rise of the curtain; opening of a play; beginning (e.g. of an era); start; opening (of a tournament, festival, etc.)
unforgettable; impossible to forget; lucidly remember
to get stuck with (some job); to end up with (something unpleasant)
to press forward; to forge ahead; to push on
kindness; favor; favour; goodwill; affection; liking (for someone)
course correction; trajectory change; orbital adjustment
to be born; to come into the world
company; friendship; association; (romantic) involvement; dating
to pull (the puppet) strings; to direct things from behind the scenes; to stretch out (and keep going); to linger on
to throw (oneself); to hurl; to cast; to stir (one's feelings); to get excited; to make (one's heart) pound
loud laughter; roaring with laughter
far away in the distance; in the far distance
to conspire; to act in collusion; to be hand-in-glove
to hunt (animals); to search (for a criminal); to go looking for (flowers, etc.); to gather (mushrooms)
trend; tendency; movement; attitude
to laugh at someone scornfully; to scoff at
to face (a situation); to encounter; to be confronted with
ulterior motive; plot; scheme; complicated circumstances; intricacies
suppressed laugh; smile; giggle; chuckle
(East Asian) rainy season (in Japan, usu. from early June to mid-July); rain during the rainy season
beach; seashore; captured pieces; captured stones; Yokohama; (arch.) riverbank
detestable; despicable; abhorrent
anniversary of a person's death; monthly return of the date of someone's death
set of three; three sets; three classes
deep emotion; strong feelings
to be caught; to be captured; to be taken prisoner; to be seized with (fear, etc.); to be a slave to; to stick to
breakwater; mole; seawall; bulwark; shield (e.g. against critcism); protective barrier
anything and everything; just about everything
bank; weir; embankment; levee
middle of summer; height of summer; midsummer
(confronting a problem, etc.) head-on; directly; outright; (lit.) from the front
water's edge; beach; foreshore
barefoot; superior to (e.g. a professional); outdoing; outshining
to squat; to crouch down (completely, generally with face looking through knees)
short and stout; small but wide around
tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa); moutan
to be filled to bursting; to burst