useless; futile; unnecessary; needless; not on business; unrelated
surimi; minced fish (or meat) mashed into a paste
pounded fish cake; half a slice; half a ticket; ticket stub
worldly wisdom; gumption; stingy person
jūbako; multi-tiered food box
one turn; one round; (a) size; to go around; to make a circuit; twelve years
soft; fragile; weak; poorly built; insubstantial
enduring something out of pride; putting up with it; grinning and bearing it
poor; meagre; meager; feeble; scanty; shabby
talkative; loose-lipped; persiflage; frivolous talk
town; block; downtown; main street; street; road
time around sunset; early evening
to come and go; to go back and forth
to get dark; to grow dark; to end (of a day, year, season, etc.); to come to an end; to be sunk in (e.g. despair); to be lost in (e.g. thought)
mankind; the human creature; fellow creatures
to each his own; people differ; different people (have different likes)
dots; spots; bit by bit; little by little; here and there; scattered
simmering; (boiling) gently
to be boiled; to be cooked
sukiyaki; thin slices of beef, cooked with various vegetables in a table-top cast-iron pan
strenuous exertion; spurt; splurge
sukiyaki stock; stock mixed with soy sauce, mirin and sugar (used to flavor sukiyaki)
to bring to a finish; to bind firmly; to superintend
soba noodles eaten at night on New Year's Eve
dessert stomach; having room for dessert despite being full
pot; (arch.) typical name for a female servant in the Edo-period; working at night; female with symptoms of gender identity disorder (e.g. a transvestite)
common; shared; to be common (to); to be shared (by); -wide
to rule; to govern; (arch.) to see; (arch.) to look; (arch.) to watch
hold; catch; connection; relationship; unease; discomfort
evening deepens into night; the night wears on; night advances
temple bell rung 108 times on New Year's Eve
to be heard; to be audible; to be said to be; to be reputed
near; close; beside; attendant; retainer; vassal
to hear; to listen (e.g. to music); to ask; to enquire; to hear about; to hear of; to follow (advice, order, etc.)
to slurp; to sip (loudly); to sniffle; to sniff
udon; thick Japanese wheat noodles
in short; the point is; the important thing is; in a word; basically
seems to be; appears to have; supposed to be
twelve o'clock; noon; midnight