Bathing in Book Love

Despite the risk of getting a little bit too personal, I’ve been feeling kind of lonely lately. Lately being, like, the past five years. Maybe even ten? I don’t know. I’ve lived in Japan, in a relatively small city, for over two decades. The difficulties of socializing as an adult have been compounded by my basic nature as an eternal outsider in Japan and by the fact that I’ve not had an office/company job since 2015.

So, to combat the increasing isolation, I’ve been trying to get out more. I joined a photo club, took Aikido classes (which didn’t work out), started going to book club meetings, and attending more events. But an underlying and ongoing issue is, even when I meet people with similar interests, like books and photography, I’m not really meeting a lot of people who feel the same way about those particular things.

I am more than willing to admit it’s a “me” issue. I’m increasingly hard-headed as I age, and less open to entertaining nonsense. It’s hard to open myself up.

So, that’s what I tried to do last weekend. I went to the Bungaku Free Market, a roaming event for people who make books—primarily private, self-published, homemade dojinshi stuff—and other art to sell directly to customers in a communal space. I went to meet passionate creators. I went to talk to people who probably don’t think like I do. And I just went to be around books and other book lovers, because I have been one for as long as I can remember.

It was great. Lots of people with lots of interests just bathing in an atmosphere of passion for creating. I talked to people who I never would have ever met otherwise. I saw books I never would have picked up otherwise. And I let myself just get into it. I bought things and discussed things and took pictures that made me nervous.

And I came home with some stuff that I’m really looking forward to reading.

I think a opening myself up a bit more is going to take some time, but book events certainly seem to be a relatively painless way to practice. I just wish there were more of them around here!