bang; bam; noontime signal gun (carried out early Meiji to Taishō); noon gun; last round in a game of 12 rounds; precisely
creeping (of an insect, etc.); crawling; restlessly; fidgeting; hesitantly; slowly
to go together; to go in company (with); to go along (with)
to haul in (hand over hand); to pull in; to draw in; to trace (history, threads of a story, etc.); to retrace (e.g. memories); to go over
looking at someone (with upturned eyes); glancing upwards (at someone)
Obon; Bon Festival; Buddhist festival for honouring the spirits of one's ancestors, held in mid-August or in some regions, mid-July; tray
to go up the stairs; to climb the stairs
ridgeline; lines of a mountain ridge
to partition; to divide; to direct; to manage; to settle accounts; to assume a crouching posture (at the start of a bout)
bright and beautiful; gorgeous; showy; prosperous; flourishing; thriving
iron rod; iron bar; iron club; horizontal bar (gymnastics)
spot; dot; place; location; (airport) apron; spot advertisement; spot advertising
metal rod; metal bar; iron rod; iron club; iron staff with rings on top (traditionally used by night watchmen)
at the very beginning of one's speech; immediately upon opening one's mouth (to speak); before anything else; first of all
thicket; bush; coppice; brushwood
to run into; to collide with; to come to the end of (a street); to run into (difficulties, problems, etc.); to run up against
space; room; space (between letters, words, etc.); space (piece of type); (outer) space
after a bath; after taking a bath; large towel used after taking a bath; yukata worn after taking a bath
choices; alternatives; options
to consist of; to be made up of; to be concluded (e.g. of an agreement); to hold true (e.g. of a theory); to be viable (of a business, lifestyle, etc.); to carry on
firing (esp. a rocket or missile); launching; shooting; ejaculation
chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
to spread; to be propagated
postwar period; period after Second World War
society; public; community; social studies
pretext; history; past; according to ...; ... says
mainly; primarily; mostly; largely; chiefly
break (rest); break (tennis, boxing, snooker, etc.); becoming popular; becoming a hit
general; universal; ordinary; average; (arch.) the same; (arch.) no different
by the way; in this connection; incidentally; in passing
activity (esp. energetic or successful); great efforts; active participation; walking about with great vigor
protagonist; main character; hero; head (of a household); proprietor (of a store)
new; neo-; newness; novelty; Gregorian calendar; Xin dynasty (of China; 9-23 CE)