Convenience Store Woman

Travel Guide

Travel to Japan

Whilst this novella has Japan as a background and the convenience store and workers are clearly somewhere in Asia, this is not a novel strong on setting but more on the cultural observations of a time and place.

The convenience store exists in every country in the world, but this one is in Japan. It is the world and ‘home’ of Keiko who is autistic and who is clearly at home in her store:

“A convenience store is a world of sound. From the tinkle of the door chime to the voices of TV celebrities advertising new products over the in-store cable network, to the calls of the store workers, the beep of the bar code scanner , the rustle of customers picking up items and placing them in baskets, and the clacking of heels walking around the store. IT all blends into the convenience store sounds that ceaselessly caresses my eardrums”

Keiko’s world outside the store:

A reflection of how strict and complex Japanese society is. The strict expectations for young girls.

“Look, anyone who doesn’t fit in with the village loses any right to privacy. They’ll trample all over you as they please. You either get married and have kids or go hunting and earn money, and anyone who doesn’t contribute to the village in one of these forms is a heretic. And the villagers will come poking their noses into your life as much as they want.”