#jinbocho

[useyourimagination2020]

カレー付きハンバーグ - ボーイズカレー（神保町）

(via 【ボーイズカレー ＠神保町】・・・カレー付きハンバーグの誘惑～ | 知らない街を食べ歩きたい！)

[useyourimagination2020]

餃子の肉太郎（神保町）

[useyourimagination2020]

餃子の肉太郎（神保町）

(via 神保町「餃子の肉太郎」の「餃子定食」と「特製ニンニク」 ｜ Mormor日記)

[useyourimagination2020]

神保町 さぼうる

(via 【神保町】老舗喫茶店「さぼうる」でクリームソーダを楽しむノスタルジックなひととき｜るるぶ&more.)

[cinemateacally]

Watched List Ep. 02 – The Days at Morisaki Bookstore (森崎書店の日々, 2010)

“Then why don’t you read? If you continue like this, you will only see the surface of the world. If you don’t want to stay shallow, read some of the wonderful books here.”

I was ready to quit this film within the first three minutes. But something in me insisted on staying, and I’m glad I did.

The Days at Morisaki Bookstore is a 2010 Japanese film based on the novel by Satoshi Yagisawa. I haven’t read the book yet, but for now I felt like this would do.

We follow Takako, who, after a heartbreak that drains her spark, receives an unexpected call from her uncle, Satoru. He owns a small bookstore in Jimbocho: Morisaki Bookstore, and asks her to stay there temporarily to look after the shop while he’s away.

Confused but with little else stopping her, she accepts.

From there, we watch Takako slowly rediscover herself. Through books, through the rhythm of watching the shop, through the charm of Jimbocho, and through the people she meets along the way.

Like a Film School Project

It took me a while to warm up to this film. I even had to double-check if I was watching the right one. At first, it felt like an old TV special, like it’s almost too simple.

But as it unfolds, it starts to feel more like an experimental film school project, and I mean that in a good way.

The bookstore setting does a lot of heavy lifting. It creates this cozy, almost tactile atmosphere, like you can practically smell the pages. 

A Love Letter to Books and the Community Around Them

“Jimbocho is just like a book. On the surface, it seems calm, but when you open it, you’ll find a chaotic world inside. Then, like finishing a book, it returns to tranquility.”

Around the 20-minute mark, when Takako arrives in Jimbocho, was when the film truly locked me in.

We’re given glimpses of the district, not just Morisaki Bookstore but the surrounding shops as well. Each shop feels distinct, with its own personality. There’s even a community event that made me realize how alive this place is.

Jimbocho has been on my list of places to visit in Tokyo, and this film only solidified that. There’s something special about a place that revolves around books, not just as objects, but as a shared culture.

Books are worlds within pages. And here, within Jimbocho, is a world within a town.

Life Goes On

“Instead of relying on valuable things to gain value, one should create value on their own. That’s what makes a person strong.”

At its core, this film is about moving forward.

It reminds us that everyone is figuring things out as they go. What matters is whether we choose to stay stuck or find a way to rise again.

There’s quite a lot of wisdom throughout, not just from the books mentioned, but from the characters themselves.

In the end, it’s simple: life goes on. And it’s up to us to stand back up and face it.

You may check the short form video format of this blog entry via: Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram.

[inefekt69]

Jimbocho Book Town - Tokyo, Japan

[ramen-tokyo]

新橋ニューともちん（New-tomochin）神保町店「ネギ中華そば」

✔️Store name / Menu

✔️Nearest : 神保町駅

[gottdeswill]

Day by day, the leaves of the trees along the streets turned to gold. It delighted me to see how well the changing colors matched the slow transformation happening inside me.