drafting; requisition; impressment; commandeering; expropriation
weir; bonds; fetters; ties of obligation
(not) very; (not) so; (not) very much; (not) particularly; (not) especially
telephone number; phone number
to ignite; to set fire to; to spark (an incident, etc.); to inflame (a situation, etc.)
telephone call; speaking over the telephone; (Internet) voice call; counter for telephone calls of a set duration
(one's) older brother; young man; sonny; lad
to overhear; to hear (secondhand); to hear on the grapevine; to know by hearsay
what's in one's heart; one's emotional state; what one feels
to swallow; to gulp down; to understand; to grasp; to engulf; to swallow up
Obon; Bon Festival; Buddhist festival for honouring the spirits of one's ancestors, held in mid-August or in some regions, mid-July; tray
tough; hard; determined; strong-minded; strong (e.g. sunlight, alcohol); severe
car; vehicle; van; (train) car; carriage
minitruck; light truck; small truck; light pickup
early; a little earlier than usual; a little faster than usual; slightly quicker
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); still; all the same; even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
giving and taking; exchange (of letters); arguing back and forth; (conversational) exchange
to make a phone call; to answer the phone
change; alteration; difference; distinction; something wrong; abnormality
(apparently) that's what it's like, isn't it; that sort of (thing mentioned immediately prior)
I'm sorry; (it's) inexcusable; I feel regretful; thank you very much (for help, etc.)
no problem; all right; not an issue; unobjectionable
cooked rice; meal; food; one's living; livelihood
to eat; to live; to make a living; to bite; to sting (as insects do); to tease; to torment
(not) very; (not) much; too much; excessively; overly
to be emotionally moved; to have a lump in one's throat
parent; parents; dealer; banker; founder; inventor; (pet) owner
set phrase; stock phrase; conventional expression; usual wording; cliché; clichéd line
one breath; time of one breath; pause; break; (doing in) one go; doing without stopping
calamity; misfortune; disaster
foresight; foreknowledge; intimation; premonition; prediction
the old days; the past; former times; the past ten years; the past decade
nothing new; same as always; an old story; nothing new about it; not the first time it has happened
a glance; a look; a glimpse
nasal breathing; breathing through one's nose; person's pleasure; excitement
highway; freeway; expressway; motorway
non-highway road; toll-free road; local road; road shadowed by trees, mountain, etc.
area; vicinity; side; edge; circumstances
to grow thickly; to be overgrown; to thrive; to grow in abundance