drop in the bucket; very small quantity; chicken feed; insignificant amount; (lit.) sparrow tears
pillow word; decorative word used prefixally in classical Japanese literature; preface; introduction
comprehensive evaluation; over-all judgment; general comment
exchange of letters; correspondence
to furnish; to install; to get someone's agreement; to patronize; to buy usually from the same store
graduate student; insei; apprentice go professional
belonging to (a group, organization, etc.); affiliation (with); being attached to; being under the control of
the place one comes from; one's birthplace; one's hometown
Shikoku (smallest of the four main islands of Japan)
88 temples (of, or modeled after those of, Shikoku)
Ministry of Justice (in Tang-dynasty China)
to study; to complete (a course); to order (one's life); to repair (a fault one has committed)
deep down; special place in one's heart; in the back of one's mind
finding employment; getting a job
proceeding to the capital (Tokyo)
column (e.g. in newspaper); stand-alone feature article framed by a box
without an occupation; unemployed; jobless
episode; anecdote; vignette
position; opening; employment
living in peace; living a quiet life; being content with one's present position; being satisfied with one's lot
going in and out; entering and exiting; visiting regularly; frequenting; income and expenditure; incomings and outgoings; increase and decrease
publisher; publishing house; publishing company
married man or woman; housekeeping
to have an itch to; to have a craving for; to have an urge to; to have a desire for; to be eager to; to want to
professional; careerman; worker
to keep one's feet on the ground; to be down to earth
launching; launch; end (of a theatrical run, etc.); closing party (e.g. a theater show); cast party
consolation party (held after failure or defeat)
Imperial standard; (fig.) worthy cause
self-satisfaction; (self-)complacency; smugness
lateral direction; horizontal direction; transverse direction; landscape orientation
corpulence; fatness; obesity
slim figure; lean figure; weight reduction
sticking; clinging; with a smack (e.g. sitting down); hard; all over; thickly
deserted (esp. store, market, town, streets); quiet; inactive (business, trade, etc.); slack; idle; free
rolling stock; railroad cars; wheeled vehicles
nodding off (while sitting); dozing
in this way; along these lines; similarly
vague; desultory; distracted; loose; half-hearted; diffuse