15-down could be テッキン - means “metallophone”, of which a glockenspiel is a subtype. It’s certainly a musical instrument played by striking, but I’d hesitate to call it a metal plate. Makes 10-across シツ
16-across is going to require knowledge of the names of insects in Japanese…
24-down ジギャク
26-down イカリ
16-across キリギリス
24-across ジカ
This is what I’m thinking right now. I’m trying to confirm something for 20 down that makes sense though.
Edit: got it
5-down ゲキブツ
11-down カケイ
20-down リショク
27-down シキ makes sense
7-across ブケ
8-across - ツイオク
21-across ヨクシツ
Whew, that’s an impressive collection. I’ma just add 31-down: スイッチ
I thought about that, but it doesn’t fit with キュウカ, while 27 down does. 
It would, however, fit with, say… キチジツ
I’ve previously expressed my reservations towards キュウカ, have I not? It’s translated as “holiday” in English but really it just means “day off”, and that’s not at all auspicious.
But it’s joyous. 
Ok, think I just accidentally finished the crossword.
38-down シリメツレツ - it’s a four-character phrase, so I confess I cheated. Probably wan’t going to get it otherwise. 
32-across イビツ I think
36-across オリ
35-down チシオ
Makes 30-across モチ, and I confess I thought of that a while ago, but wasn’t very sure.
Answers check out.
Think maybe we’ll leave it at that until I get back from my trip.
I’m back from me trip, so it’s time for the next crossword. Hope people are still around. 
(Got a new phone, too. Turns out it now takes photos larger than Discourse likes to upload. Wonder if I can tweak the camera settings rather than have to resize every image I take…)
Thinking 24-across is スキ
22-down ホワイトソース
I want to say 10-across is グルコース, but that’s one character too short…
What about
2-down コンニャク and
7-down ミカン
making 2-across コン (as in “this”)
?
I wish 10-across could be キロカロリー, but it doesn’t cross with 22-down…
(Whatever you did with this pictures, it turned out well - for me, at least - they’re very crisp and easy to read.)
I get 7-down, but I’m not at all sure I get why 2-down is コンニャク. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s not - 35-across is フグ, and so 3-across is テッサ.
For good measure, 12-down is クサヤ
12-across クロワッサン
Opened them in GIMP and scaled them so they were the same size as the previous photos. It’s a little bit tedious doing that, though.
Back from a three week vacation and just popped in a sec before going home. Has this been abandoned?
24-across スキ
38-across メン
Nope. Actually, I just pulled out the book again from where it had gotten buried to give it another look over. Too late at night right now to think straight, though.
31-across ワカメ
35-across フグ
37-across ドア
20-down マド
30-down ウワサ
34-down マメ (?)
36-down カンド
39-down グルメ
Yeah, I… already said some of those. But nice work anyway. I kinda see your reasoning for 34-across, but I’m not too confident on it either.
Thinking
38-down メロン
17-across トホ
19-across イソ
21-across ドレッシング
14-down リンゴ - makes 15-across ゴマ, which I kinda sorta get (誤魔化し means “cheating; deception”, but 誤魔 doesn’t seem to be a word on its own)
9-down マグロ is apparently the most common nigiri topping in Japan
5-across マロン, I guess?
5-down マンタ
6-across タイ
Also pretty sure the super secret magic word is ウソツキ, which makes the second character of 8-across and 11-down ツ
Can you please share some info on the crossword book? I’m going to do an online order to Japan soon and I’m considering trying to pick some for me and some friends.
It’s called いつでもクロスワード, though this particular book is volume 2. Published by nikoli.
To be precise, this one. Looks like there’s already ten books in the series. And this one was published in 2004. Whew.
4-across イマ
10-across グリコーゲン
19-across イソ
28-down ゲキレツ or ゲキトツ
Aha. We have an answer at last. Wonder why my dictionary searches weren’t turning up anything.
I just said that. Lemme make a filled-in grid…
16-down オオトロ
8-across カツオ I think - mostly want to say that so that:
7-down ミカン
1-across could be モミジオロシ, though that makes 11-down ジツ, and I’m not clear why that works.
25-down シノ and 26-across ノウ both work, though.
you missed 24-across スキ on the grid 
It’s funny, I’ve had mikan and katsuo on my grid just never typed them in lol
29-across とろろ which makes 34 down ロシ
13-across ヤマトイモ
33-across ハモノ
2-down ホタテガイ making 2-across 本 which I’ve thought all along but couldn’t make it fit
27-down ツガイ
32-down モハン
40-down アミノサン
… I knew that. I was making sure you were paying attention.
I pondered that, but wasn’t entriely sure how it related to the clue…
Oh, of course. コーヒーと油…
I guess it’s definition 2?
Whoa, that’s everything finished all of a sudden. Checked over the answers, and I made one mistake: 6-across is not タイ, but タラ. Honestly don’t think that matters, though - both are white-fleshed fish used in chirinabe, though I guess only タラ is a winter specialty, perhaps?
