I've been wanting to go to Beyer Books all Summer; it was just one of those feelings you get. Like some strange knowing that something is going to be just right when it happens to happen. It was a deliberate happy celebration ritual for my very last weekday off for my Summer 2009 holidays before Semester Two begins on Monday. It was somehow the most perfect combination of all the ingredients that I needed. When I stepped in to Beyer Books yesterday, I knew I would most certainly become a regular. Perhaps you will too?
Looking about at the groovy, eclectic, and arty books, goods and postcards on the first floor, I paused when Mr. Kiyoshiro Imawano floated into my world in a song collaboration all sweet and serenade-y. It was one of those perfectly bittersweet Autumn moments, and ripples of 'torihada' (goosebumps) tingled my arms. His May second death this year at the tender age of 58, was up there in shock and sorrow for me alongside Michael Jackson's passing. His flamboyant and fabulous fashion fevers had always impressed me,
beginning with the first song I ever heard of his in my good friend Kiyofumi's apartment in Tokyo when I was a University student. I still catch myself singing bits of the chorus randomly to lighten my mood.
“Dooshitan da? HEY HEY Baby!”
(at the Fuji Rock Festival 2004)
Waves of some unknown 'sabishii' mood which had been floating in and about me recently, was resurrected and set free slightly I noticed. The music here tells a story; it doesn't just set the mood. There is a gentle kindness in the air. There is a softness, a slowdown, and an open channel to naturally explore and locate another kind of you. I can be me and free in glee.
An individuality organic can be felt at Beyer; there is a special ease of rhythm, and a distinct lack of pretension in a 'sono mama' (as is) aura in the ego-less owners Mr. and Mrs. Umeda. There is a generosity in their movements, and a moment-to-moment recogniton pure of what 'now' really means. You are aware that they have something special; that they have seen things and experienced another life. It is like a private paradise of calm and curiosity.
Go barefoot upstairs to the Primary-school-green carpet in the Library area filled with books, soft angles, and healing tranquility electric. The placement of furniture and stools, the curve of the bookcase, the lighting, and the attention to detail and design, accentuate a striking simplicity that deepens your intuition. Come here with slow time on your mind; stay all day, find a book, create something, write a long postcard, begin your Christmas wish list. The hourly 'dong' of the 'tick' 'tock' clock, give you a clue of the time if you are deep in reverie.
The personally selected book collection is like taking a peek into somebody's soul somehow; it is rather an intimate thing if you notice how you react. Pick me, pick me say the book titles.
Coyote.
Full Moon.
かわいい
Architecture of Absence.
夢をみる
Dick Bruna Boekomslagen.
100 things in My Room.
太陽の塔のメッセージ
How to be an explorer of the world.
Tokyo Style.
トランクの中の日本
It could be happily emotional to find a book from your past, or quite overpowering if a book with answers wants to 'meet' you. My faraway London friend's 'ki ni iri' (special and sacred) book LIBRARIES by Candida Hofer, winked at me to shake my mini sabishii. “Ha! It joked. The world is small sista.”
How do you want to create your first 'deai' (meeting) with Beyer Books? It is important. Choose a time when you won't need to rush; perhaps after work on a weekday afternoon, or maybe around 3:00pm. on a weekday off? First impressions are powerful. First connections to a place are unforgettable.
I remember my first meeting with the Taj Mahal. I thought the bus I had caught was a direct route (what a beginner!), but realised when we had stopped for lunch, stopped to look at carpets, and stopped to look at the heavenly Red Fort (Absolutely stunning), that I needed to make a choice. The Taj Mahal with a various blend of local and international visitors in the blazing midday sun at peak time (not the best for photography either), or on terms I made. I left the group upon arrival, and checked in to an el-cheapo hotel nearby.
I 'met' the Taj the next morning, all moody and mysterious. The Indian man at the ticket booth lit his candle, smiled his sweetness, and let me, the first visitor for the day in. The guards up near this Living Beauty, offered to shine their torches on the beautifully glistening coloured tiles inside the roof without any demand of 'baksheesh' (friendly bribing with rupees). Timing is everything.
Find the right time for your first Beyer. I noticed they were featured in the Cafe Edition of 'Savvy' this month, so weekends might have a different flavour of energy. Have a slow cup of tea or coffee, have a “'saikin maruku natta' home-made castella cake for 315 yen, have an open-heart talk with Mr. and Mrs. Umeda, and see what Beyer books wants you to find out about yourself.
Make YOUR unforgettable connection with this place lovely.
HOW to get there:
An easy and pleasant walk through the covered 'shotengai' from
Tamatsukuri Station on the JR Loop Line, or from Exit 5 of the Subway Tsurumi Ryoukuchi Line.
Usually open from 12:00 - 20:00.
Check this link for days of business, and an access map.
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