NABC Store Manager's Diary — October 15, 2026 (Thu)

I took Tuesday and Wednesday off, and returned to work for the first time in a while. I was surprised to find that ZINEs and books were selling more on the days I was away than on a normal day. Yesterday a customer apparently bought a lot of poetry collections, songbooks, and literary doujinshi, and I was shocked when I checked the sales. I wish I had been there to greet them. Today there were also many visitors coming to Beniko's photo exhibition, and in the afternoon visitors kept coming almost without pause. It hardly felt like a weekday. I realized how many fans she really has. Among them are customers who come almost every day, and each time some of them buy books on the first floor; today when I recommended a book, they purchased it. I'm truly grateful. I myself rarely get to the exhibition space, but today I found time to go up to the second floor and tried a ¥1,000 gacha. I won a third‑prize noren! It featured a design of Kadoebi, a high‑class brothel that represents Yoshiwara. I'll hang it in my room. I was able to talk with Beniko a little in front of the gacha. She said she went to the famous Nagoya cabaret Hanazono yesterday and had a great time. While we were talking, a male customer nearby seemed to be a cabaret expert and gave us various tips. I've never been myself, so I didn't know anything. It was educational. Later, while I was talking about that at the downstairs sales area with a woman who was visiting Beniko's photo exhibition for the second time, she said she had never been either and suggested we go together, which surprised me. Since it's hard to go alone, it would be fun if it happens. A male customer who came after that also seemed like a cabaret expert and taught me a lot as well. It seems everyone goes. As it got dark, two young women came in wanting to look at free papers, so I showed them around. When they came back down later I spoke to them and they said they were art university students who had an assignment, perhaps for a seminar, to make a ZINE, so they had come for reference. I told them to look at our ZINE shelf before they left and introduced various ZINEs. I also mentioned the Endoji "Hon no Sanpo Michi" happening this month and a foreign ZINE specialty shop in Shinsakae, which made them happy. I waved them off saying, "If you make a ZINE, sell it here, okay?" I hope they do their best. Beniko's photo exhibition really draws many dedicated visitors, and many of them take an interest in the book section and buy books on the first floor. I've never seen a gallery exhibition like this before. I'm truly grateful. Most visitors are coming to our store for the first time, and many tell me they'll return to the bookstore, which makes me happy. I'm a bit sad that the exhibition ends on the 18th.