noun:

• the Twenty-Two Shrines; the 22 most important Shinto shrines, as designated during the Heian period - Shintō term

noun:

• banquet on the occasion of the first ceremonial offering of rice by the newly-enthroned emperor ➜ 大嘗祭

expression:

• variation of "arimasu" used by the prostitutes of the Yoshiwara red light district in the Edo period

noun:

• ship of the dead which appears if you go fishing the night of the Bon festival ➜ お盆

noun:

• lingering snow ➜ 残雪
• snowfall at the end of the winter or the beginning of spring

noun:

• lingering snow
• snowfall at the end of the winter or the beginning of spring

noun:

• arriving at the final stop (of a bus, train, etc.); reaching the end of the line

noun:

• tea prepared for the New Year with the first water of the year

noun:

• lintel of the alcove in a tea room or a window in a shoin-style reception room
• cloud-shaped carving on the bottom of a transom
• metallic bowl used to hold the charcoal in a wooden hibachi ➜ 火鉢

ichidan verb / intransitive verb:

• to open one's heart; to throw off reserve; to be frank

expression / godan ~す verb:

• to evade (questions); to reply evasively; to beat around the bush; to throw up a smoke screen

ichidan verb:

• to crop; to shear; to cut or trim something evenly; to make all the same length - obscure term

expression / ichidan verb:

• to be drawn to; to feel the call of ...; to have one's heart-strings pulled

expression / godan ~く verb:

• to knock at the gate
• to request an apprenticeship; to ask to be made a pupil

noun:

• game of chance similar to rock, paper scissors, where the different hand gestures symbolize a fox, a hunter and a village head

noun:

• wind blowing on the day of the Buddhist service held on the day of Buddha's death (15th day of the 2nd month) - Buddhism term

godan ~す verb / transitive:

• to kick away; to kick off; to kick hard
• to refuse curtly; to reject outright

expression:

• first; firstly; first of all; to begin with; in the beginning; at the beginning
• Introduction; Preface - as section heading of a book, etc. - usually written using kana alone

noun / ~する noun:

• national isolation; closing the country (to foreigners) ➜ 開国

noun:

• sakoku; policy of national isolation enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate

noun:

• voir dire (hearing to determine the admissibility of evidence, or the competency of a witness or juror)

noun:

• heavy rotation; frequently broadcasting or listening to the same music; frequently wearing the same outfit - abbreviation ➜ ヘビーローテーション

expression:

• what did you do?
• is anything the matter?; what seems to be the problem?; can I help you?

expression:

• those who wish to rule the land must first cultivate their own characters, then manage their families, then govern their states; only then can they bring peace to the land (a mantra of Confucianism) - proverb

noun:

• the text; the main clause; the main part of a document - Linguistics term

noun:

• stabilizing the feelings of the people; inspiring confidence among the people - four character idiom