faltering; tottering; halting; unsteady; awkward; clumsy
beating a futon (to remove dust and air it out); futon beater; carpet beater
charging (electrically); recharging one's batteries (e.g. by taking a nap); replenishing (one's energy)
Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora)
to cramp; to be cramped; to get a cramp (in)
direction; orientation; suited to; suitable for; tendency; inclination
betterment; improvement; kaizen (Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement)
last resort; desperate measure taken under the pressure of necessity
ascent; climbing; up-train; train heading toward the starting point of its route; upbound (esp. toward Tokyo); upstream
to steam (food, towel, etc.); to be hot and humid; to be sultry
item; heading; category; headword (in a dictionary, encyclopedia, etc.); entry
thin rice porridge; watery cooked rice; rice gruel; congee
comfortably warm; steaming hot (food); piping hot; glowing (with warmth)
to weaken; to grow weak; to be downcast; to be dejected; to be troubled; to be at a loss
light seasoning; mild flavour; bland taste
lotus flower; Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus); china spoon; lotus-shaped pedestal for a gravestone
enactment; establishment; creation
suitable temperature; right temperature; moderate temperature
thank you (for the meal); that was a delicious meal
apologies for the crude food
individual plate; single individual's small dish on which food taken from shared serving dishes is placed
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
silent profile (in cell phones); silent mode; vibrate mode
tire track; traces of a person or thing; path one has taken; locus
conte; short story; tale; comedy sketch; skit
what kind of; whatever sort of; no matter what; however much
having serious consequences; costing dearly; cannot get away with it; for free; for nothing; easily
spring (device); spring (in one's legs); bounce; springboard; impetus
unprecedented; never seen before
tree frog (esp. the Japanese tree frog, Hyla japonica)
spinning top (traditionally made of Japanese Babylon shell)
poplar (esp. Lombardy poplar, Populus nigra var. italica)
successive; consecutive; back-to-back; one after another
close call; narrow escape; hair's breadth; narrowly; just in time; by a hair's breadth
great disaster; catastrophe; train wreck
being settled; coming to a conclusion