One of the things that Larry and I were talking about earlier today over lunch was whether there were any Japanese bookstores here in Toronto. Unfortunately, I had to reply in the negative to him. But of course over in Tokyo, there are plenty of opportunities including the above Yaesu Book Center across from Tokyo Station. Because I did enjoy my browsing, this was one of my favourite places to hit and in the summer, it was an absolute relief thanks to air conditioning. The design was rather intriguing through; the ground floor had a very high ceiling so that ride up the escalator rather felt like going up on a ski lift to the top of the mountain.
No smooth segue from that first paragraph to this one, except just to introduce jazz singer Yasuko Agawa's（阿川泰子）"You and I" from her 1982 album "Fine!". I'm still digesting my copious amounts of food and drink today so it's pleasant listening to the bossa nova imbued into this track created by songwriters Claudio Amaral and Jay Antony Wagner. The arrangement is such that "You and I" sounds timeless as if it could have been produced today rather than 40 years ago.
I've been hearing that getting through our local Pearson Airport has been absolute hell due to the increasing number of travelers desperate to get that vacation and the lack of security staff. Also, I'm not sure about anywhere else, but the lineups have been incredibly long to apply for passports, so I will not be planning any journeys myself for the next little while. However at least I can vicariously enjoy some exotic climes through music like this tune.
For non-fictions, I could read on my iPad screen but for fiction I still prefer holding a book in my hands. If there's no Japanese bookstore in Toronto, I wonder if there's any in the whole of Canada. I feel like there should be enough Japanese population in Toronto/Canada to justify having one.
ReplyDelete"You and I" is very soothing. I'm typing while listening to it.
Glad that you like "You and I". If there is such a bookstore, it might be in Vancouver but I've got a feeling that a majority of the Japanese-Canadian population may not be able to read Japanese. However, if anyone can refute me, please do so.
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