Lead Review (Days at the Torunka Café)
- Book: Days at the Torunka Café
- Location: Yanaka
- Author: Eric Ozawa (translator), Satoshi Yagisawa
This novel is penned by the author of best selling Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.
It is a short, sweet novel, set in the charming Yanaka District of Tokyo, with alleys, small side streets and the Yanaka Ginza shopping street. The Torunka Café is situated in one of the little snickleways and if you are lucky, you will be escorted to the door by one of the stray cats in the area. It is hard to find, set as it is amongst private dwellings and tiny buildings. It is a café that predominantly attracts a middle-aged and senior clientele and therefore the infrequent younger persons who pop in are like a breath of fresh air. And they all have stories to tell.
Chinatsu Yukimura is a strange young woman who claims to have met Shūichi, who works at the cafe, in another life. As they dance around each other and Shūichi starts to fall for her, they chat and have coffee, there is a misunderstanding and then a revelation. It is a delightfully constructed story that unfolds like the bud of a flower.
Further characters are introduced, reminiscing and coming to terms with some of life’s big events. There is sadness and joy and a mix of emotions, coupled with interesting and warming coffee culture. I love learning new things through books and, for example, coffee used to be known as the devil’s drink, a favoured beverage in Muslim countries but Pope Clement VIII back in the 16th century baptised it (yes, really) and thus it entered the bosom of the Christian community and became a popular drink.
Perhaps the story is a little ponderous at times, it is a quick and gentle read that is delightfully Japanese in spirit.
The translation is very American.
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