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About the book
From the publishers of the international bestseller Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes a new book about the beauty of humble objects, the power of writing, and reconnecting with those you have lost.
Write a letter, heal your heart...
Hidden away in a corner of the Ginza neighbourhood is a venerable stationery shop. To venture inside is to find everything your stationery-loving heart desires, from the most delicate paper to fountain pens that fit exactly to the shape of your hand to gorgeously coloured inks.
The shop owner intuits your every need, inviting you to take a seat at a small wooden table on the top floor, where you'll find the words flowing, helping you unlock repressed memories, secret longings and your own mysteries.
To this shop comes a young company employee, uncertain in his career and needing a connection back to his past; the hostess of an elegant club; the vice-captain of a high-school archery team, an ageing businessman and a formerly homeless sushi chef.
With impeccable manners and a warm demeanour, the shop owner helps each of them with more than just their stationery needs.
Why we love it
Hands up if you've always got a fresh new planner or journal ready to go for the start of the year? Or a drawer full of notebooks that you're saving for just the right occasion? If so, you'll love this enchanting book set in a Tokyo stationery store, written by Kenji Ueda and translated by Emily Balistrieri.
Stationery is just as much of a weakness for me as books so it was pretty inevitable that I'd find myself drawn to this particular title, sooner or later, and it's the perfect short read for a blustery winter's day, transporting me a million miles away from County Down to the bustling streets of Tokyo's Ginza district.
Letters From The Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop is a series of short stories based around five different customers to the store, with each chapter taking on the name of the object the customer most connects with - Fountain Pen, Organiser, Notebooks, Postcards and Memo Pads.
Owner Ken Takarada has a gift for identifying what his customers need most from his store, guiding them into sharing their stories and helping them to put their thoughts on paper at a specially set-up desk on the upper floors of the shop.
I loved the theme running throughout the book that it's by writing things down that we get to the heart of our dreams, emotions and memories. To see the emotional journey each of Ken's customers go through is a beautiful reminder of the power of the written word.
Throw into the mix the most wonderful descriptions of paper and ink, endless cups of green tea and mouth-watering mentions of Japanese food and I'm pretty much ready to book a one-way ticket to the Tokyo - and if I don't stumble upon the Shihodo Stationery Shop when I get there, I'll be sorely disappointed.
If you're a fan of books like Before The Coffee Gets Cold or Days At The Morisaki Bookshop, you'll love this one. If you're a fan of stationery, you'll love this one. And if you just fancy a heart-warming, uplifting inspirational read, well then you'll definitely love this one.