Cherry blossoms. The appearance of these flowers in early spring triggers a week of outdoor parties, where people drink, dance, eat and sing under the blossoms. A good idea for a Japan book with a picaresque edge would be to start a trip in southern Kyushu and follow the cherry blossoms north, partying all the way.

Clothing traditionally worn by priests, monks and artisans. Made of cotton and linen, it's more durable than a yukata.

Thirty-thousand people. At least that many people have killed themselves every year in Japan since 1998. While talk of Japan’s high suicide rate used to be based partly on myth, it is now very real.

A farewell party. This isn't really a Japanese term -- it's more of a hybrid of Japanese and expat-ese. Incidentally, the term "sayonara home run" to indicate a game-ending homer in baseball is far superior to the clinical "walk-off home run" used these days, don't you think?

... teacher, master, instructor. The title "sensei" carries prestige in Japan. It is applied to school teachers, martial arts masters, revered elders who have knowledge to impart and pasty-faced twenty-two-year-old Americans who teach English for three thousand yen an hour.

A nomination, designation or request. Used in politics, business and brothels.

A beefsteak plant. Reminds us of a favorite dish:
(serves two)

• 1 strip of raw tarako (salted cod roe)
• 1 shiso leaf
• 1 table spoon of butter
• a splash of white wine
• spaghetti

Pop open the tarako with a fork and empty the contents into a small bowl. Mix with melted butter, adding a splash of white wine, until smooth. Toss mixture with cooked spaghetti. Chop shiso into thin strips and sprinkle over the spaghetti. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A type of mushroom. From the Chin Music kitchen: lightly brown half a pound of halved shiitake in about a tablespoon of butter. Before turning off the heat, add about a tablespoon of soy sauce. Turn off the heat. Eat.

A melding of the word “skin” and the suffix “ship,” it refers to physical contact between two people and the attendant feelings of affection it creates. As the pair glided under a canopy of reddening zelvokas, all the evening’s random thoughts were melted down into a titanium bb engraved with the words, “I want to hold your hand.” He heard his voice repeat those words and felt her fingers, small and warm, lace between his, big and clammy. They laughed.