mental preparedness; being braced for; being steeled for
real; realistic; serious; non-joking; realtime blog; real world (cf. online games or social networking services)
middle of summer; height of summer; midsummer
comfort; ease; easy; simple; (economically) comfortable; raku pottery
Bon Festival dance; Lantern Festival dance
assembly hall; meeting place; venue; grounds
naked dance; dancing naked; striptease; strip show
to urge; to encourage; to press; to stimulate (e.g. growth); to hasten (e.g. development); to quicken
to stiffen; to become stiff
suit (clothing); suit (playing cards)
with a snap; (break) cleanly; (reject) sternly; flatly; smartly (e.g. of dressing up well)
house; residence; family; household; lineage; family name
to visit; to call on; to pay a visit to
another's parent; another's parents
kneeling down on the ground; prostrate oneself
(another's) daughter; young lady
I, myself; one-self; by one-self; even I; even one
pure; innocent; naive; unspoilt; pure-hearted; ingenuous
miserable; pitiable; shameful; deplorable; pathetic
sound of footsteps; sense or sign that something is approaching
something; some kind of; for some reason
hasty; impatient; restless; rash
dropping in on the way; stopping off at; making a side trip; going the long way round; making a detour
door (Western-style, car, etc.)
not only ... (but also); not just; as well as
to feel nervous; to feel afraid; to be startled; to be surprised; (arch.) to be shy; (arch.) to be bashful
important person; strategic person; key figure
to blink (one's eyes); to wink; to bat
to look at again; to re-examine (policy, estimate, plan, etc.); to review; to get a better opinion of; to see in a more positive light; to improve
immediately; at once; soon; before long; easily; readily
incomprehensible; nonsensical; puzzling; I don't get it; I'm confused; I'm lost
to report to the Emperor; to play (musical instrument); to accomplish
and; moreover; besides; as well as; and on top of that; at the same time
period; epoch; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness
to act timid (about doing); to show diffidence; to feel ashamed; to feel guilty
malicious; ill-tempered; unkind
confluence (of rivers); merge (of traffic); conflux; union (e.g. of forces); linking up; merging
mean; malicious; scheming; wicked; black-hearted
to triumph; to be elated with success
careful; elaborate; scrupulous
preliminary investigation; preparation