The Convenience Store by the Sea

Welcome to Tenderness!

A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness.

At first glance, it's a store like any other.

Sure, it's a bit odd that the handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric. But there's a warmth about Tenderness that draws you in.

The bright lights are always on. The employees know you by name. And the shelves are stacked with delicious treats, from strong hot coffee to sweet parfaits, egg sandos to ramen, crispy fried chicken to refreshing soba.

After a while, you get the feeling that whatever you need might just be waiting for you here...

The Convenience Store by the Sea is the heartwarming international bestseller from award-winning Japanese novelist Sonoko Machida. A a series of interconnected vignettes set in a 24/7 Japanese convenience store, the novel celebrates the joy of connection and community. Translated by Bruno Navasky.

About the Author

Sonoko Machida is an award-winning Japanese author, born in 1980 in Fukuoka Prefecture. In 2016, she won the Onna ni yoru onna no tame no R-18 bungakusho (By Women for Women R-18 Literature Prize) for Kamerun no aoi sakana (Blue Fish of Cameroon). Her masterpiece 52 herutsu no kujira-tachi (The 52-Hertz Whales), won the 2021 Japanese Booksellers' Award and became a bestseller with about half a million copies sold in Japan. Her two following novels, Hoshi wo sukuu (Scooping Up the Stars) and Sora gohan (Sora's Recipes), were both nominated for the award in consecutive years.