death; the next world; to pass away; to die
birth; birthplace; born in (country, month, imperial era, zodiac year, etc.)
Aomori (city, prefecture)
snowy; covered in deep snow
mountain; hill; mine (e.g. coal mine); heap; pile; crown (of a hat); thread (of a screw)
disagreeable; detestable; unpleasant; reluctant
university; college; former central university of Kyoto (established under the ritsuryo system for the training of government administrators); the Great Learning (one of the Four Books)
exactly; precisely; just; as if; as though; quite
right in the midst of; right at the height of
rural area; countryside; the sticks; hometown
to become familiar with; to fit in; to adapt oneself; to get used to; to grow accustomed to
without change; as is; just like; extremely similar; immediately; just after
to compare and contrast two alternatives; to weigh the relative merits of A and B; to weigh one's options; to try to have it both ways; to try to sit on two stools
myself; yourself; I; me; you
self-confidence; confidence (in oneself)
managing director; executive director; routine business; regular business
adultery; immorality; impropriety; (an) affair
wife; your wife; his wife; married lady; madam
to tip off (e.g. the police); to inform (on); to squeal; to rat
to crush (with one's hands); to kill a proposal; to shelve; to table (remove from consideration)
chief; main; principal; major
customer; client; client company; business connection; trade partner
daughter; girl (i.e. a young, unmarried woman)
demotion; relegation; reduction in rank; degradation; downward move
a (short) time; a while; one time (in the past); a period; (arch.) two-hour period
leisurely post; do-nothing job; sinecure
to drive away; to order off; to chase away; to force into an unpleasant situation (bankruptcy, prostitution, suicide, etc.)
(real) ability; true strength; merit; arms; force
to creep up; to crawl up; to overcome (a bad situation); to rise (after a setback)
ordinary; common; free of charge; unaffected; as is; only
education; schooling; training; culture; cultivation; education
to put effort into; to strain; to put strength into; to put forth effort
abandoning (hope, plans); giving up
still; much more; (not) yet; still a long way to go; still a long way off; not there yet
few; a little; scarce; insufficient; seldom
goal; target; aim; mark; sign; landmark
strong; potent; strong; brawny; good (at); skilled; being able to handle
nicely; properly; frequently; often; I'm glad that you ...; thank you for ...
should; must; -able; probably; likely
to collect; to put (it all) together; to summarize; to aggregate; to bring to a conclusion; to finalize