baishakunin: Go-between for arranged marriages; matchmaker.
bentō: Japanese style boxed lunch.
chūgakkō ni nen: Second year of Junior High School.
chūgakkō ni nensei: Second year student of Junior High School.
chūgakkō: Junior High School; middle school.
Donguri pantsu: Japanese pronunciation of "Dungaree pants".
hakujin(s): Caucasian(s), white(s).
Issei(s): First generation Japanese immigrant in America.
itazura(s): Mischief; roguery; a mischievous (child).
jūdō: A form of Jujitsu developed as a sport and a means of self-defense without the use of weapons.
ken: Prefecture.
kendō: Japanese traditional fencing, in which a bamboo sword is used.
Kenjin(s): People from the same prefecture in Japan.
Kenjinkai(s): Association of people who came from the same prefecture.
Kibei(s): American born person of Japanese ancestry sent to Japan for formal education and socialization when young and later returned to the U.S.
kintoki: Abbreviation for kintoki azuki which is a large, sweet, red bean.
kokugo gakkō: Native (in this case, Japanese) language school.
Konkokyo: Church.
Kumamoto-Ken: The prefecture of Kumamoto, located on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan.
manjū: Bean-paste bun.
matsutake: A well-known type of mushroom with a distinct smell which are found under pine trees and are very expensive.
miso: Soybean paste, often used in Japanese cooking.
mochi: Japanese rice cake.
mochigashi: Sweet bean jam rice cake.
mura: Town or village.
Nichiren: A sect of Buddhism.
Nihonburo: Japanese style bath; Japanese style bathing.
Nihonjin(s): Japanese person(s).
Nihonjinkai: Association of people of Japanese ancestry.
Nihonmachi: Japan Town.
Nisei(s): American born children of Japanese immigrants; second generation Japanese Americans.
Sansei: American born grandchildren of Japanese immigrants; third generation Japanese Americans.
senbei: A Japanese rice cracker.
shibai(s): Theatrical play(s) or drama(s).
shōyu: Soy sauce.
sumō: Japanese style wrestling.
sushi(s): Vinegared rice with fish, etc.
tanomoshii: A mutual financing association; literally means reliable and trustworthy, in this case refers to a group of Japanese Americans (Issei) who pooled their money together to support their community businesses.
usu: A mortar; a bowl used for making senbei.