floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
grief; sorrow; extreme sadness; heartbreak
to press against; to push against; to force against; to foist on (task, responsibility); to impose (one's will)
cannot be undone; can't be recovered from
to catch; to capture; to grab; to clutch; to catch hold of (someone); to stop (e.g. a stranger in the street)
middle part; medium depth (water); medium layer; medium-size; mid-level; medium-rise (building)
ridge (of roof); back of a sword; counter for buildings, apartments, etc.
to extend; to stretch out; to attend; to participate in; to enrol; to enroll
mammoth (esp. the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius)
multi-unit apartments; apartment complex
housewife; mistress (of the house); homemaker
dear (old); fondly-remembered; beloved; missed; nostalgic
warm welcome; friendly reception; hospitality; entertainment
to rebuke; to scold harshly
to scold; to chide; to rebuke; to reprimand
to hang; to suspend; to dangle; to swing; to carry
expectation; anticipation; prediction; forecast; conjecture
single-mother household; fatherless family
alumni association; graduates' association; alumni meeting; class reunion
recent state; present state; present condition; current status; current circumstances
distant (from someone); aloof; estranged; knowing little (of); ill-informed (about); ignorant (of)
particle indicating that the speaker is trying to recall some information
near; close; close (in time); soon; close (relationship); friendly
good humour (humor); good mood
pouring alcohol; person pouring alcohol (esp. a woman)
to break the ice; to broach a subject; to bring up a topic
indicates emotion or admiration; indicates emphasis; I; me; wah!; boo!
your husband; her husband
next; following; subsequent; stage; station
indicate reason; infers some protest