image; figure; figure; form; image
asking; enquiring; searching; looking for
pivot; vital point; cornerstone; Japanese photinia
making noodles by hand; striking a deal; coming to an agreement; killing with bare hands
to maintain itself; to last; to make itself pay; to make a living; to keep going
white; unseasoned; undyed; very much; precisely; playing dumb
interjection; exclamation
in bad taste; vulgar; tasteless
an eye for people; the ability to judge character
to give an answer; to find an answer to a question; to work out a solution
unsettled; pending; unresolved
dead of night; middle of the night; midnight; third quarter of the hour of the ox (2-2:30am, or 3-3:30am)
by nature; naturally; by birth; innately; congenitally
main cause; primary factor
tatami mat; Japanese straw floor coverings
confectionery; sweets; candy; cake
search; lookup; hunt; (item of) research; exploration; investigation
souvenir store; gift shop
real feeling; actual feeling; to actually feel; to have a real feeling (that ...); to experience personally
hastily made; improvised preparation
to be wide-awake; to be wakeful; to be unable to sleep
bank; weir; embankment; levee
approximate age; age range
even; for starters; so; therefore; judging from; based on