The Nakano Thrift Shop

Hitomi takes a job in Mr. nakano’s thrift shop and helps him run things, meeting customers and developing a largely sexless relationship with a fellow employee Takeo.

And that’s it really, this is one of those books in which a little actually happens but is still a delight to read. The quirks and foibles of both Mr. Nakano and his regular customers are interesting and their stories and those of the objects that they buy are often strangely moving. Would be interesting to see if such shops still exist in today’s Japan, we do get the impression that everything has to be you and and little is reused, but that’s not what this story is telling us.

A charming tale, delightfully told and a warm comforting read whenever the pressure of the modern world get too much for you and you’re looking for a simple life.