shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes); shitake
Kantō (region comprising Tokyo and surrounding prefectures); Kantō (eastern half of Japan; during the feudal era)
Kansai (region comprising Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and surrounding prefectures); Kansai (western half of Japan; during the feudal era)
kinpira gobō; braised burdock root; chopped burdock root (and sometimes carrot) cooked in sugar and soy sauce
on hand; readily available
hiding one's embarrassment
good flavor (flavour); good taste; umami (fifth category of taste in food); skill; cleverness; profit
match (contest); matching (with); going well (with)
strait with a roaring tidal ebb and flow; whirlpool; kamaboko with a spiral whirlpool-like pattern; cooking technique where ingredients are cut in a spiral pattern; Naruto (city in Tokushima); Naruto Strait; Naruto wakame
tending to find things bothersome; person who tends to find things bothersome
(not) in any way; in no way; at all; terribly; awfully; hopelessly
damp; humid; wet; gloomy; melancholy
kamaboko; steamed seasoned fish paste, usu. in a semicylindrical shape on a strip of wood and sliced to go in soup, etc.
thank you for the meal; that was a delicious meal; what a wonderful meal
to feel blessed to be in one's position; to be thankful for one's good fortune
routine; routine duties; routine work; routine
parsimonious spirit; tendency to be frugal; inclination to scrimp and save; tendency to fuss over trivial things; worrier's disposition
drying machine; dryer; desiccator
accidental; incidental; occasional; casual
enka; traditional-style Japanese popular ballad
newly released music; new release; new sheet music; new score
last week; the week before
component; component stereo
with a click (of a button or switch); one (small protrusion, hole, etc.); single
click-clack; clickety-click; clicking sound; clattering sound
within the borders of a country; domestic soil; inland; interior; Japan proper (as opposed to its overseas colonies); homeland
characteristic; like oneself; worthy of oneself
away (game, goal, etc.); opponents' ground; unfamiliar surroundings; feeling out of place; enemy territory
to regard (as); to recognize (as); to see as; to pay attention to; to watch
small photo album; extended play; EP
photo booth that prints out cards and stickers of the resulting photograph, which are then traded among friends
spring break; spring vacation
last third of a month; 21st to the last day of a month
(cutting) with a single stroke; lopping off (branches, etc.); (cutting hair) short; drastically (slash a budget, etc.); resolutely; ruthlessly (discard, etc.)
spear squid (Loligo bleekeri)
colourful; colorful; multicoloured; various; varied; variegated
third year of junior high school; third-year junior high school student