noun:

• bodyguards in service of the shogun who would walk ahead of him on an outing (Edo period)

expression:

• living in obscurity; lying low; remaining unnoticed

noun / ~する noun:

• chanting in a loud voice; singing in a loud voice

noun:

• traditional work song of Hokkaido herring fishery workers, performed by school students in modern choreographed interpretations

noun:

• everyday garment worn by nobles in ancient Japan
• silk dried after having been washed in plain water and stretched out

noun:

• ritual stamping in the ring - Sumo term

noun / ~する noun:

• lineup; appearance together

noun / ~する noun:

• retirement (to a temple of shrine) for prayer

noun:

• warfare in which soldiers fling themselves at the enemy; hand-to hand combat

noun:

• fish pickled in sweet Kyoto-style miso ➜ 西京味噌

noun:

• crow cawing in the morning; crows crying in the morning - obscure term ➜ 明け烏

noun / ~する noun:

• looking for love; searching for a lover - colloquialism - abbreviation ➜ 恋愛活動

expression / adjective:

• fresh in one's mind; fresh in one's memory

noun:

• cause (grounds) for concern (anxiety); reason for uneasiness - four character idiom

noun:

• New Year event to pray for a rich rice harvest

noun:

• delivery service where package is left in front of door or in designated area; safe drop

noun / ~する noun:

• drying in the shade

noun:

• traditional Koshogatsu ceremony where one person beats a fruit tree (usu. persimmon tree) with a pole while threatening to cut it down if it does not provide a plentiful harvest, with another person responding "I will, I will" for the tree ➜ 小正月・祝い棒

expression / adverb:

• for a short while; for a while; for some time; for the time being

noun:

• equipment used in rituals

noun:

• place for storing bicycles

noun:

• computer game for men featuring beautiful women characters (usu. adult game) - abbreviation - IT term - From English "gal game"

noun / ~する noun:

• contending for victory; struggling for supremacy

counter:

• counter for collections or assemblies of flat objects (e.g. CDs, DVDs, etc.)

noun:

• variation of uta-garuta played in Hokkaido ➜ 下の句【しものく】・歌ガルタ【うたガルタ】

noun / ~する noun:

• spending the night in a car, train, bus, etc.