noun:

• naturally growing tree; tree that does not grow in a tree plantation ➜ 自然木
• natural wood

expression / noun:

• lost decade; decade of economic stagnation
• decade in Japan from 1992 to 2002

noun / ~する noun:

• notification; official notice; directive (e.g. from higher to lower levels of the administration)
• being well versed (in something) ➜ 精通

adjectival noun / noun / ~の noun:

• moderate; reserved; conservative; humble; mild-mannered; self-effacing; unassuming; well-behaved; low-key; temperate; in small quantities

noun:

• top star (esp. male lead role in the all-female Takarazuka musical theater troupe); major celebrity

noun / ~する noun / ~の noun:

• outrider (person riding horseback in the lead position of a cavalcade); outriding
• harbinger; herald; precursor; forerunner; foretoken
• anticipation

noun:

• Lyophyllum shimeji (species of edible mushroom) ➜ 本占地
• euagaric fungus (in grocery stores, usu. refers to cultivated field mushrooms, etc.) ➜ 平茸

noun:

• kalpa (eon, aeon) ［こう・ごう］ - Buddhism term
• ko (in go); position that allows for eternal capture and recapture of the same stones - usu. コウ - usually written using kana alone

noun:

• recipient; receiver; acceptor; taker
• skilled practitioner (of judo, sumo, etc.) - Martial Arts, Sumo term
• person who picks up the cards (in karuta games) ➜ 読み手

noun:

• one's course of action; deciding what to do with oneself, whether staying in the present position or leaving it - four character idiom

noun:

• fiery chariot - Buddhism term
• kasha (mythical beast said to devour dead bodies)
• (in China) train (i.e. steam locomotive)
• vile old hag - abbreviation - archaism ➜ 火車婆

noun:

• Yatagarasu (mythical raven who aided Emperor Jimmu on his eastern expedition) - obscure term ➜ 八咫烏
• three-legged crow inhabiting the sun in Chinese mythology ➜ 八咫烏

noun:

• eight hereditary titles (designated by Emperor Tenmu in 684 CE: Mahito, Asomi, Sukune, Imiki, Michinoshi, Omi, Muraji, Inagi) - archaism

noun:

• nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris, species of catshark in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean)

expression:

• something so difficult that one doesn't know if there's even a 1 in 1000 chance of success - obscure term

noun:

• Siebold's wild ginger (esp. its dried root or rhizome, used as an antitussive and analgesic in traditional Chinese medicine) ➜ 薄葉細辛

noun:

• word to soften awkward topics (esp. refusal in business conversation, e.g. "I am afraid that ...") - e.g. 申し訳ありませんが、あいにく - obscure term - From English "cushion word"

noun:

• sweet of egg yolks drawn into strands and boiled in sugar syrup (orig. from Portugal); angel hair; fios de ovos ➜ 南蛮菓子【なんばんがし】

noun:

• secret language used in the postwar Showa period where certain words are read backwards - from ジャズ read backwards - Linguistics term

noun:

• long interlude (in folk songs or koto music)
• wiles (e.g. used by a prostitute to lure customers); finesse; trick

noun:

• safety glasses (esp. more fashionable models used in public for protection against pollen, UV rays, etc.) - From English "eye-care glass"

noun:

• figure; form; shape
• appearance; dress; guise
• state; condition; picture; image
• form (of a waka) ➜ 和歌

suffix noun:

• dressed in ...; wearing ...

noun / ~の noun:

• person with a lot of experience; old hand; veteran (in a particular field)

noun:

• underhand grip; backhand grip (e.g. in tennis) ➜ 順手
• unexpected twist; turning the tables (on an opponent)

noun:

• new adult (in Japan, 20-year-old who has their coming-of-age ceremony within that year)