December; twelfth month of the lunar calendar
May; fifth month of the lunar calendar
twentieth day of the month; twenty days
memory; ability to remember
now that you say that; now that you mention it
this is why; this means; it is the case that
this sort of; of this kind; of the sort; such
deputy head teacher; vice principal
old person; elderly person; trustee of the Japan Sumo Association; retired high-ranking wrestler who is licensed to coach and receives retirement pay; senior statesman (of the Tokugawa shogunate); important local official (under the Tokugawa Shogunate)
tonsure; shaving one's head (upon entering the Buddhist priesthood)
news; word; tidings; omen
record of proceedings; minutes
long time; long interval; for quite some time
will; probably; may; I think; surely; I hope
soon; shortly; nearly; almost
excursion; field trip; school trip
Niigata (city, prefecture)
room allocation; assignment of rooms
disastrous; tragic; miserable; wretched; pitiful; woeful
skipping rope; jump rope; skipping; rope-jumping
number of times; frequency; count
order; rank; position (e.g. in a race); precedence
sports-minded; sports-oriented
rope; cord; policeman's rope
tone-deafness; amusia; tone-deaf; off-key; having no sense (of something); being hopeless (when it comes to something)
just one person; only one
poor physical health; bad shape
accessible; approachable; easy to approach
destination; whereabouts; future; prospects
to repaint; to paint again; to break (a record); to rewrite; to remake
saying "Ah!"; making one say "Ah!"; surprisingly; astonishingly