to tighten; to stiffen; to brace; to strain
on countless occasions; many a time
age range; age-group; age bracket
main purpose; primary objective
well-bred; of good upbringing
to open up to someone else; to divulge one's true feelings; to be openhearted
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly; less and less
before one's eyes; under one's nose; immediate (e.g. interests); present; foresight; near future
prosperity; thriving; flourishing
(balance) scales; carrying pole; shoulder pole; thread take-up lever (on a sewing machine); spreader bar
correction (of a fault, defect, flaw, etc.); remedy; rectification; redress; reform; straightening (of teeth)
innermost feelings; heart; motive; nature; disposition; spirit
thankfully; fortunately; luckily; mercifully
subsidy; grant; subvention
to shun; to avoid; to ostracize; to neglect; to distance oneself from; to give the hard shoulder
future; possible; potential; prospective
neighbour; neighbor; (people in the) neighbourhood; neighborhood
to run counter to; to go against; to disobey; to infringe
property; fortune; means; assets
to get twisted; to get crooked; to become twisted (of a mind, relationship, etc.); to become warped; to become troubled; to become complicated
Meguro City (special ward of Tokyo); Bonin white-eye (Apalopteron familiare)
25th day of the month; 25 days
master; expert; Meijin (professional title); Meijin (highest title for male players in competitive karuta)
ability; capability; skill
steady; sound; stable; safe (e.g. business); reliable; trustworthy
to remove obstacles in the way of one's objective; to take an indirect approach; (lit.) to fill in the outer moat
to joke around; to do and say ridiculous things
to guide; to lead; to show the way; to derive; to deduce
tremendous; immense; enormous; colossal; stupendous; huge
support; backing; endorsement; propping up; holding up; support
seducer; smooth talker; picking up women; hitting on women; moderate party; moderate
warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; person with a strong backbone; person that does incredible things; person of considerable talent
nth son; lang; official title in ancient China; (arch.) man; (arch.) young man; (arch.) my husband
vice-minister; undersecretary
hustle and bustle; throng; crowd; congestion; traffic jam
overlooking; looking down at; having an overhead view; having a bird's-eye view; having a high-angle view
to think nothing of ...; to care nothing for ...; to be undaunted by ...; to defy ...; to brave ...; to pay no attention to ...
foreign enemy; outside invader
to stagnate; to be delayed; to be left undone; to be overdue (of a payment); to fall into arrears; to be outstanding
initial response (e.g. to a crisis); action in the earliest stages; initial shock (of an earthquake); preliminary tremor
to save up; to stockpile; to stash away; to hoard; to amass; to salt away