Week 7: お探し物は図書室まで 📚📖 (Intermediate Book Club)

[2000kanji]

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お探し物は図書室まで home thread

Week 7

Week 7	Jul 12 2025
pages	97 - 114
kindle locations	976 - 1162
End %	36 %
End phrase	目を覚ましそうだった。
Previous week	Week 6
Next week	Week 8

Discussion Rules

• Please use spoiler tags for major events in the current chapter(s) and any content in future chapters.
• When asking for help, please mention the chapter and page number. Also mention what version of the book you are reading.
• Don’t be afraid of asking questions, even if they seem embarrassing at first. All of us are here to learn.
• To you lurkers out there: Join the conversation, it’s fun!

Proper Nouns

Name	Reading	Notes	chapter	week
森永 のぞみ	もりなが のぞみ	librarian’s assistant	1	2
小町 さゆり	こまち さゆり	the librarian	1	2
浦瀬 諒	うらせ りょう	the narrator	2	5
神奈川	かながわ	Ryou’s hometown	2	5
煙木屋	えんもくや	name of an antiques shop	2	5
海老川	えびがわ	antiques shop owner	2	5
田淵	たぶち	Ryou’s boss	2	5
	ナナメ	coworker	2	5
紺野	こんの	sales department employee	2	5
吉高	よしたか	Ryou’s assistant	2	5
比奈	ひな	Ryou’s girlfriend	2	5
鎌倉	かまくら	Japanese city	2	5
由比が浜	ゆいがはま	beach near Kamakura	2	5
茂木	もぎ	lecturer on minerals	2	5
貴美子	きみこ	Hina’s sister #1	2	6
恵里香	えりか	Hina’s sister #2	2	6
安原	やすはら	owner of the cats bookshop	2	6
三軒茶屋	さんげんぢゃや	district in Tokyo	2	6
	P・F・ドラッカー	Austrian management expert	2	6
新宿	しんじゅく	ward of Tokyo	2	6
伊万里焼	いまりやき	Imari porcelain	2	6
那須田	なすだ	former customer of Enmokuya	2	6
	キシモト	Ryou’s employer	2	6
保坂	ほさか	sales department employee	2	7
渋谷	しぶや	ward of Tokyo	2	7
東急世田谷線	とうきゅうせたがやせん	light rail line in Tokyo	2	7
西太子堂	にしたいしどう	station	2	7
美澄	みすみ	bookshop owner’s wife	2	7

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[2000kanji]

Synopsis:

After some trouble at his workplace and with his girlfriend, Ryou makes a visit which might change his life (thanks to plants, earthworms, cats, …)

[TheNerdyNova]

Story Thoughts

I liked this week! Particularly the last part
Earlier on, poor Ryou getting accused of パワハラ was so irritating and sad haha. It didn’t even seem like the HR people even asked if it was true or what his side of the story was!!!

But then, I loved when he visited the cat bookstore! Yasuhara seems like such a nice person. Even just the simple fact of him giving someone his time and loving what he loves so much that he wants to share that with someone who has similar aspirations. That was so sweet!!!
And him and his wife doing the store together The way he talked about her was so cute and sweet!!

Looking forward to continuing reading!!

[Buruberimiruku]

Week 7 reading is done (woo!)

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

I agree @TheNerdyNova, I was so relieved that after Ryo’s encounter with Yoshitaka/ HR, things went so well at the Cats Now Bookstore. It did feel like HR knew Yoshitaka’s explanation (the white-out just dripped onto the receipt and she inadvertently re-wrote the wrong price) was ludicrous. HR seemed to be apologetic that Ryo wasn’t warned not to pick a fight with the President’s niece…

I also especially liked how honest Yasuhara was in answering the questions Ryo had. No, it’s not easy to start your own business. No, you may not have time to travel or see friends, take weekends off. And no, it may not be profitable. But you will have adventures of a different kind meeting people you would never have met otherwise, and that makes up for those missing things? Maybe not makes up for it, but gives you something you didn’t expect…

Then Yasuhara asked a really good question to Ryo - “why do you want to open an antique store? What is the real reason?” Ryo said he would think about it carefully. For anyone looking for a big change in their life, career etc, this is a good question.

As with the previous story with Tomoka, it feels like the underlying theme is about growing and enriching one’s human connections.

Yasuhara seems to be saying that the cat book store wasn’t the end goal, and that for Yasuhara, the store opens new avenues of human connections which often leads to new experiences or adventures. Or that’s how I understood it. We also learn that it was Komachi’s connection with her former colleague Misumi (wife of Yasuhara) that eventually leads to Ryo finding the bookstore/Yasuhara and finally having the inspiration to go for his dream. Misumi → Komachi -->Ryo–>Yasuhara–> ?

There is also the discussion Hina and Ryo both have about all the people who are connected in time and geography by the seaglass and the antique teaspoon.

Lastly, I kind of teared up by the kindness and encouragement Komachi showed to Ryo, when he thanked her for guiding him to the Cat Bookstore and declared to Komachi that he would start working toward his dream from now on. She replied, “but haven’t you already started? it was you who decided to go to the store with your own two feet.”

Similar to when Tomoka confessed how unaccomplished she felt by working in the ladies wear department at Eden. Komachi replied “but you went through a job hunt got hired, work everyday and you are feeding yourself. That’s a splendid thing.” Rather than Komachi giving something to them, it feels like she is just pointing out what they already have and encouraging them to see themselves in a new light.

The word challenge of the week for me, was 格子戸 at the Cats Now Bookstore My dictionary described it as a lattice door, but that was still mystifying. It was when I googled the image that I finally recognized what it was!