having presence of mind; self-possessed; imperturbable; calm and self-possessed
to begin talking; to open up
national isolation; closing the country (to foreigners); sakoku; policy of national isolation enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate
systematic; organized; organizational
acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover; bribery; buying off; corruption
importance; emphasis; stress
to become overgrown; to grow thick; to spread; to run rampant; to thrive
badness; evilness; bad; evil
confrontation; opposition; antagonism
unfavourably; unfavorably; disparagingly; insultingly; ill
narrator; storyteller; reciter
I'm sorry; my apologies; may I come in?; permission; leave; dismissal
to love; to cherish; to show favouritism to; to be partial to; to fondle; to caress
to droop (e.g. ears of grain); to bow one's head; to hang one's head
has reached its limit; has reached its peak
blue; azure; green; pale; gray; unripe
nisei; second-generation Japanese (or Korean, etc.); the second (e.g. Edward II); son
to break into a smile; to smile broadly; to beam
ingratiation; pandering; catering (to); going along with (someone or something); accommodating oneself (e.g. to public opinion)
manner of speaking; mode of expression; way of saying something; at the same time as speaking; as one speaks
to hold down; to twist someone's arm; to force (someone) to yield (e.g. an argument); to make (someone) surrender
to insist on one's own ideas; to have one's own way
being preoccupied with; being obsessed; only thinking of; having only ... on one's mind
wholesale delegation; hundred-percent subcontracting; leaving all the decision-making to somebody else
nuisance money; money paid to make up for inconvenience caused
to become angry or sullen; to take offense; to be miffed; to come unstuck from; to peel off; to come off
to benefit; to profit; to gain; to reap rewards
to have an interest (in something); to feel inclined (toward doing something)
to throw away as useless; to scrap; to make null and void; to renege; to annul
open; public; official; overt
adhesion; conglutination; collusion; collusive relationship
collateral family; subsidiary line; affiliate; coset
town girl; girl raised in a town
(one's) peers; people around one
going bye-byes; going beddy-byes; baby; childish person (esp. a young woman)
inconspicuous; unobtrusive; low-profile
unthinkable; unimaginable; terrible; awful; (arch.) very
change again and again; seesaw back and forth; being in a state of flux; backtracking repeatedly
guest; visitor; visitor's arrival
to bring disgrace (dishonor, dishonour) on; to fling mud at; to put to shame
quickly; briefly; rashly; carelessly; (flowing) in trickles