makes; nuance
meticulous; careful; discreet; scrupulous; prudent
to tag along; to follow; to tail; to leave tracks; to leave footprints
privately run store; one-man business; mom-and-pop store
blackened; black-painted; black-lacquered; blackened thing
thumping (heart); banging; pounding; racing
to hold one's breath (in fear, anxiety, etc.)
to go ahead; to proceed; to carry on
opposite side; opposition
this place; where one comes from; here
costumed mascot character (oft. devised for PR purposes by local governments, government departments, etc.)
round; spherical; circular
passerby; pedestrian; foot passenger
poetry anthology; collection of poems; collected poems
modern person; people of today
sacred scripture; sacred book; holy book; writings of a sage
light trap (for killing insects)
unsteadily (e.g. on one's feet); shakily; wavering (in one's mind); unsteadily; aimlessly; unconsciously
at the last moment; this late in the game
standing signboard; billboard; hoarding
to throw oneself; to jump; to leap
basket (shopping, etc.); hamper; cage
to scatter; to sprinkle; to distribute (handbills, etc.); to spread (rumours, etc.); to give the slip; to throw off
to overestimate (someone); to overrate; to think too highly of; to make too much of; to give (someone) too much credit
to hasten to join; to hurry to visit
honor; honour; credit; prestige
anyone can see that; it's obvious that
ruins (of a building, town, etc.); remains
the extraordinary; the unusual; the unexpected