NABC Store Manager's Diary July 24, 2026 (Fri)

It's sweltering every day 💦💦 — I write that every time, but today, in particular, there are very few customers. At this temperature, going out to visit a bookstore might even be a dangerous idea. I did uchimizu (sprinkling water) for the first time this year. It was just after 4:00 PM, but the sunlight was still intense, and our shop gets strong late-afternoon sun; even after sprinkling, the water evaporated in no time. It was like pouring water on a hot stone. I sent a notice to all participants in tomorrow's event. The event starts at 2:00 PM, which is the hottest time of day, and most of the participants are probably visiting our shop for the first time. Many first-time visitors, especially older people, are not good with smartphone map apps and often get lost for 30 minutes to an hour. So I warned them, gave directions to the shop, and told them to look for the 喫茶リバー sign and the wooden hut as landmarks. I also reminded them of the shop's phone number. Tomorrow's venue is the gallery on the second floor, so I set things up today. All I had to do was line up chairs, but it was enough to make me sweat. Now, which book should I buy and take home today? I ended up buying one. A young man came in just before closing. When I spoke to him, he said he was from Moriyama and lived near a bookstore that helped me when I worked at the library. His workplace is in Endoji, and today he was walking around the west side of the station and happened to find the shop. I'm grateful.