unbelievable; incredible; implausible
tiny amount of money; a penny; one letter; one character; one mon (unit of currency)
land mine; topic that sets someone off; sensitive topic; something that seems fine at first but turns out to be very bad (e.g. product, business); booby trap
original; primitive; primary; fundamental; raw
in a manner of speaking; as it were; so to speak; if you like; per se
national isolation; closing the country (to foreigners); sakoku; policy of national isolation enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate
original; unique; distinctive; independent; one's own; personal
culture; civilization; civilisation; Bunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22)
to build up; to establish (one's reputation)
Galapagos (island chain); Sharp brand of e-readers and mobile phones
smooth; undisturbed; uninterrupted; harmonious
altitude; height; elevation; high-degree; high-grade; advanced
teaching; instruction; teachings; precept; lesson; doctrine
war potential; military strength; fighting power; ability (to compete); capabilities; valuable asset
to have; to possess; to own; to be endowed with
in an instant; in a moment; immediately; suddenly; all of a sudden; all at once
founding a country; opening of a country (e.g. Japan) to the world; ending (a policy of) national seclusion
to differ; to vary; to disagree
to go into; to come into; to penetrate; to become complicated
sudden; abrupt; rapid; sharp; drastic; radical
development; growth; development (of a situation, story, etc.); advancement; playing around; having an active sex life
to accompany; to go hand in hand with; to be consequent upon; to be accompanied by; to bring with; to take with
civilization and enlightenment; Japan's Westernization movement during the Meiji era (Westernisation)
reflection; reverberation; reflex; reflexes
pure; true; genuine; unmixed
misprint; misspelling; typo; typographical error; erratum
misreading; misinterpreting