stratum; geological formation; layer; bed (coal, gravel, etc.)
tomb embedded in a Yayoi period barrow
embankment (for road, railway, etc.); raising the ground level; fill
development (of land); preparation (e.g. of ground for housing); reclamation; creation
thousand years; millennium; (fig.) long time
10,000; ten thousand; 10^4
theory; doctrine; opinion; view; rumour; rumor
to recite; to chant; to cry; to yell; to advocate; to advance
legend; folklore; tradition
plot of land; lot; soil; locality; region; place
neighbourhood; neighborhood; vicinity
many; much; majority (of); greater part (of); mostly; mainly
capable person; talented person; human resources; personnel
throwing in; inserting; investment; commitment (of funds, personnel, etc.); launching (a product into the market); introduction
change to ...; becoming ...; making into ...; -ization; -ification
goes without saying; needless to say; obvious
original; unique (e.g. product); signature; exclusive
diversion; putting something to another use
(a) little; somewhat; somehow
direct; immediate; personal; firsthand
six o'clock; six periods of a day (morning, midday, afternoon, evening, midnight, late night)
past; after; too (much); over- (e.g. eating)
to detain; to check; to restrain; to stop
for a long time; at (great) length; lengthily; (extending) far; (stretching) out; (lying down) at full length
to remain; to stay (somewhere)
busy; occupied; hectic; restless; hurried; fidgety
very hungry; starving; bowing repeatedly; kowtowing; denting; buckling
by far; far and away; far away; far off; long ago; long before
to be prolonged; to drag on; to take a long time; to persist; to linger
episode; anecdote; vignette; episode
interest (in something); curiosity (about something); zest (for)
in short; in a word; to sum up; to put it simply; to make a long story short; after all
we are of equal status in this regard; we are in the same boat; the same to you; the feeling is mutual
to be sufficient; to be enough; to be worth doing; to be worthy of; to do (the job); to serve
to be used up; to be run out; to be exhausted; to be consumed; to come to an end
hit it off with (a person); find a kindred spirit in (a person); sympathy; mutual understanding
very difficult to ...; nearly impossible to ...
December; twelfth month of the lunar calendar