Days at the Morisaki bookshop

10 Aug 2025

I’ve picked up a couple of Japanese books and this was the first one I read. There’s something soothing about these japanese books; they are kinda ordinary and down to earth, not very dramatic but still intriguing, a lot of cafés and cats. This book cut deeper than expected and I really liked it. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a favorite among my Japanese book haul.

I like the real facts mixed with fiction like that Tokyo has a used-book district (Jimbocho).

Quotes

“For example, on a page of Motojirō Kajii’s Landscapes of the Heart, I came across this passage: The act of seeing is no small thing. To see something is to be possessed by it. Sometimes it carries off a part of you, sometimes it’s your whole soul.”

“There’s one thing I want you to promise me,” he said first as a preamble. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you’ll understand. How about it—can you promise me?” “I get it. I promise,” I said. “I think this place taught me that. So you don’t have to worry.” “In that case, you’ll be alright, no matter where you go.” “Thank you, Uncle.”

“The place had a very lived-in look. To put it nicely, I guess you could call it unpretentious. To put it not so nicely, it was a dump”