business hotel; cheap but conveniently located hotel with only basic conveniences, targeted at business travellers
poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
there's no (other) way; cannot be helped; unavoidable; it's no use (doing); pointless; hopeless (person)
office work; clerical work; administration; business; affairs
accounting; administration (of money)
unrefined (character, manners); mean; vulgar; bad taste; lacking style
rumour; rumor; report; hearsay; gossip; common talk
love of; affection for; enthusiast for; being attractive to; being liked by
somehow; how; in what way; why; what kind of
darkness; the dark; bewilderment; despair; hidden place; secrecy
diet; losing weight by any method (e.g. exercise)
growth; development; growing up; growth (of a company, the economy, etc.)
rice bowl; tea cup; teacup
to draw or pull something towards oneself (e.g. chair)
winter vacation; winter holidays
to pile up; to heap up; to stack up; to repeat many times over; to go through repeatedly; to accumulate
September; ninth month of the lunar calendar
space; air; midair; (from) memory; (by) heart
to gaze at; to fix one's eyes upon
dark; gloomy; depressed; dispirited; dark (in colour); dull; ill-boding
to take something into ...; to bring in; to lodge (a complaint); to file (a plan); to bring to (a state: tied game, vote, trial, etc.)
one's family; family member
absence; being away from home; house-sitting; house-sitter; being left unattended to (of one's studies, etc.); neglecting
apt to (do); liable to; predominantly; mostly; ... reaps the rewards; ... takes the prize
until something reaches the very limit; until the very last minute; up to the breaking point
it cannot be that...; it is highly unlikely that...; it is impossible that...
to ask a big favour; to ask unreasonable things; to be unreasonable
to furnish; to install; to get someone's agreement; to patronize; to buy usually from the same store
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
character (esp. kanji); letter; handwriting; penmanship; the ... word (e.g. "the L word" = "love")
picture; drawing; painting; image (TV, film, etc.); picture; footage
obedient; meek; docile; honest; frank; upfront (about one's feelings)
to slip out; to sneak away; to break into the lead; to get ahead; to begin to fall out (e.g. hair); to break out (of a loop)
showy; brilliant; gorgeous; florid; gay