osechi; food eaten during the New Year's Holidays
without cause; without reason
have no choice; there is nothing but; no more than
bang; bam; noontime signal gun (carried out early Meiji to Taishō); noon gun; last round in a game of 12 rounds; precisely
throwing in; inserting; investment; commitment (of funds, personnel, etc.); launching (a product into the market); introduction
exactly; surely; right then; just then; just (about to); on the verge (of doing or happening)
optical illusion; hallucination; misapprehension; delusion
dear (old); fondly-remembered; beloved; missed; nostalgic
moreover; furthermore; nevertheless; and yet
where ... is concerned; when it becomes; if it becomes
still more; even more; all the more; still less; even less
before one's eyes; in front of one; under one's nose; immediate; imminent; around the corner
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
fortune slip (usu. bought at a shrine)
furnished with; including; attached to; impression; appearance; luck; sociality
udon; thick Japanese wheat noodles
way; method; means; (technical) specification
related to; in relation to; as far as ... is concerned
nothing; naught; nought; un-; non-
prefecture (Japan); county (China, Taiwan, Norway, etc.); department (France); province (Italy, Spain, etc.)
Kagawa prefecture (Shikoku)
influx of South Korean pop culture (into Japan)
pushing though; bulldozing; doing something by force; arm twisting
force; vigor; influence; authority; impetus; momentum
world; society; people; the public
permeation (of thought, ideology, culture, etc.); infiltration (e.g. of ideas); permeation (of a liquid, etc.); soaking; osmosis
desperate; frantic; excited; worked up; heated; eager
official; formal; formula (e.g. mathematical); official (social media) account (of a company, organization, etc.)
something like ...; things like ...; someone like ...; the likes of ...
new; novel; fresh; recent; latest; up-to-date
be considered; be deemed; be thought to be
in short; the point is; the important thing is; in a word; basically
somehow (or other); for some reason; without knowing why; something (or other); some ... or other
to garnish; to accompany (as a card does a gift); to add to as support; to prop up; to accompany (as an aid, guide, translator, etc.); (arch.) to mimic
special; auspicious; happy; naive; innocent; good-natured
red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors); two teams; two groups; Kōhaku Uta Gassen; annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve (sponsored and broadcast by NHK)
to represent; to signify; to reveal; to show; to express; to make widely known
seeming ...; appearing ...; -ish; like a ...; typical of ...