noun:

• the large number of bridges over canals and rivers in Naniwa (present-day Osaka) - four character idiom

expression:

• no skin off my nose; somebody else's problem; fire on the opposite shore [literal]

noun:

• wooden plane with a convex base curved in the cutting direction

expression:

• cannot live even a minute without someone or something; meaning the world to one

expression:

• right on the heels of yesterday, then today ...; soon after something, and yet now ...

noun:

• moyamoya disease (rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder caused by blocked arteries in the basal ganglia)

expression:

• phrase used to express the uncertainty or lack of intent in what precedes it

noun:

• days of the month ending in 5 or 0 (when payments are often due)

expression / godan ~く verb:

• to be extremely thorough, focusing on even the finest of details

noun:

• horizontally-wrapped fabric forming the bottom part of some traditional Japanese clothing

noun:

• Agent Orange (dioxin-laden defoliant used during the Vietnam War) ➜ 枯葉剤

noun:

• war started or ended with the push of a single 'launch' button - obscure term - From English "button war"

noun:

• creeper (plant that grows along the ground, etc. similar to a vine)

counter:

• counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system) - archaism

noun:

• Xi'an Incident (involving the arrest and confinement of Chiang Kai-shek, December 1936)

expression / godan ~つ verb:

• to have one's feet reach the bottom (e.g. when standing in water)

noun:

• immobiliser (electronic device that prevents an automobile engine from running without the key); immobilizer

noun:

• (in China) 8th note of the ancient chromatic scale (approx. A) ➜ 黄鐘【おうしき】・十二律
• sixth lunar month

noun:

• temple bell
• (in Japan) 7th note of the ancient chromatic scale (approx. G sharp) ➜ すい賓・十二律

noun:

• Indian song and dance (introduced to Japan by the Chams in approx. 736 CE)

noun:

• (in China) 4th note of the ancient chromatic scale (approx. F) ➜ 十二律・勝絶
• second lunar month

noun:

• dazaifu (under the ritsuryo system, governmental office with jurisdiction over Kyushu, Iki and Tsushima) ➜ 律令制

noun:

• half lotus position (meditation posture); sitting with one foot placed on the opposite thigh - abbreviation ➜ 半跏趺坐

noun:

• Declaration of Humanity (wherein Hirohito renounced the imperial claim to divinity; Jan. 1, 1946)

noun:

• Meiji 27-28 Campaign (alternate name for the First Sino-Japanese war; 1894-1895) - obscure term ➜ 日清戦争