birth; birthplace; born in (country, month, imperial era, zodiac year, etc.)
head; chief; merit; strong point; superiority; major
homecoming; return to one's home
name; title; appellation; (under the) pretext (of); pretense
individual; private person; personal; private
hobby; pastime; tastes; preference; liking
to be awesome; to be extreme; to be incredible
reason; logic; sense; natural way of things
interference; intervention; meddling
to have gooseflesh (e.g. from cold or horror)
being excluded; being ignored; being kept in the dark (about); being kept out of the loop; (lit.) outside the mosquito net
whereabouts; place where one is; position; location
lowering; sinking; depreciation; price fall; punch line (of a rakugo story); (arch.) sword strap
makings (of); aptitude; talent; nature; character; temperament
flowers budding; blooming; flowering; showing results; becoming popular; blooming
sparkle of one's eyes; insight; discernment; penetration
emperor; living god; god incarnate; miracle-working god (who appears as the occasion demands)
world; society; life; lifetime; age; era; reign
lineage; stock; descent; strain; blood relationship
Second World War (1939-1945); World War II; WWII; WW2
Empire of Japan (Japan's official name under the Meiji Constitution)
collapse; crumbling; breaking down; (radioactive) decay; disintegration
worldwide; global; international; world-famous; world-class
god king; god-king; guardian deity
generation; lifetime; the age; the day; the first (e.g. Elizabeth I); issei
to stay (at); to stop (at)
to be on the verge; to be on the brink; to get close
a few years ago; some years back
half in doubt; half-convinced; dubious; incredulous
fiction; made-up story; fable; fabrication; myth
manuscript (book); written copy of a book; codex; transcription; copying
irritation; annoyance; frustration