vigilance; caution; alertness; precaution; being on guard
to strengthen; to emphasize; to emphasise
older sister; elder sister
towards; against; regarding; in contrast with
uncomfortable feeling; feeling out of place; sense of discomfort; malaise; physical unease
misunderstanding; mistaken idea; wrong guess
contents; content; substance; matter; detail; import
the world; society; sphere; circle; world-renowned; world-famous
to ask; to enquire; to inquire; to search; to look for; to look into
strange; odd; unexpected; change; incident; disturbance
unidentifiable; unidentified
behind; rear; after; later; remainder; the rest; more (e.g. five more minutes)
to examine; to look up; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study
unthinkable; unexpected; absolutely not!; far from it!; (it was) no bother at all; not at all
acquisition; obtaining; coming to hand
sentence-ending particle expressing doubt
done; just done; just finished
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
to strike; to clap; to play drums; to abuse; to bash; to consult; to sound out
level; standard; level (plane); floor; spirit level; (surveyor's) level
criterion; standard; yardstick; rough estimate; approximation
outline; main points; generally; on the whole; general; rough
to memorize; to memorise; to learn; to pick up; to feel; to think
tendency; trend; inclination
connection; link; relationship
to pick up; to find; to gather
(approximate) time; around; suitable time (or condition); time of year; season
but then; although; though; reasonable; natural; just
concealment; suppression; hiding
the same; the said; likewise
why; oh; no!; quit it!; stop!
to notice; to recognize; to recognise; to become aware of; to perceive; to realize
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); still; all the same; even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
focus of one's attention; what one is looking for; viewpoint; point one is trying to make
to look away; to avert one's eyes
after all; because; but; even; too; as well
individual; separate; personal; case-by-case