past; after; too (much); over- (e.g. eating)
mostly; ordinarily; probably; most; almost all; ordinary
total darkness; pitch dark; bleak future; poor prospects
October; tenth month of the lunar calendar
food; foodstuff; eating; appetite; meal; portion
sure to ...; certain to ...; bound to ...; it's natural that ...
thanks (for coming, helping, etc.); glad you could make it; tiredness; fatigue
to be crowded with people; to be bustling with; to prosper; to flourish; to do thriving business
izakaya; Japanese bar that also serves various dishes and snacks
(short) curtain hung at shop entrance; split curtain used to divide spaces in a house; reputation (of a store); good name; goodwill
to go under; to pass under; to dive (into or under the water); to evade; to get around; to survive
tatami room; tatami mat room; formal Japanese room; dinner party in a tatami room (esp. when a geisha or maiko attends)
fresh; refreshing; invigorating; clear (e.g. voice); fluent; eloquent
undesirable friend; bad company; bad companion; partner-in-crime (i.e. good friend); close friend; buddy
Pacific saury (Cololabis saira); mackerel pike
yakitori; chicken pieces (or sometimes beef or pork offal) grilled on a skewer; grilled and skewered bird (esp. sparrow); failing to win a single hand during a half-game
specialized course; specialised course; something that is specialized for a certain field or application (e.g. a sauce specially made for zaru soba)
white; innocence; innocent person; blank space; white go stone; white dragon tile; skewered grilled pig intestine
to be a match for; to rival; to equal; to compare with; to be equivalent to
home area; home town; local
bar; saloon; pub; tavern; drinking establishment
mostly; nearly; practically; well-nigh; almost invariably; all but
conquest; domination; mastery
grilling (fish) with salt; broiling with salt; boiling seawater to get salt
shell; husk; hull; pod; chaff
furnished with; including; attached to; impression; appearance; luck; sociality
grasping; gripping; handful; fistful; handle; grip; rice ball
several; a number of; quantity; amount; counting; figures; number
kan (obs. unit of weight, approx. 3.75 kg, 8.3 lb); kan (obs. unit of currency, equiv. to 1000 mon in the Edo period; col. 10 mon in the Meiji period); counter for pieces of sushi; 10 points; 12 points
pilchard (esp. Japanese pilchard, Sardinops melanostictus); sardine
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume); Japanese plum; ume; lowest (of a three-tier ranking system)
simmered with; cooked with; boiling; boiled dish
to put up (a notice, sign, etc.); to hang out (e.g. a banner); to hold up high; to raise overhead; to tout (a principle, plan, etc.); to herald; to publish
cheers; bottoms-up; toast; drink (in celebration or in honor of something); drinking one's glass dry
friendship; fellowship; camaraderie
always; without exception; necessarily; certainly; without fail; positively
to be broken; to break; to fall through; to come to nothing