curiously; curiously enough; oddly enough; to the point of being mysterious; to the extent of being strange
plausible; believable; solemn; dignified; serious
mat; canvas (boxing, wrestling)
to exude (e.g. sweat); to ooze; to seep out; to reveal itself (of emotions, etc.)
idiot; moron; trivial matter; folly; stupid; foolish
light brown; golden brown; tan
to be good (at); to go well; to look (taste, etc.) good; to hold one's liquor; to be able to hold one's drink
if it is not ...; if it does not ...
young man; young woman; young people; young employee; young manservant; young follower
ship; boat; tank; tub; counter for boat-shaped containers (e.g. of sashimi)
to get involved or entangled in; to get mixed up in; to have something to do with; to have dealings with
ship's captain; skipper; length of a ship; boatman
romance (e.g. Arthurian romances); heroic tale; (nigh) impossible dream; adventurous spirit; (full-length) novel; romance
headache inducing; vexing
to be popular; to come into fashion; to be prevalent; to spread widely (e.g. disease); to flourish; to thrive
luxury cruise ship; luxury liner
cold; indifferent; unfriendly; unsympathetic; unkind
founding a country; opening of a country (e.g. Japan) to the world; ending (a policy of) national seclusion
black ships; Western ships that came to Japan between the 16th and 19th centuries, esp. those of the Perry Expedition in 1853; foreign disruptor (of the Japanese market); product, person, etc. arriving from the West and disturbing the Japanese market
to all appearances; no matter how you look at it
snack (to have with a drink); side dish
to have a cramp; to twitch; to stiffen (of a face, expression); to freeze; to shrink (of skin, due to a scar); to tauten
with a "plop" (of tears, drop of water, etc.)
watermelon splitting (game)
riding ground; racecourse; racetrack
negligence; carelessness; inattention; unpreparedness
adult (esp. person 20 years old or over); grownup; becoming an adult; coming of age; growing up (to be a man, woman)
important person; influential figure; big shot; big thing; big one; big game
suddenly; all of a sudden
between the waves; in the waves; on the waves; behind the waves; beneath the waves
flustered person; hasty person
timewise; temporal; chronal
to dodge; to evade; to avoid; to sidestep
fighting back; returning fire; counter-attack; responding to an attack; accepting a challenge
to compete (with each other); to contend for; to vie for; to rival
counterattack; counteroffensive; counterblow
to beat; to attack (an enemy); to do away with; to finish off
prudence; judgement; sense; discipline; care; control
opposite; opposition; versus; vs.; to (e.g. "winning a game five to three"); equal footing