to sense; to perceive; to understand; to comprehend; to attain enlightenment
older brother and younger sister
dark; gloomy; overcast; heavy; leaden; dull
to hold a thing in one's arms; to carry in one's arms; to embrace (e.g. a baby); to take upon oneself; to be saddled with
to hold (a ceremony); to perform
from the beginning; from the first; of course; not to mention ...; not only ... but also ...
exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction; alternating current; AC
other companies in the same business; rival firms
tea party; get-together; tea ceremony
to die a natural death (at an advanced age); to live out one's allotted span of life
row; line; group (of peers); ranks (of); sequence; series (taxonomic rank)
burning incense (before an altar, esp. in memory of the dead); offering incense
mourning clothes; mourning attire; mourning dress
grounds (esp. of shrines and temples); compound; churchyard; precincts
passage (of people or vehicles); passing (through); traffic; common usage; widespread use
to live under another's roof; to become a dependent on; to flatten oneself (against); to lean in close to
hot; warm; passionate; impassioned; on everybody's mind; on the radar
kotatsu; table over an electric heater, with a hanging quilt to retain heat (orig. over a charcoal brazier in a floor well)
good; excellent; fine; nice; pleasant; agreeable
futon; Japanese bedding consisting of a mattress and a duvet; round cushion used for Zen meditation (traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves)
lived-in feel (e.g. of a room); sense of life; hints of daily life
high-rise (building); multistory; multistoried; high (altitude); upper (atmosphere, air current, etc.)
condominium (usu. mid or high-rise); apartment building; apartment house; block of flats; apartment; flat
stylish; fashionable; dressing (oneself) up; dressing smartly; fashionable dresser; smartly dressed person
disagreeable; unpleasant; nasty; detestable; sarcastic; snide
to incline; to lean; to devote oneself to; to concentrate on; to ruin; to squander
odds and ends; all; every
thorn; spine; splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone); biting words
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
Japan and the West; Japanese style and Western style
stale; old fashioned; hackneyed; trite; antiquated; obsolete
interior design; interior; upholstery
rearranging; remodeling; remodelling