If I am not mistaken, I think Murakami ran a 'jazz' coffee shop either in Kyoto or Osaka. These specialized 'coffee shops' were (are) the greatest. That is what I hate about Starbucks (and others) is that they sort of borrow the concept - playing jazz or whatever - and then the original shops soon disappear. -- Tosh Berman TamTam Books http://www.tamtambooks.com