to receive; to take; to get somebody to do something; to have in one's pocket (a fight, match); to contract (a disease); to catch
happy; glad; pleased; joyful; delightful; gratifying
chapter one; first chapter
smallness; small item; short month (i.e. having fewer than 31 days); elementary school; smaller (of two things, places, etc. with the same name); inferior; younger (of two people with the same name)
junior high school student; middle school pupil
to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs); to produce; to yield; to give rise to
year; age; years; past one's prime; old age
what kind of; what sort of; what; no matter what (kind of); whatever; any
to examine; to look up; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study
as expected; sure enough; after all (is said and done); in the end; too; also
collapse of bubble economy; economic bubble burst
to raise; to elevate; to do up (one's hair); to fly (a kite, etc.); to launch (fireworks, etc.); to land (a boat); to deep-fry
to become old enough to understand what's going on around oneself (of a child, etc.); to reach the age of discretion
Heisei era (1989.1.8-2019.4.30)
depression; recession; slump
right in the midst of; right at the height of
as a matter of fact; by the way; to tell you the truth; to be honest; frankly
exactly; surely; right then; just then; just (about to); on the verge (of doing or happening)
bubble economy (of Japan, 1986-1991)
to end; to come to an end; to close; to finish
time; season; period; phase; stage
seeming ...; appearing ...; -ish; like a ...; typical of ...
after (practically) no time; immediately after; just; having no time to
plot of land; lot; soil; locality; region; place
depreciation; decline; fall; slump
to begin; to start; to happen (again); to begin (anew); to date (from); to originate (in)
approximately; about; promise; appointment; shortening; reduction
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
space (between); gap; period of time (during, while); duration; between (two parties or things); among (a group); relations (between)
economy; economics; finance; (one's) finances; being economical; economy
hanging low (over); hovering around (price level); low hanging (e.g. clouds); sluggish (e.g. economy); slump; recession
what is called; as it is called; the so-called; so to speak
lost twenty years; period of economic stagnation in Japan that began ca. 1991 and not over in the 2010s
to subsist; to keep on living
to have been decided (so) that; to have been arranged (so) that; to be the result (of); to be the outcome; to be the reason (for)
end; conclusion; last; final; no sooner than; once
one; 1; best; first; foremost; beginning; start
multiplication table; times table
name; given name; first name
good times; boom; (wave of) prosperity
beginning; outset; first; onset
generation; the world; the age
as (i.e. in the role of); for (i.e. from the viewpoint of); apart from... (used to change the topic); even (e.g. "not even a single person"); thinking that...; trying to...
this world; this life; world of the living
birth; creation; formation
but (still); and yet; nevertheless; even so; notwithstanding