Just what I needed on a dreary afternoon - a simple, slightly philosophical novel full of life’s wisdom. The focus is on the people who visit a small café in Tokyo - and their daily reflections and friendships. Like a necklace of beads, their stories are strung together in short chapters. A delightful read.
That day, I was walking home from the public employment office, having failed yet again to find a job. I had plenty of two things: worries and time. As I ambled along the river, I let my idleness take over until the rows of trees ended, and there, in the shade of a thicket, I discovered this cafe.
A cafe in a place like this? Before opening its door, I checked the coins in my wallet. I should have enough for a cup of coffee.
Although the cafe was cramped, it had a comforting atmosphere. I felt grateful that it offered me, a person with no place to go, a table. It might have been my first time there, but I felt relief wash over me as if I had returned to my own room. It was the antithesis of the clamorous chaos of the chain restaurant. If only I could work at a place like this…
