Cafe Haiku (Paperback)

~ Zenbu Nometa (Author), Jeffrey Goldsmith (Author) "Enjoy this moment..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Cafe Haiku isn't a poetry book. Instead, Zenbu Nometa has twirled the short Japanese poetics into a witty commentary on cafes, from the daily ritual of buying lattes to a metaphor following the metal flap on a sugar dispenser. Paired with quick, lively descriptions that tease the photographs like a shake of cinnamon in an espresso are 47 black and white photographs and the result is Cafe Haiku.

About the Author

Zenbu Nometa is a haiku poet living in Shingu, Japan. He met Goldsmith in a NYC cafe and they began corresponding by email, trading photos and haiku.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Caffeine Society (November 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975359703
• ISBN-13: 978-0975359709
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,887,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars poetry and espresso, February 22, 2005

By	Anna Creech (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An American photographer and a Japanese poet met in a New York City café. The culmination of that meeting is the book Cafe Haiku, a collection of photographs and haiku poetry with a café/coffee theme. The photographs are vivid black and white scenes of the elements of a café; from the laptop taping techs to the cigarette waving philosophers to the jars of stirring sticks and display cases of pastries. The poetry ranges from whimsical to romantic, with some contemplation in between.

I read this brief collection while sipping an Americano (with half-n-half) at the café around the corner from my house. Unfortunately, the noise of conversations around me in the crowded space did not allow for much contemplation. My attention was drawn to the more whimsical poems and pictures. Particularly one photograph of a tin labeled Cinnamon resting on a marbled table top. The haiku that accompanied the picture expressed the complexity of modern café accoutrements:

How did the bark of
trees end up in can we
sprinkle on milk foam?


This book will be comfortable on both a coffee table or a bookshelf in a café.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I take my haiku with cream and sugar there big fellow...., August 3, 2004

By	SEPhoto "eyeworks" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This tiny tome is as espresso for the awakening mind, still groggy from the night's adventures. Those of us living in foggy San Francisco know the extreme importance of a very good cup of freshly ground haiku first thing in the morning to jumpstart the day. The creators of Cafe Haiku have brewed up this literally and visually entertaining book to reward those who sip from it -whether slowly, savoring each haiku/image blend, or tossed down & dash for the door - with calming simple pleasure, much as a perfect cuppa joe from the corner caffe.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Madness, January 8, 2010

By	J. Ruiz "Inigo" (Cupertino, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nice visuals accompanied by inebriation-inspired haiku. What more does one need to kick off any business meeting, family reunion or friendly party.

Enjoy