As these essays show, people's relationships to insects run the gamut. Mosquitoes annoy, bite, or even kill us, so we repel them. The beloved firefly has inspired poems, songs, paintings, tourism, and firefly parks. Bugs play key roles in "The Tale of Genji," famous manga, one film, and photographs. Insects also serve as food; the Japanese eat locusts and bee larvae, as well as honey (which can become wine and medicine). But bee stings hurt badly, so there's that! Finally, insects have given rise to fun Japanese figurative language about ephemerality, hard work, and much more, as many quizzes reveal!

A Facebook friend posted pictures of once-gorgeous actors with wrinkled, dried-up faces. His caption: "Moisturize, people!" These essays convey the same message. The ones on 肌　and 膚 provide a primer on skin, including terms for dermatological problems, ads for onsen water that exfoliates skin, a photo of skin-friendly soap, and phrases likening skin to mochi, snow, and eggs. Essay 1757 also cites Confucian ideals about not damaging skin, and an essay 1704 quiz asks what color Japanese people think they are. Essay 1528 focuses on dehydration, including that of skin. And essay 1379 showcases marketing copy about moisturizers.

These essays are practically meant to be read together. Sizable passages in essays 1233, 1837, and 2009 differentiate 誇, 慢, and 傲. The bundle presents positive types of pride, including healthy self-regard, restaurant signs about proudly serving noodles, and pride in one's college, hometown, historical buildings, or advances such as the Shinkansen. The collection also shows how the Japanese condemn arrogance, boasting, hyperbole, and ostentation, an aversion originating with a Buddhist view of pride as a "poison." Because 玩 has to do with toying with others, essay 1982 also touches on arrogance multiple times.

The longer you live, the more shame you suffer, says an old Japanese proverb. Shame can involve feeling exposed. The Japanese experience deep embarrassment about misusing words (and kanji!). The exposure might be literal; essays 1572 and 2031 mention how evacuees feel when fleeing a disaster naked. Indeed, the body provokes much shame; essay 1572 features a shocking quiz with恥 (shame) in five genital-related words. Shame has its own body language. Essay 1212 on 肩 presents a common term related to shoulder position and shame, and essay 2100 discusses shame-filled, head-on-the-floor prostration when apologizing for a grave error.