NABC Manager's Diary — Friday, September 18, 2026

Today is a weekday, but Kissa River (the café) is closed. The owner is away all day for a dance gig. Our part‑time staff couldn't make it either. So the afternoon is quieter than usual. With the Asian Games starting tomorrow, a tall foreign-looking man who seemed to be an athlete came in earlier wanting coffee, but unfortunately I had to point him to a nearby café. In broken English I asked, "Volleyball?" and he said he was a handball player. I forgot to ask which country he was from! I published a new event yesterday. On Thursday, October 8 at 7:00 pm we'll hold a reading group with ZINE creators Saki Shiori (a two-person unit). The theme is "Miri-shira Reading Group — I haven't read it, but I can't say that now so I'll say it!" As the title suggests, it sounds like a very fun session where we imagine and discuss the plots of classics people haven't actually read yet. I actually asked Saki when their next ZINE is coming out and they said they didn't have any ideas, so I suggested we hold an editorial meeting event here — and that's how this event was decided. https://zindies.co/events/329?locale=ja We're also revising another event. The reading group for Keigo Higashino, which we had asked Mephisto Prize-winning author Kenji Kuroda to host, wasn't getting much reaction, so Kenji and I discussed the assigned book and decided to reset it with "Swans and Bats." We're redoing the flyer — hope more people sign up. https://zindies.co/events/297?locale=ja Oh, and poet Satsuki Suzuki messaged saying that Shuta Fujii himself will attend the reading of "Perspective"! I thought it might be a joke, but he actually replied on X. So the author himself will be our guest. We redid the flyer and reannounced it on social media, and we've already received a registration. https://zindies.co/events/327?locale=ja In the evening a young man dropped by — he came from Hamamatsu for a live show. He said he finished a book on the train and came to look for a bookstore here — that made me happy. When I asked what authors he reads he said Mieko Kawakami. I explained that we mainly stock authors connected to Nagoya, but I told him about a book a young customer recommended about a month ago and that we decided to stock: "Call Me If You Feel Like Dying." He bought it. Great! Before closing, ZINE creator and editor Yuzuha visited after a long time. Regular customer Chiharu also came in, and the two of them were lively talking about writers. A young woman also stopped by on her way home from a part‑time job at a department store. She said she likes books about the town's history and the past. She bought a ZINE about sento (public baths). Thanks! I asked Yuzuha to order some new titles for us. I'll let you know when they arrive. I also invited Chiharu to Saturday night's poetry reading by Yodaka Some.