younger brother; little brother; brother-in-law (spouse's younger brother or younger sister's husband); (arch.) pupil; (arch.) apprentice
childhood friend; friend from infancy; old playmate
slight; minor; trifling; considerable; proper; decent
bet; wager; stake; gamble
circumference; girth; tour; pilgrimage; circulation (e.g. of blood)
to stop by; to drop in for a short visit
absence; disregard; indifference
serious look (on one's face); straight face
I'm told; is what I heard; is how it is, apparently; is what they said
Kansai; region consisting of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and surrounding prefectures; Kansai; south-western half of Japan (during the feudal era)
kimono fabrics shop; draper
to marry (of a woman); to become a bride; to marry into (a family); (arch.) to have sexual intercourse
since then; from that time; ever since
throughout; over a period of ...; over a span of ...
(together) with; -wide; including
stealthily; secretly; in secret
at any rate; anyhow; anyway; in any case; because
circulation (money, goods, etc.); distribution; circulation (air, water, etc.); ventilation; negotiable (e.g. shares); distributional
to search for; to look for; to hunt for; to search (a house, pocket, etc.); to search through; to rummage in (e.g. a drawer)
course (of events); development; progress; market order; order without limit
cache; place to hide something
row; line; company (of someone); group; sequence; counter for rows
closing hours (of a store, restaurant, etc.)
in preparation; (shop) not yet open for business
to be lit (e.g. electricity comes on); to be lighted; to catch fire
facing; opposite; across the street; other side
apron; apron (airport); apron (stage)
to dust (shelves, etc.); to use a duster
to tie up in a bundle (e.g. straw, hair, bills, letters); to bundle; to govern; to manage; to fold (one's arms); to put together (one's hands)
busy; occupied; hectic; restless; hurried; fidgety
parking lot rented on a monthly basis
part; portion; amount; worth (as in "two days' worth"); one's means; one's place; one's duty
space; room; vacancy; opening; free time; time to spare
house; home; one's house; one's home; one's husband
buying; shopping; buyer; purchase
having nothing to do; having time on one's hands (and not knowing what to do); being at a loose end; being bored
to take home; to carry home; to bring back home; to take out (e.g. food)
while being out of the office or away from home
it cannot be that...; it is highly unlikely that...; it is impossible that...
just as; in the act of; as soon as; at the moment that