soup stock made from kombu
eating moderately keeps the doctor away
cooked rice with added ingredients (meat, vegetables, etc.)
religion; religious affiliation; belief; religious activity
difficult to say which of the two is better; hard to tell which is better; (there is) little to choose between them
peas; garden peas; field peas
frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus)
goldthread (Coptis japonica)
hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. japonica); liverleaf; liverwort; bird's-eye primrose (Primula farinosa subsp. modesta); mealy primrose
small bag of snack food (cookies, potato chips, etc.)
flowers or flower arrangements for a butsudan (household Buddhist altar)
autumn, the best season for reading
kindergartener; preschooler
interviewee; subject of an interview
to behave well (of a child)
place for ritual cleansing of hands and mouth with water when visiting shrines
visiting a shrine on New Year's Eve and staying there until (or returning on) New Year's Day
shiruko; sweet red-bean soup with mochi
to irritate one; to get on one's nerves
daylight hours; hours of sunshine
nothing new; same as always; an old story; nothing new about it; not the first time it has happened
crude; philistine; uncultivated; uneducated; vulgar
Vienna sausage cut in the shape of an octopus
autumn-leaf viewing; fall-leaf viewing
boiled octopus; person as red as a lobster
forked tree; forked branch
sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera)
to be accepted by a university
traveling bag; travelling bag; suitcase
loach or eel dipped and broiled in soy-based sauce
being moderate in eating; stopping short of stuffing oneself
many items; pressure of business
eating house; restaurant that serves simple food
to paint (draw) a picture