Utsunomiya (city in Tochigi)
pine tree (Pinus spp.); highest (of a three-tier ranking system)
door (esp. Japanese-style); shutter; window shutter; (arch.) entrance (to a home); (arch.) narrows
board; plank; sheet (of metal); plate (of glass); cutting board; chopping board
neighboring prefectures; nearby prefectures
Kyūshū (southernmost of the four main islands of Japan)
Kansai; region consisting of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and surrounding prefectures; Kansai; south-western half of Japan (during the feudal era)
Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit)
opportunity; chance; trigger; cause
to meet; to face someone; to co-star; to appear together; to be matched; to face against
chance; start; cue; excuse; motive; impetus
any; anything; whatever; I am told; I hear; I understand
explosion; detonation; eruption; eruption (of discontent, etc.); outburst; outpouring
to corner; to drive to the wall; to run down; to track down; to chase after
busy place; busy street; place that's always bustling with people; amusement quarters
bad; poor; inferior; delinquent; hoodlum; hooligan
new residential area; new residential development
frequency; rate of occurrence
Japan's best; number one in Japan
university graduate; having graduated from university
uncle; old man; mister; manybar goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus)
squatting (usu. with elbows on knees)
to smoke; to breathe in; to suck; to sip; to absorb; to soak up
nonexistent; not being (there); not having; not
mouth; opening; hole; mouth (of a bottle); spout; gate; door
to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to pout (e.g. lips); to get nervous; to set one's nerves on edge; to raise (e.g. one's voice)
day after day; day by day
halfway; midway; partway; mid-course
to burst open; to split open; to be bursting with (e.g. youth, laughter, flavor); to bounce; to bound
half; semi-; half-past; odd number; (arch.) unit of land area (595.8 m^2)
development (of land); preparation (e.g. of ground for housing); reclamation; creation
construction; establishment
multi-unit apartments; apartment complex
group; bunch; crowd; group