to scratch; to perspire; to shovel; to paddle
ecology; life and habits (of an animal); mode of life; way of living
investigation; examination; inquiry; enquiry; survey
frank; direct; plain; straightforward; point-blank; concise
to uncover; to solve; to reveal
drawing a katana and attacking in the same stroke; doing (something) suddenly and without warning; doing without prior notice
check (pattern); plaid; check; inspection; check (mark); tick; checking (something) out
to have a feeling (that); to have a sensation (that)
as much as one can; as much as possible
to treat (someone) to (something); to give (someone) a treat; to buy (someone a meal, drink, etc.); to be extravagant; to live in luxury
cost of a ticket; price of a ticket
New Year's gift (usu. money given to a child by relatives and visitors)
putting money aside; savings; deposit (e.g. in a bank); accumulated surplus of wins; wins in the bank
prefecture (of Japan); county (of China, Taiwan, Norway, etc.); department (of France); province (of Italy, Spain, etc.)
fine food; high-quality food; gourmet; epicure; gastronome
interior; backwoods; hinterland; back regions
buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum); soba; Japanese buckwheat noodles; Chinese-style wheat noodles
having a high threshold (for entry); difficult to approach; feeling awkward to go to (of someone's home)
soy sauce ramen; soy ramen; ramen in clear brown broth flavored with soy sauce
all over Japan; throughout Japan
to taste; to savor; to appreciate; to enjoy; to experience; to go through
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
preference; priority; precedence; right of way
at (a time or place); in; in (a situation, matter, etc.); on (a point); on the part of; under the authority of
one's father; one's old man; middle-aged (or older) man; old man; one's boss; proprietor (of a restaurant, store, etc.)
to twine; to get tangled; to be involved (e.g. of money in a matter); to get involved (in); to pick a quarrel (with); to find fault (with)
shifting (the burden) onto; ill effects; negative consequences; burden
pat; tap; pop; crack; cutesy suffix applied to names
brown envelope; manila envelope
to crush (with one's hands); to kill a proposal; to shelve; to table (remove from consideration)
to choke; to have trouble breathing
to beat fast (of a heart); to hammer
a long time ago; long ago
to move along; to go alongside; to walk along; to follow; to run down (one's cheek, leg, etc.); to trickle down
dive (e.g. into water); diving; dive (of an aircraft)
intelligence; intellect; brains
sticking; clinging; with a smack (e.g. sitting down); hard; all over; thickly
it was, wasn't it?; must have been; I think (it was); how might it have been?
reaction; recoil; kick; backlash
brother complex; excessive attachment to one's brother; black contemporary (music)
to raise; to rear; to train; to teach; to promote the growth of; to nurture
rumbling (of thunder, one's stomach, etc.); grumbling; rolling (of something large and heavy); tumbling; all over the place; everywhere; idly