Vocabulary

road; path; street; route

broader-based local government

to neglect; to ignore; to disregard; to make light of

comfort woman; prostitute who worked in military brothels, esp. one forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII

women's volunteer corps; groups of young female workers organized on Japanese territory during WWII

well; properly; skillfully

not understanding; not knowing

snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Halifax Explosion (December 6, 1917)

good thing; strong point

focusing on only the good points or strong points; incorporating the benefits (while ignoring the drawbacks); picking the best of both (everything); cherry-picking (e.g. information)

Second Life (online game)

comparing and adjusting; reconciling; knocking into shape; bouncing of ideas, opinions, etc. off each other to obtain a fine-tuned integrated whole

to be left lonely at the top; to be left high and dry by one's friends; to be abandoned by one's supporters; to have the rug pulled from under one; to have the ladder pulled out from under one

customer one has never met before; first-time customer

boot camp for new recruits (conducted by Japan's Self-Defence Force)

first-time customer (of an inn or a restaurant); chance customer; customer without an introduction from a regular customer

first-time customer (of an inn or a restaurant); chance customer; customer without an introduction from a regular customer

Reserve Officers' Training Corps (US); ROTC

to be consistent; to be coherent

under (influence, control, conditions, etc. of); during (war, occupation, etc.)

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare

candidates (in an election) who have won or are projected to be elected

unqualified; without qualifications

wave erosion

pinhole

pinhole camera

to be attentive to small details

to work straight through without stopping

to be intricate; to be elaborate; to be complicated; to be complex

(you're) dirty!; (you have) cooties!

go away, germs!; no cooties on me!

podcasting

webcam

webmaster

digital versatile disc; DVD

flash memory

trackball

liquid crystal display; LCD

cathode-ray tube; CRT