Sunday 9 AM. I participated in a 'Relaxed Morning Activity & Book Club' at a stylish cafe in Roppongi.
Good morning!Kojiemi here.
At 9 AM on Sunday, February 1st, I participated in the 'Morning Activity Book Club,' a real-life event for the 'Marble Community,' a third place for writers.
Nine members gathered from 9 AM on Sunday at the cafe 'Common(Common)' in Roppongi, Tokyo.
As soon as I opened the door, Miho, the community manager, waved at me and showed me to my seat. I was able to settle in smoothly without feeling nervous.
This shop wasn't just stylish. As soon as I entered, there was a ZINE poster, and wouldn't you know it, a selection of carefully curated ZINEs were lined up.
There were many people who appeared to be guests from overseas, and the shop, where English and Japanese flew back and forth, felt calm yet warmly bustling.
At the register, a lady kindly let me go ahead in line. I don't understand English, but she probably said something like 'Go ahead,' so I replied with a smile, 'Oh, thank you so much.' I'm not smart at all (lol).
The drink menu was rich in variety, including coffee, matcha latte, chai, and green tea, which was kind to me since I'm not good with coffee (due to my constitution).
When 9 o'clock arrived and the members gathered, we lined up the books we brought (at least one per person) on the table, shared our recommendations, and read them together.
Some people brought two or more books (myself included), and the feeling of having so many to choose from was great!
There were so many books I wanted to read that I couldn't decide which one to pick.
Since we started with those whose birthdays were closest... I got to choose a book first as a February baby. I felt lucky while thinking, 'Sorry for going first...'
The other members chose their books in turn as well.
When my recommended book was picked up, I felt like a bookstore clerk, thinking, 'My book sold (was chosen)!' and I felt happy every single time.
Once everyone had chosen a book, a quiet reading time of about an hour began.
...
The first book I read was Masayasu Wakabayashi's 'Naname no Yugure (Bungeishunju)'.
Since I only knew Mr. Wakabayashi from television, I was jealous of his talent, thinking, 'His writing is funny too!', while also feeling, 'I'm going to end up liking him even more~.' When I shared this on X, there were other girls who said, 'I like Mr. Wakabayashi too,' and I secretly felt jealous of his popularity all over again (lol).
I wanted to read other books... The next one I picked up was 'Please Don't Eat Your Karaage Bento Here (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha)' by Ban Obara.
I was immediately drawn in by the story of the 'Karaage Bento' in the introduction, and felt excited and restless about the new life starting in Tokyo. I was born in the Kanto region, so I have never experienced 'moving to Tokyo.' I envy the stories that capture 'The Tokyo' feel... But that's exactly why it's a book that makes me feel like I could vicariously experience the excitement of moving to Tokyo, even though I've never done it. Should I buy it—.
15 minutes left...! The last thing I picked up, thinking 'I want to read this!', was Ogi Yuka's ZINE 'trip to Finland'.
A travel essay documenting Ogi Yuka's first trip to Finland, accompanied by photos. Reading it makes you want to go to Finland, or at least makes you want to buy Marimekko goods as a consolation... Even though it's palm-sized and has few pages, it's a book that stays in your heart long after you've finished it. I want one too, I want to go to a ZINE event (lol).
...
The approximately one-hour reading time ended, and we shared our thoughts before dispersing.
It was truly a time with a high level of happiness that warmed my heart.
I remember requesting Miho-san in the Marble community a while ago, saying, 'I want to do a real-life morning activity at a cafe.'
I am truly grateful to community manager Miho-san, who turns members' requests into reality, and to the organizers, including Bayashi-san who hosted the book club, and all the staff.
There might be some difficult parts for the organizers (like scheduling and choosing a location), but I would love for them to hold it again.
...
On this day, I brought 5 books with me.
At first I had about 10, but I gave up because they were too heavy, and after re-selecting them many times, I managed to limit it to 5.
In the sense of 'continuing to write,' I thought Haruki Murakami's 'Novelist as a Profession (Shincho Bunko)' would be good for Marble community members, or
Kaho Miyake's 'The Secret of Writing Style (Sanctuary Publishing)', which lets you learn the tricks of writing that make people want to read, would be good too~.
Since there are many people in their 20s, living alone, or working from home, like Mojiji-san from the Marble school cohort,
Yuka Sato's 'I Want to Live in the Kitchen (Overlap)' where delicious food and lifestyle are drawn with a warm touch, and Chiaki Ida's 'Looking Forward to Meals (Bungeishunju)' also seem good.
Since I am a recipe book author in my own right, I thought there might be people who want to know about 'publishing'... and I also had a feeling I wanted to talk about publishing with Yorimichi-san, who published a book recently, so I chose Tomomi Sato's 'I Want to Publish a Book (CCCMedia House)'.
And then, I also really wanted to recommend Rein Kudo's 'Eating Steam (Orange Page)', which I consider a textbook for writing food essays!
...and that's how it became five books.
Buying and reading books is something you can do alone, but I was able to feel the joy of someone picking up a book I recommended... It was the best event, with encounters between people and books that are unique to a community.
...
Since Yorimichi-san liked 'I Want to Publish a Book', I gave it to her as a gift, saying, 'Please take it home with you~', but
in return, I ended up receiving Yorimichi-san's new book, 'The Reason Why a Person with Developmental Disabilities Still Lives. (Impress NextPublishing)'...!
It even has a signature...! Thank you so much!!!
Being able to meet the author Yorimichi-san, who just joined, was actually my motivation for waking up early for the morning activity.
I hope to write a review of this book as well.