to hit the nail on the head; to guess exactly right
one's youth; early life; one's early days; one's early years
naughty; mischievous; rascal; naughty kid; delinquency; misconduct
to protect; to guard; to defend; to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe
contraception; birth control
tightly (holding on); firmly; strongly (built); solidly; properly; well
to lend an ear (to); to hear out; to listen to
to believe; to believe in; to place trust in; to confide in; to have faith in
calm; quiet; gentle; moderate; reasonable; amicable
to come along; to come around; to turn up; to arrive at the present; to get where one is; to have been doing something (for a period of time)
first shrine visit of the New Year
and yet; despite this; but even so; but even then; however; nevertheless
preparation; arrangements; getting ready; provision; setup; reserving
to spend time (on doing something)
past; after; too (much); over- (e.g. eating)
doubt; question; suspicion; dubiousness
to be solved; to be worked out; to come loose; to come untied; to be removed (of restrictions); to be lifted (e.g. of a ban)
congratulations!; well done!; best wishes!; all the best!
to be shy; to be bashful; to look shy
beautiful; pretty; lovely; sweet; pure (heart, friendship, etc.)
red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors); two teams; two groups; Kōhaku Uta Gassen; annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve (sponsored and broadcast by NHK)
basic tone; underlying tone; trend; keynote
modern; current; contemporary; trendy; latest; up-to-date
bright and beautiful; gorgeous; showy; prosperous; flourishing; thriving
to wear one's hair up; to arrange one's hair
to collect; to put (it all) together; to summarize; to aggregate; to bring to a conclusion; to finalize
to be fascinated (by); to be captivated by; to be enchanted by; to gaze admiringly at; to watch in fascination
to be late; to be delayed; to fall behind (in a race, one's studies, etc.); to lag behind; to be bereaved of; to be preceded by (someone) in death
every month; trite; commonplace; conventional
taking a commemorative photo
destination; whereabouts; future; prospects
in the city; within the city
scale; scope; plan; structure
father; dad; husband; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); he
noisy; loud; annoying; troublesome; fussy; finicky
journey; trip; travels; during the journey; on the way; while travelling
to apologize (apologise); to refuse; to decline; to be unable to bear; to be defeated (by)
on a routine basis; regularly; habitually
to receive favor; to receive assistance; to receive help; to be looked after; to be taken care of; to become dependent (on)
just now; a little while back; a short time ago