tradition; legend; folklore
retirement (from work); leading a quiet life (after retirement); retired person; retiree; surrendering headship of the family (pre-WWII)
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
present continuous tense; present progressive form
layman (esp. as opposed to a Buddhist monk); laity; local manners; modern customs; common; popular
estrangement; alienation; neglecting to stay in contact
covering; filled in; complete; total; cliched; clichéd; plaintext
one's circumstances; environment; situation (in life)
everyday conversation; day-to-day conversation
getting deeply involved; going deeply into; going too far (into something)
(being beholden to someone for a favor of) a night's lodging and a meal
favour; favor; obligation; debt of gratitude
curiosity; inquisitiveness
to respond; to answer; to meet (e.g. demands, expectations); to affect; to take a toll; to strike home
to speak frankly; to put things bluntly
breasts; boobies; tits; breast milk
to raise one's voice; to shout
to forget to say; to forget to mention
fierce animal; beast of prey; big game
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
notice; notification; report; posting
Spam (trademarked luncheon meat, made mostly from ham); spam (unsolicited email messages)
thunderous roar of laughter (from multiple people); loud burst of laughter; explosive laughter
first class; first rank; one degree; one level; most; best
to answer; to fire back; to retort; to redo; to do over; to try again
reflection; reverberation; reflex; reflexes
dream for the future; hopes for the future
miko; shrine maiden; young girl or woman (trad. an unmarried virgin) who assists priests at shrines; medium; sorceress; shamaness
to stray from the right path; to go wrong; to go off the rails; to turn delinquent
police officer; policeman; policewoman
dawn; daybreak; event (e.g. "in the event of ..."); occasion; occurrence
to dig up; to unearth; to uncover
writing (an essay, prose, etc.); composition; formal writing with little real meaning
to become sexually aware; to awaken to sex