beacon; skyrocket; signal fire; starting shot; starting signal
Tōhoku region (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku region
in the mountains; among the mountains
foot of a mountain; base of a mountain
spray; sprayer; atomizer; sprinkles (confectionery); hundreds and thousands
dojo; hall used for martial arts training; manda (place of Buddhist practice or meditation, esp. the place under the bodhi tree where Buddha attained enlightenment)
rag; scrap; fault (esp. in a pretense, pretence); defect; run-down; shabby
practice; practising; training; study
awareness of things around one; ability to understand what is going on around oneself; judgment; judgement; discretion
almost every day; almost daily
to print (on); to insert (an illustration); to stencil (a pattern); to instill (a thought, impression, etc.); to imprint (e.g. on one's subconscious)
ancestral; hereditary; generation after generation; passing from father to son
at every opportunity; for each and every thing that crops up; with every little thing; whenever possible; whenever the chance arises; at every turn
first; firstly; first of all; Introduction; Preface
daruma; tumbling doll; Bodhidharma; prostitute
weak person; the weak; vulnerable person; disadvantaged person
distance; interval; gap; difference; estrangement
as one wishes; the way one wants; to one's satisfaction
three qualities of a martial artist or athlete: heart, technique, strength
fortitude; perseverance; stoicism; patience
instructor; (fencing) teacher; model
learning; acquisition (of a skill, knowledge, etc.)
uncontainable; irrepressible; uncontrollable
disposition; temperament; temper; nature
difficulty; trouble; accident; disaster; fault; defect
to follow around; to shadow; to tag along; to haunt one (e.g. feeling, failure); to follow one
kendo; Japanese martial art using bamboo swords
not feeling like doing ...; having no mind to ...; being in no mood for ...; indifferent; half-hearted; dispirited
malicious gossip; backbiting; speaking ill behind someone's back
to divide; to cut; to halve; to break; to crack; to dilute; to fall below
hot; warm; passionate; impassioned; on everybody's mind; on the radar
sunlight filtering through trees
from out of nowhere; from who knows where
singing voice; (sound of) singing
sudden; abrupt; unexpected
cliff; precipice; precipice; brink of a dangerous situation
sunlight; rays of the Sun
East-Asian lacquer; japan; Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum, formerly Rhus verniciflua)
reinforcement; strengthening
ghost; apparition; phantom; spectre; specter; demon
to run over (with a vehicle); to knock down
poor-quality; shoddy; unskillful; inexpert; unlucky