I wish I had ...; I should have ...; it would have been better if I had ...
ramen; Chinese-style noodles
to cause; to induce; to bring about; to pull upright; to help up (e.g. a fallen person)
eggs; egg; (hen's) egg; (an expert) in the making; beginning; origin
free time; time at leisure
to soak (in); to steep; to dip; to pickle; to preserve (in salt, vinegar, etc.)
to be effective; to take effect; to work; to function well; to be possible (to do, use, etc.); to be able to
fish salted and dried overnight
interior; inside; internal
to draw (attention, sympathy, etc.); to attract (e.g. interest)
to watch steadily; to stare
lying on one's belly; crawling on one's belly; belly crawl
adoration; admiration; devotion
eating with one's fingers; snitching food; snatched food; embezzlement; misappropriation; flirting
article for sale; goods for sale; offering; specialty; selling point
catch; catching; catch; shop tout; puller-in; catching (in swimming and boating); catching the water
to offer for sale; to put on the market
handmade; homegrown; hand-crafted; homemade
smallish; on the small side
to rely on; to depend on; to count on; to turn to (for help)
feature (e.g. newspaper); special edition; report
pickling in salt; leaving unchanged; leaving unused
one's own strength; one's own efforts; self-salvation
just kidding; not!; ersatz; imitation; phony
vague recollection; faint memory
to throw down; to throw out; to abandon; to resign; to give freely; to give generously
to be profitable (business); to pay; to be in the black
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
care; looking after; repair; (police) raid; crackdown
the point of ...; the place where ...; a place called ...; places known as ...; I would say ...; ... is how I'd put it
Japanese person; Japanese people
foreigner; foreign citizen; foreign national; alien; non-Japanese
shabu-shabu; thinly sliced meat boiled quickly with vegetables, and dipped in sauce
what; so-and-so; such and such; what?; wait; well, well
strange; odd; peculiar; queer; curious
kombu (usu. Saccharina japonica); konbu; kelp; any edible species from the family Laminariaceae