greeting the New Year (on New Year's Eve); welcoming the New Year
previous day; day before; eve; prior day; preceding day
person concerned; people involved (in an event); those concerned; staff
full of confidence; brimming with (self-)confidence; having great faith in oneself
painful; difficult; distressing; (psychologically) difficult; straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation)
it's been a long time; long time no see
from the place (where); from the fact that ...; caused by the fact that ...; because
parking area; parking lot; rest stop; service area
this occasion; at this time; now
care; looking after; trouble; bother; good offices; recommendation
guest house; private home providing lodging for travelers; bed and breakfast; pension
high-class; high-grade; high-quality; high-ranking; high-level; senior
ryokan; traditional Japanese inn
convenience; user-friendliness
cooking; cookery; cuisine; dealing with (skillfully); handling (well); managing
Shinshū (alt. name of former Shinano province)
famous product; special product; speciality; specialty
I'm told; is what I heard; is how it is, apparently; is what they said
along the road; along the way
tranquil; calm; quiet; mild (weather); balmy
tightly; closely; exactly; precisely; suddenly (stopping); perfectly (suited)
to cross (legs or arms); to link (arms); to put together; to construct; to braid; to plait; to grapple
perfectly; right on the mark; spot on; enough; sufficiently; thoroughly
OK; okay; fine (without); not needed; unnecessary
autograph; signature; sign; signal; indication
perception; intuition; the sixth sense
to look at from the outside; to view from an outsider's perspective; to be seen from the point of view of an onlooker
largish; biggish; on the large side; slightly larger; a little larger
detached house; single house; single building; isolated house; house in isolated location
be considered; be deemed; be thought to be
unanimity; unanimous consent; unanimous agreement
to assign; to allot; to allocate; to divide among; to distribute; to prorate
(bearing a) close resemblance; vivid reminder (e.g. of the past); dim; faint; vague
tatami mat; Japanese straw floor coverings
tatami mat (esp. as a measure of room size, either 1.82 sqm or 1.54 sqm)
to be touching; to be moving
tea (esp. green or barley); tea break; teatime; tea ceremony
to take a breather; to take a rest; to take a break