落ち着いた語気には、かつてのような若い鋭利さはない。

As a whole this sentence isn't so difficult, but the bold phrase 若い鋭利さ is a term I am not sure we use in English, at least in this way. "Youthful sharpness" is accurate, but is that really a phrase we would use?

(The narrator is seeing someone for the first time in a long time, and he has obviously matured over that interval. She makes that conclusion in the tone of his voice.)

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Oh, I was just reminded of one more, that might even get Nagoyankee...

目が堅い。

Someone who has "hard eyes" is someone who "can't fall asleep".

若い鋭利さ is one of those phrases!

目が堅い like an owl, a born night person

若い鋭利さ　raw edginess

目が堅い is a phrase that can be found in dictionaries, but it seems have faded from use in most of Japan. I have asked several people over the last couple weeks if they had used this term (meaning a night owl) and only those from the Kansai area were using it it. People from Kanto and north had never heard it before.

"raw edginess"--don't we lose the "youthful" aspect? I like "raw edginess" as a phrase, though.

Yes, I know about the regional differences. My mother is a born Nagoyan and I grew up hearing her say 目が堅い about my sister all the time. Nagoya isn't considered as part of Kansai but it certainly has lots of Kansai influence as it's only 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Kyoto. Now I live in Tokyo and as you said, I don't think I've heard the expression in Tokyo.

About the word 若い in 若い鋭利さ, I first opted for 'immature' and then changed it to 'raw' just because it sounded better in my own ear. You have to translate the かつてのような part anyway, which would enable the reader to know what time frame in this person's life this "edginess" represented.

But then what do I know? I'm just a regular Japanese guy walking down the street! :)

I mentioned to Nyororin that I heard some Nagoya men (in my very very limited experience) speak something that sounded close to Kansai-ben, so it makes sense to me that 目が堅い would be understood. The person from Hiroshima I asked wasn't familiar.

You'll never be just a regular guy walking down the street to us!

How would English-speakers translate this Japanese word to Englsih?

スキンシップ

That's a good one! It means the physical relationship between people...skin to skin, so to speak. It can be a mother and child, friends, pets, maybe even married couples.

I guess the best translation would "physical connection" or "physical contact".

uhhh... O.o I think it says something about.... getting crunk. That's my take ><

lol
 

Yeah thats what i get out of it ^^