Dear reader, I have returned with more comforting Japanese reads for you. Every time I write this type of blog post I feel as if I am collecting my favorite throw pillows to sit amongst on my favorite couch. The pillows may be mismatched but all have the same theme, whether it be a print, color, design, etc. And each pillow has a story behind it. I hope to tell those stories well in today’s post.

Days at the Torunka Cafe by Satoshi Yagisawa

Tucked away on a narrow side street in Tokyo is the Torunka Café, a neighborhood nook where the passersby are as likely to be local cats as tourists. Its regulars include Chinatsu Yukimura, a mysterious young woman who always leaves behind a napkin folded into the shape of a ballerina; Hiroyuki Numata, a middle-aged man who’s returned to the neighborhood searching for the happy life he once gave up; and Shizuku, the café owner’s teenage daughter, who is still coming to terms with her sister’s death as she falls in love for the first time.

While Café Torunka serves up a perfect cup of coffee, it provides these sundry souls with nourishment far more lasting. Satoshi Yagisawa brilliantly illuminates the periods in our lives where we feel lost—and how we find our way again.

As with many other Japanese novels I have read, the business in question has its solidified customer base that knows how to find it, and it is always hard to find except by those who need its mysterious healing powers and the camaraderie of its inhabitants. The Torunka Cafe happens to be down a narrow alleyway and there is always a cat to guide you to its door.

This book is as much about the nourishing properties of a well made cup of coffee as it is about the customers finding healing and the ability to forgive both themselves and others. Each chapter is written in the first person from the perspective of a different character. I found this perspective switch hard to follow at first, but quickly got used to it as the book went on.

In a particular conversation one of the characters tells another, “When things don’t go well, you might think ‘damn it’, but sooner or later what happened to you is going to become something that sustains you in the future. And when you start something new, there’ll be hassles too, but it’ll be exciting, won’t it?” This is a theme carried throughout the book with all three of the main characters.

There is also an interesting backstory on the cafe’s name that sent me down a rabbit hole, but I’ll leave you to discover that on your own, dear reader!

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino

“From exactly midnight until daybreak, the Namiya General Store advice box will be reopening for one night only.” When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store’s shutter. This seemingly simple request for advice sets the trio on a journey of discovery as, over the course of a single night, they step into the role of the kindhearted former shopkeeper who devoted his waning years to offering thoughtful counsel to his correspondents. Through the lens of time, they share insight with those seeking guidance, and by morning, none of their lives will ever be the same. By acclaimed author Keigo Higashino, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is a work that has touched the hearts of readers around the world.

Dear readers, I have a confession. I did not do this poor book justice when I read it. You see, I have this toxic reading trait of thinking I can handle reading several books at once, when really it’s just me reading them all piecemeal and getting confused and overwhelmed. Maybe that can be my unofficial new year’s reading resolution? Just reading one book at a time so I can give it the attention it deserves? Sounds like a plan to me!

This book started out strong. I was heavily invested, I was excited, and then the next chapter jumped back in time and focused on a different character and the vibe changed completely. I slogged through that chapter and became bored, so I picked up another library book that was waiting for me. Once I returned to this book I got caught in the web of interrelated characters and I stayed caught in the web until almost the very end. Confusion reigned and it was all my fault! So learn from my mistake, dear reader, and finish this book all in one go if you can, or if you have to spread your reading out over a few weeks or even months, make sure it’s the only book you read.

All of the characters in this book end up not only writing or receiving letters from the Namiya General Store, they are also all connected to a certain other place that becomes clear once you start reading. The letters asking for advice start out silly with questions such as “how do I get an A on a test without studying”? but the owner answers honestly and with all sincerity, leading to more serious letters overtime. The last letter is the hardest of all to answer, but even there the owner answers with aplomb. Even I was shocked at his response when I read it! I certainly wouldn’t have thought of that.

There is an aspect of magical realism in this book where the Namiya General Store is concerned. The ending also loops back and connects to the very beginning in such a satisfying way that I felt a warm burst of joy and completeness in my chest when I read the last words and closed the book. This book really brings to the forefront of our minds how our actions and decisions affect those around us.

I would add too that this book also highlights the importance of letter writing, which has definitely fallen out of popularity with the rise of email and instant messaging. There is something tangible about writing down words. When you receive a handwritten letter you know the sender physically sat down and took time out of their day to think of you and reply to your thoughts. When the delinquents find the Namiya General Store it is stuck in a time period from long ago, one that seems impossibly archaic to them, but even in its dilapidated and outdated state it still has the power to reach them in the 21st century and forever change their lives.

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada

Otaha Higuchi wants to do is work with books. However, the exhausting nature of her work at a chain bookstore, combined with her paltry salary and irritating manager quickly bring reality crashing down around her. She is on the verge of quitting when she receives a message from somebody anonymous, inviting her to apply for a job at ‘”The Night Library.” The hours are from seven o’clock to midnight. The library exclusively stores books by deceased authors, and none of them can be checked out – instead, they’re put on public display to be revered and celebrated by the library’s visitors, making it akin to a book museum.

There, Otoha meets the other staff, a group of likeminded literary misfits, including a legendary chef who prepares incredible meals for the library’s employees at the end of each day. Night after night, she bonds with her colleagues over meals in the café, each of which are inspired by the literature on the shelves.

But as strange occurrences start happening around the library that may bring the threat of its closure, Otaha and her friends fear that the peace they have found there will forever be lost to them. Will their faith in the value of books strong enough to save it? And what will remain if it isn’t?

Dear reader, I went into this book not expecting to end up reading what I did. What exactly I was expecting, I’m not sure. But with that said, I still enjoyed this book, I just felt slightly off-kilter the whole time.

Many a Japanese book I’ve read over the years has stemmed from a character desperately searching for a new job after they quit their old one. Toxic work environments, unrealistic expectations, too much work for too little staff, etc. Something many of us, no matter where we are in the world, can relate to. So when Otaha Higuchi is recruited to work at the Night Library, she is overjoyed! Who wouldn’t want to combine their first love – in her case, books – with work! Otaha soon settles into a routine with the rest of the staff, even taking up residence in the company dorm out back.

Honestly the main premise of this book is something I never thought of. The fact that the books we collect and house in our own personal libraries are a direct reflection upon us as individuals. But it’s true, isn’t it? Not only do these books reflect our personality, interests, and hobbies, but also our growth as we age and mature, depending on when we first started our collection. I know personally I didn’t start reading books by Japanese and Korean authors, as well as the regency romance genre, until a few years ago, and now they both account for almost the entirety of my bookshelf!

In reading the book I found the curation process of how they incorporated an author’s collection into the Night Library fascinating. While it’s true that I work at a library, I’ve never dealt directly with any of our collections in that way. The mystery aspect around who the owner is and who is behind the sabotage was also interesting. This book had vibes similar to a book by another Japanese author that I wrote about in a previous blog, Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida.

Dear reader, in my reading journey from year to year I have come to see these books I write about like finding an unexpected cat in a house window while I’m out walking. You see, as a cat lover, I am constantly on the lookout for cats both without and within. Last week sometime as I was waiting to turn onto a main street while leaving for work I happened to spot an orange and white cat in a window. Thus it is now known as The Cat Window and forevermore it shall be glanced upon while I’m at that same corner, waiting to turn. Because, you never know, dear reader, the cat could be there again, and it would be a shame to miss it, wouldn’t it?

So it is with these books. They are precious, unexpected gifts there but if only we would turn to look, to stop and slow down, to really pay attention, to harness quiet anticipation. As you collect more and more, there shall be more and more Cat Windows to glance upon in your journey, and it shall be all the richer because of them.