Aburaage - fried bean curd.

Ajisai - hydrangeas.

Atakai - warm, as in water or sake.

Atari - win.

Bonenkai - end of year party.

Bunraku - classical Japanese puppet theatre.

Bushi - warrior.

Chainbara - sword dance.

Chanko - a Japanese stew, particularly popular with sumo
wrestlers.

Chanoyu - tea ceremony.
    
Chiba - prefecture bordering on the north east of Tokyo.    
    
Chiku - a small district, so many chiku form a cho, so
many cho form a ku (or ward).     
    
Daijogi - Large beer glass which holds a full 750ml.
bottle.     
    
Dango - rice dumpling.    
    
Domburi - dish with a rice base and a variety of
toppings.      
    
Edo - the old name for Tokyo during the reign of the
Tokugawa shogun.     
    
Enka - tradional Japanese song.     
    
Fugu - blowfish, globefish, guppy.    
    
Fukuoka - prefecture in northern Kyushu.    
    
Futon - mattress beds used on the floor in Japan.      
    
Gaijin - foreigner, the opposite of Japanese, nihonjin.    
    
Hachi - bees.    
    
Hadagi - the undercoat worn during festivals. nih
    
Hanafubuki - the falling cherry blossoms. ls.
    
Hanamachi - Part of the Kabuki stage, a pathway that
leads out into the audience pit.      
    
Hanami - Appreciation of the flowers.    
    
Happi - the overcoat worn during a festival (Happi ja
nai, I'm not a happi/ Happi o arimasen, I don't have a
happi).       
    
Haramaki - stomach wrap.    
    
Honshu - the largest of the Japanese islands.    
    
Horumonyaki - grilled offal.    
    
Hotaru - fire flies.    
    
Inago - honeyed grasshoppers.    
    
Ikebana - classical Japanese flower arrangement.    
    
Ikejiri Ohashi - district of Tokyo.   r
    
Kabuki - a type of classical Japanese theatre. .  
    
Kabuto - samurai helmet.      
    
Kagura - Sacred dance at festivals, often on mobile
floats.     
    
Kamakura - city to the south of Yokohama, famous for its
temples.     
    
Kanagawa-ken - the prefecture of which Yokohama is the
capital.       
    
Kanji - Japanese writing, the ideographic characters.    
    
Kanto - The region in which Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba,
Saitama, Gunma and Ibaraki are situated.     
    
Keiro-no-hi - Respect for the Aged Day, a public holiday
in Japan on 15th. September.      
    
Kendo - Bamboo sword fencing.    
    
Kentaki - Kentucky Fried Chicken.    
    
Kiku - chrysanthemum.    
    
Kine - Mallet used for pounding New Year rice cakes.    
    
Kohai - Junior.    
    
Koto - Japanese stringed instrument.  ar 
    
Kyudo - Japanese archery.    
    
Macha - powdered green tea.    
    
Make - loss.    
    
Makizushi - sushi roll, wrapped in seaweed laver. s. 
    
Manshon - apartment in a ferro-concrete building. s. 
    
Matsu - pine tree.     
    
Matsuri - a festival.    
    
Meiji - the honorific name of the Japanese emperor who
took over from the Tokugawa shogunate in the 19th.
Century.      
    
Mejiro - Suburb of Tokyo, stop on the Yamanote line.    
    
Mentaiko - spicy sea bream roe. Yum!  Yam
    
Mosotake - bamboo of the Moso breed.  Yam
    
Mushi - insect.    
    
Nani - what?    
    
Natto - Fermented soya beans.    
    
Nihonshu - sake, rice wine.    
    
Nikko - City in northern Tochigi Prefecture, famous for
its temples.     
    
Ni-kyu - second student rank in Judo, usually blue belt.
     
    
Nomi - Tool used for the digging of bamboo shoots.    
    
Nori - seaweed for eating.     
    
Obasan - Auntie.    
    
Obatarian - Pushy, older woman.    
    
Obento - lunch box.     
    
Obon - Festival for the dead in August.  o s
    
Oden - Japanese stew.     
    
Oishii - Delicious!    
    
Okonomiyaki - Japanese pancake with toppings similar to a
pizza.     
    
OL - office lady.    
    
Omikoshi - portable Shinto shrine. Omikoshi-san, someone
who carries the omikoshi.     
    
Omochi - New Year rice cakes.    
    
Onigiri - rice balls with tasty centres.     
    
Oolon cha - Oolong tea.    
    
Oseibo - New Year festival.     
    
Otorii - sacred Shinto gates.    
    
Ozoni - soup made with omochi rice cakes.    
    
Rakugo - classical Japanese story telling.    
    
Ramen - noodles.     
    
Ran - orchid.    
    
Rinshunkan - appreciation of the sounds of the insects.    
    
Saboten - Cactus    
    
Sakaba - working man's pub.    
    
Sake - specifically rice wine, but the Japanese refer to
booze in general as sake.      
    
Sakura - cherry blossom.    
    
Samurai - Japanese gentleman in the archaic sense of the
word, usually of military accomplishment.      
    
Sansho - a leaf herb, often served with eel or bamboo
shoots.     
    
Sashimi - Raw fish, specially sliced in thin fillets.     
    
Sekibutsu - Stone image of Buddha.    
    
Senbei - rice crackers.     
    
Senpai - senior. Most Japanese schools and businesses
establish a senior/junior relationship among their
members.      
    
Sensei - teacher.     
    
Sento - Public bath house.    
    
Shabu Shabu - Cook at the table stew, usually with a beef
base.     
    
Shinjuku - Major district in Tokyo.      
    
Shinto - Along with Buddhism, Japan's major religions.
While Buddhism had its origins in India and China, Shinto
is very much a home-grown faith.      
    
Shirako - Sperm of the sea bream, often served with sushi
rice.     
    
Shiso - a leaf herb, often served with sushi.    
    
Shitamachi - downtown. In Tokyo, Asakusa and Ueno. In
Yokohama, Minami-ku.     
    
Shobu - irises.    
    
Shochu - Japanese alcoholic spirit.     
    
Shodo - Japanese calligraphy.     
    
Shogi - Japanese board game which has some similarities
to chess.     
    
Shogun - Military ruler of Japan. The first shogun was
established in Kamakura in the 12th. Century. The most
famous Shogunate was run by the Tokugawa family for two
and a half centuries. Many Japanese referred to General
MacArthur as a shogun during the American occupation of
the country after World War II.         
    
Shoji - paper sliding screens.    
    
Showa - Official name of the Emperor Hirohito. It is used
with the Japanese name for the year. Showa 45, for
example, was 1970. Akihito's name is Heisei. 1995 is
Heisei 7.       
    
Soba - buckwheat noodles.    
    
Sukkyo - Japanese music hall theatre.    
    
Sumie - Japanese traditional ink painting.    
    
Sumo - Sumo wrestling, the forgotten martial art.    
    
Sushi - Rice balls.     
    
Suteki - smart, fashionable, chic.    a
    
Tabi - thin-souled shoes with a partition between the big
toe and the other toes.     
    
Taiko - Japanese drum.    
    
Taikokan - gymnasium.    
    
Taiku-no-hi - Fitness day, a holiday in Japan on 10th.
October.       
    
Take - bamboo.    
    
Takenoko - edible bamboo shoots.    
    
Taue - rice planting.    
    
Temakizushi - sushi rolled in a cone, wrapped in seaweed
laver.     
    
Tenpura - lightly battered seafood and vegetables.    
    
Teppanyaki - Japanese steakhouse.     
    
Tokoroten - arrowroot jelly.    
    
Tokugawa - the family name of the shogun who ruled Japan
from 1600 to the mid-19th. Century.     
    
Tsurumigawa - the largest river that runs through
Yokohama.      
    
Tsuyu - Japanese monsoon.    
    
Ume - plum, plum tree.    
    
Umeboshi - pickled plum.    
    
Umeshu - plum wine.    
    
Unagi - freshwater eel.     
    
Usu - wooden bowl for pounding rice.    
    
Yakisoba - fried noodles.     
    
Yakuza - the Japanese mafia.    
    
Yamanote - the train line that rides in a circle around
Tokyo.     
    
Yomesan - Wife of the eldest son.       
    
Zen - Japanese sect of Buddhism.