emotional scars; mental trauma
to hesitate to; to waver; to be hesitant about
apt to (do); liable to; predominantly; mostly; ... reaps the rewards; ... takes the prize
to resemble; to look like; to be like; to be alike; to be similar; to take after
star (usu. excluding the Sun); planet (usu. excluding Earth); star (glyph, symbol, shape); asterisk; star (actor, player, etc.); dot; spot
corridor; hallway; passageway
start; commencement; beginning; initiation
bell (often a large hanging bell); chime
to sound; to ring; to resound; to echo; to roar; to rumble
barely; narrowly; only just; with difficulty
to go away; to become more distant; to fade away; to be estranged
denial; negation; negation; NOT operation
the old days; the past; former times; the past ten years; the past decade
lonely (e.g. person, feeling); lonesome; desolate; deserted; sad; lacking
to become familiar with; to get used to; to become accustomed to; to come to fit; to go (well) with; to suit
(United States of) America; United States; US; America (land mass); the Americas
child who has returned to Japan after living abroad; returnee child; (Japanese) person who lived abroad during (part of) their childhood
archeologist; archaeologist
when one was a very young child; very early in one's life
making a round trip; going and returning; round-trip ticket; return ticket; correspondence; exchanging (of letters)
so far; up to now; hitherto; that's enough (for today); it ends here
beginning; outset; first; onset
to move (house); to change residence
painful; bitter; tough; difficult; cruel; harsh
aloneness; loneliness; solitude
solitude; loneliness; isolation
sad; miserable; unhappy; sad; lamentable; deplorable
(place) near by; (place) close by; (place) right next to; as soon as; right after
(not) at all; (not) in the slightest; wholly; entirely; extremely; very
by all means; at any cost; whether (one is) willing or not; willingly or unwillingly; on no account; by no means
to remember; to recall; to call to mind; to imagine; to picture in one's mind; to visualize
the past; bygone days; one's past (that one would prefer remained secret); past (tense); preterit; previous life
pain; agony; suffering; distress; torment
pain; anguish; distress; suffering; hardship
in truth; in actuality; at heart; the truth; the real story
pain; ache; soreness; damage; injury; wear
somehow; for some reason (or other); without knowing why
yes; yeah; hum; hmmm; oof
under (guidance, supervision, rules, the law, etc.); under (a flag, the sun, etc.); beneath; with (e.g. one blow); on (the promise, condition, assumption, etc. that ...); (someone's) side