ornament; decorative object; object placed in a tokonoma; figurehead; leader without real power
to arrange (flowers); to plant; living; live
drawing room; parlour; parlor; reception office
kotatsu; table over an electric heater (orig. a charcoal brazier in a floor well) with a hanging quilt that retains heat
tatami mat; Japanese straw floor coverings
peculiarity; uniqueness; characteristic
mismatched; odd; irregular; inconsistent; incoherent; confused
to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink
takoyaki pan (cast iron with semi-spherical molds)
since long ago; already; for quite a while; for some time now
takoyaki; octopus dumplings
cheese; tee (piping); T-joint; cheese (said when taking a photograph)
rice cakes; pounded mochi rice
precise; accurate; appropriate; exactly the right
walleye pollack roe (generally served salted and spiced with red pepper)
natto (fermented soybeans)
how; in what way; how about
division of labour; division of labor; splitting into groups (e.g. to search)
to turn over; to turn upside down; to knock over; to tip over; to overturn (e.g. a decision); to upset
work; operation; manufacturing; fatigue duty
pick; plectrum; ice pick; pickaxe; pick (of an ice axe); pick (tool for picking a lock)
cruel; merciless; atrocious; pitiful; tragic; horrible
to poke (repeatedly, lightly); to nudge; to peck at (one's food); to pick at; to peck at (someone's faults, etc.); to egg on
important; significant; precious; valuable; careful
next; hypo- (i.e. containing an element with low valence); order; sequence
to mellow (e.g. personality); to be rounded; to huddle; to cower
to reply; to respond; to answer; to talk back; to retort
to be baked (food); to be printed (photos); to be fired (pottery)
unsophisticated palate; inability to discern good and bad flavours
to clear up; to clear away; to refresh (e.g. spirits); to be cleared (e.g. of a suspicion); to be dispelled; to be banished
to get the hang of; to learn the secret to
daihinmin; daifugō; Japanese card game similar to President
late at night; at a late hour
disturbance; trouble; ups and downs