adjectival noun / noun:

• mediocrity; the masses; ordinary run of men

noun:

• traffic report; information on traffic flow; transportation information

expression / godan ~る verb:

• to blossom; to put on steam; to become popular ➜ 盛ん

expression / ichidan verb:

• to drag things out; to creep up slowly on the point; to strangle (execute) slowly with a silk cord (instead of quickly with a rope) [literal]

expression / ~する verb (irregular):

• to make fun of; to look down on; to make light of
• to take a tea break; to rest

expression / godan ~る verb:

• to err; to take the wrong path; to go astray

noun / ~する noun:

• sinking into deep thought; sinking to the depths; contemplation

noun / ~の noun:

• dissidents; people who are against the Establishment; anti-Establishment groups

noun:

• hold music; music on hold; hold tone

noun:

• mock Buddhist sutra; type of fast-paced humorous singing mimicking the chanting of a Buddhist sutra, usually with lyrics satirizing current events; ahodarakyō - pun on あほだら and 陀羅尼経 ➜ あほだら

noun:

• useless book learning; knowing the theory but being unable to put it into practice; practising swimming on a tatami mat [literal] - idiom - humorous term

noun / ~の noun:

• bottom-up approach to management; on-the-spot decision-making; hands-on approach (policy, etc.)

noun:

• Little New Year (festival held on January 15th); 14th-16th days of the first month of the year; Koshogatsu

noun / ~の noun:

• being nimble-footed; being quick on one's feet; fast running legs

expression:

• month after month; as the months go by; with each passing month

noun:

• lex talionis; the law of talion; an eye for an eye - Law term - From Latin "talio"

expression / ~する verb (irregular):

• to share (life's) joys and sorrows (with); to share the good and the bad (with); to stick together through thick and thin

expression:

• function follows form; the outside shapes the inside; belief comes from solemnity (i.e. from seeing an ornate temple) [literal] - proverb

expression / godan ~つ verb:

• to lead; to take the lead; to be in a top position - idiom

expression:

• leaving everything to Buddha's providence; depending on others; leaving things to others

noun / ~する noun:

• ear clearing; clearing the ears; equalizing pressure in the ears with external pressure

expression / ichidan verb:

• to cease being possessed (by the spirit of a fox); to be released from the grasp of the fox spirit; to be exorcised from the fox spirit

~たる adjective / ~と adverb:

• sweetly smiling; like the smiling of a beauty; gracious

expression:

• year after year; as the years go by; with each passing year

expression / ichidan verb:

• to play it both ways; to sit on the fence; to two-time