Irasshaimase!

It’s only recently that I’ve noticed convenience stores in the U.S. upping up their prepared food game. Growing up, the thought of buying anything from 7-11 apart from maybe a Slurpee would have been inconceivable. However, when I lived in Japan, I looked forward to commuting by train just so I could stock up on konbini rice balls, bottled tea, and candy for the trip.

With the same eager anticipation of entering those sliding doors, I opened Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Since it was translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, it nicely meets the challenge of reading a translated book written by and/or translated by a woman.

Even when she’s not wearing her Smile Mart uniform, Keiko Furukura has internalized the rhythms of the store where she’s been employed for 18 years. Stocking, cleaning, promoting new products, and serving customers provides a much need structure to her days. She even chooses her evening meal and goes to bed early to ensure her body is ready for the next day’s work. As other employees come and go, she adopts their mannerisms, speech patterns, and wardrobe choices to make sure her life resembles “normal.”  

When a former coworker gets kicked out of his latest apartment, Keiko offers him a spare futon and meals in exchange for the privilege of telling her friends and family she’s living with someone. Rather than serving as a red flag, his blatant existence as a freeloader only serves to legitimize the relationship as “typical.”  

It’s only after the guy convinces Keiko to quit that she realizes just how much she depends on the store for survival – both financially and psychologically.

Murata provides not only a glimpse into the unique universe of the konbini, but tells a more universal tale of the struggle to fit in when one doesn’t.