More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Author: Satoshi Yagisawa
Translated by: Eric Ozawa
Setting: Jimbocho, Tokyo, Japan
Pages: 176 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 5/5

Book Review More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

I’m at a loss for words because More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is such a great narrative. Maybe I should just tell anyone to read this to go get their copy of the book and read it. And a note to Satoshi Yagisawa: Thank you for writing this story, sir, and I look forward to more of your work. Also, thank you to Eric Ozawa for wonderfully translating the book, allowing non-Japanese readers like me to experience this lovely work.

“Sharing your thoughts with someone seems so simple, but at times it can be surprisingly difficult. Even more so when it someone you care so much for” – Takako

I love the first book Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and I even love this second book a little more. Takako has changed, and Momoko has returned to the Morisaki Bookshop. I can now feel the bookshop’s heartwarming yet quirky vibe. I’m just one click away from purchasing a ticket to Japan because of the vivid description of what Jimbocho looks and feels like.

I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that I experienced while reading this splendid book. I was laughing so hard at one chapter and then crying like a child at 4 a.m., waking up my husband and making him worry that something bad had happened, but when I showed him the book, he just replied, “naa napud ta ani (here we go again)”. And just when you believe everything is all sunshine, it’s actually prepping you for more emotional havoc.

“You’re right. The way they shaped their feelings made them last. It’s amazing, isn’t it? And it’s not just writers. All artists are incredible. We can learn so much from the work passed down to us from our ancestors” – Uncle Saturo

The more I think about it, the more I see why I connected so strongly with the story. I grew up and am still close to my uncles and aunties. They are like my second parents. Some of them I even call mama and papa.

One of my uncles is very similar to Uncle Saturo. (Yes, Saturo feels like an uncle to me, therefore, I call him Uncle Saturo.) We affectionately refer to him as Uncle Ekil. He’s the funniest and slightly loudest member of the family. Sometimes we are unsure if he is telling the truth or not. He occasionally imparts advice and is everyone’s friend. Aside from these traits, the most obvious thing about the two uncles is that they do not reveal weakness even at times of difficulty, and they even make others smile and laugh. My uncle Ekil has passed away lately, and this book will remind me of him.

“So don’t ever try to hide from the sadness. When it comes, cry it out. It’s better to keep moving forward with that sadness; that’s what it means to live.” – Momoko

In the book, I’m having mixed emotions. I’m a little disappointed since it’s not what I expected it to be or have (it did offer more, but not in the plot I pictured), but I’m also pleased because it gives me hope for another sequel, perhaps, Hello Satoshi Yagisawa sir.

This novel, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop taught me about

Loss and grieving and the many ways people overcome it.
Self-awareness.
Looking at what lay beneath the surface.
Not to judge people because each of us has a preconceived point of view.
Friendhip.
Love of and from family.
Love of books and how it heal people.

“Reading had started to affect me in so many ways” – Takako

Books and Authors mentioned in More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

No	Authors	Books
1	Osamu Dazai	No Longer Human
2	Kosaku Takaii
3	Sakunosuke Oda	Sweet Beans for Two
4	Takehiko Fukunaga
5	Haruo Sato
6	Ango Sakaguchi
7	Taruho Inagaki	One Thousand and One-second Stories
8	Kotaro Takamura	The Chieko Poems
9	Junichiro Tanizaki	In Praise of Shadows
10	Hideo Kobayashi
11	Toson Shimazaki	Before the Dawn
12	Hyakken Uchida	Train of Fools
13	Mitsuko Fuyuno	A Moment of Twilight
14	Charles Baudelaire
15	Georges Rodenbach
16	J.R.R Tolkien or John Ronald Reuel Tolkien	The Lord of the Rings
17	Ursula K. Le Guin	Earthsea Cycle

Quotes from More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

“A man with a more mysterious side has more charm, don’t you think? That’s why I’m not going to tell you. Your curiosity will grow and grow until it becomes an obsession, and you’ll end up dreaming about me” – Sabu

“One thing he loved about books was they could tell him what kind of lives the writers led, how they lived, how they loved, and how they left this world” – Takako

“It somehow feels luxurious to sit in your favorite coffeeshop, reading a book, waiting for your boyfriend” – Takako

“And like most people who love to read, he seemed interested in what other people were reading too” – Takako

“What do you mean careless? I wasn’t doing anything (Takako). Sometimes that’s the same thing. And sometimes that can invite an even more thoughtless response.” – Momoko

“Even if Wada #2 saw you like that, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he truly saw you for who you are as a person. He just saw you from his own preconceived point of view” – Momoko

“Choose to be with the people who really choose you, people who see you as irreplaceable.” – Momoko

“One mustn’t give in to passion at the cost of courtesy” – Wada

“When you visit a friends place, it’s normal to take interest in the contents of their bookshelves.” – Takako

“But once I like a book, I just can’t let go of it” – Tomo

If you won’t open your heart, it’s selfish to expect the other person alone to open theirs to you. don’t you think?” – Momoko

“In those moments, it felt like I had a gaping hole in my heart. That’s what it was like losing someone precious to you. I felt it now in so many different places and in so many different ways.” – Takako

I hope this book review of More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop helps you decide to pick up and read the book. Aside from the book being a charming read, it is also an emotionally awakening novel.

Have you read the book? I love to hear what you think!