a drink made by chopping kombu (edible kelp), usually into powder, adding it in hot water, and drunk like tea

impossibility, incapability / irrationality / something that is excessive; overdoing something; doing things by brute force

still, as always, as usual, as ... as ever, same old story

a kind of confection consisting of two small cakes baked to resemble gongs, sandwiching a filling of sweet azuki bean paste