Ikiryo Ikigai

[ikiryoikigai]

Toyotomi’s Antiques pt.2

The shop bell of Toyotomi’s Antiques mutedly jingles my arrival, begrudging the disturbance of the musty silence, though Mr Toyotomi himself greets me by name with a grin and a cheerful ‘welcome’. I place my rainbow umbrella in the stand with the others. My mood is lifting already, and I glance past the shop counter at the veiled doorway that invites access to the catacombs of the shop. Mr Toyotomi catches me looking and bids me to enter and to let me know if anything catches my eye. I pass beyond the curtain and begin to wander.

[ikiryoikigai]

Toyotomi’s Antiques pt.1

I have departed from work with a mind dark under the weight of impending deadlines. The sky mirrors my mood and my soul is drowning in both the rain and the mundane. On any other day, I would arrive home, take a microwave meal from the freezer, heat it, eat it and stare at a screen until I slip into a coma. But not today. Today is Wednesday, and Wednesday is the day that my new favourite place is open. I divert from my regular path and slip down a less trodden side street, arriving not two minutes later. It is half past four. I have thirty minutes until closing time. That’s more than enough.