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.)
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
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
autumn-leaf viewing; fall-leaf viewing
forked tree; forked branch
to be accepted by a university
traveling bag; travelling bag; suitcase
loach or eel dipped and broiled in soy-based sauce
to paint (draw) a picture
fish balls; fish dumplings
prayer for school success
furigana; kana over or beside kanji to indicate pronunciation
trivial; not amounting to much; not a big deal
Inari (god of harvests, wealth, fertility, etc.); Inari shrine; inarizushi (sushi wrapped in fried tofu); scrotum; testicle sack
full of ingredients; hearty; substantial
edge of town; outskirts of a village
drinking and eating too much
carrot and stick; (lit.) candy and whip
to put away; to stow away; to tuck away; to hoard