Vocabulary

long-lasting; long-wearing; wears well

boiling water

New Year's greetings; New Year's call; New Year's gift

yearly amount

man born in a year with the same Chinese zodiac sign as the current year

light and shade; shade (of colour, color)

agricultural products

extraordinary; exceptional; unprecedented; special; abnormal; irregular

discontinuation (of business); closing down; giving up (one's practice); retiring

rejection; expulsion; boycott; ostracism

vague; obscure; indistinct; hazy; ambiguous

very long period; forever

to let out; to utter; to produce; to emit; to give forth; to discharge

emission (of light); radiation (of light); luminescence

half-term; half-time; half period

late marriage

denial; negation; repudiation; disapproval

grief; sorrow; extreme sadness; heartbreak

exhaustion; fatigue

dismissal (from a position); discharge

toil; labor; labour; laborious task

waste; extravagance

wagashi; traditional Japanese confectionery

Wagyu (any of four breeds of Japanese cattle); Wagyu beef

bond (between people); (emotional) ties; bonds; relationship; connection; link

amiability; friendliness; affability; sociability

soon; before long; shortly; in the near future

magnetic field

Star Festival (held in July or August); Tanabata; Festival of the Weaver

figure of a person; figures of people

cultivated rice field

private; confidential; informal; secret; (within the) family circle; (on the) inside

lowdown; inside information; hidden circumstances; inside facts; inner workings; undisclosed circumstances

prostitute

editor; compiler

tombstone; gravestone

smuggling oneself into a country; illegal immigration

fallen leaves; leaf litter; falling leaves

(death from) starvation; starving to death

wisdom; intelligence; sagacity