“Kamusari Tales Told at Night” (神去なあなあ夜話), by Shion Miura, translated from Japanese to English by Juliet Winters Carpenter, is the second book in Miura’s “Forest” duology, following “The Easy Life in Kamusari”. It follows the same characters from Kamusari, and is narrated by Yuki, the recent high school graduate, getting adjusted to his new life and job in the forests of Japan. The action takes place a year after the events in the first book, and explores more in depth the relationships between and some of the backstories of certain characters in Kamusari.

Readers who loved “The Easy Life in Kamusari” will most likely love this sequel also. Especially if they loved Yuki’s narration and lighthearted storytelling. Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of Yuki’s narration in the first book, and liked it more for the descriptions of the village life and the forestry job. As the focus wasn’t as much on that in “Kamusari Tales Told at Night”, I wasn’t as invested in the story this time around, even though it was still an enjoyable reading experience. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. This book has been out since 2022, but I am only just catching up on some reviews.

Sadly it was a heavy book, it had some great quotes and some amazing things but most of the time it was boring with just sprinkles of a great quote or a great scene or some character development here and there, but overall it took me so long to read when it shouldn't have, and that's because I was bored most of the time, such a bummer.

Loved the second instalment to the Forest Series!

RTC soon.

Edited : 17/11/2022
(Lowkey I'm in a huge writing slump and finally , she's back with full speed.

Maybe that’s what a god is truly like. Someone who’s not far off in the sky but right in our hearts, always watching. Keeping an eye on our words and deeds, our lies and our truth.


The second instalment to The Forest Series, and one that still gives me that calming and soothing vibes while reading a book. The continuation from the first instalment of the series The Easy Life in Kamusari, brings another perspective which is still intriguing; paired with the author's witty telling, there is a sense of warmth with this series and how Shion Miura portays her characters which makes it such a unique one.

Personal Ratings : 4🌟

Unlike the first book, the second book continues Yuki's story as he ventures out from an teenager to being an adult. I love his growth in the series and I liked how the story is told in specific events in Yuki's lives in Kamusari. Its like reading an old friend's journal who is up to no good ( in a funny way).

If the first book focuses more on the surroundings, Yuki having to adjust his life in Kamusari and learning the ropes of being in the forestry industry, the second book is more on the Cultures, History and the Beliefs of the people in the mountain. Its honestly very interesting to read as we ventures into the stories of myths, and how the mountain came to be, how the Gods of the mountains were somewhat a being that keeps the mountain and the people alive, and how the culture is being retained, even if times are moving forward in the modernization era.

The progression of the second book is slightly slower than the first (hence the ratings), but I honestly still enjoyed it. Shion Miura has a way in her writing, that its obvious that not only she does extensive research and puts loads of care in her work, she had also introduced on various cultures and beliefs in Japan that, even until today, are the rituals that are still being continued. Even if Kamusari is an imaginary place that is based on Mie Prefecture in Japan, it is not far off from reality to the beliefs of the people nowadays. I liked that it brings light to some rituals that is still alive and brings more insight depth of the workings in Japan. Even in Malaysia, we do adhere to some beliefs which makes it an interesting read for this one.

Whilst I enjoyed the first book more, the second book is no less good. It brings us into another perspective of a place that is filled with stories, history and beliefs. Its a story that will still make you smile due to the characters and remains a heartwarming read for me. Loved this!

Also I highly suggest you follow the sequence while reading the book as there are certain informations from the first book needs to be understood before diving into the instalment. Nevertheless, I will recommend this read for everyone to read! Its light and fast-paced and fills with warmth of a found family in an unfamiliar place that still feels like home.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the E-ARC and Times Reads for this gifted copy! I truly appreciate it :)

This book is actually the second installment from the Forest Series with Easy Life In Kamusari being the first book in the two series volume. I had however jumped into this book without reading the first book which nonetheless did not stop me from picking up on the story and enjoying it.

In Easy Life In Kamusari, the story talks about how a young man named Yuki Hirano ended up doing forestry work in a mountainous village called Kamusari. Yuki Hirano,fresh out of high school has been enrolled to join a Forest Training Program by his mother. Being a city kid that he is, he had a hard time in adjusting and getting accustomed to the village life in the beginning, always complaining and making mistakes in his work, with the only compensation for him was an elementary school teacher named Nao who is five or six years older than him!.

So, Kamusari Tales Told At Night picks up on Yuki's stories and experiences right from after 6 months getting into the job and of settling on with his life living in the village, how Yuki picked up and learned the trade and the skills in forestry work while getting to know more intimately about the lives of the people who are close to him in the village like his much senior co-workers and friends from the lumbering company that he was enlisted on, Nakamura Lumber Co. such as his boss, Seiichi,Yoki who kindly let Yuki to stay in his house with his family, Old Man Saburo, Iwao and the others.

Besides that, in the second series, we will also get to see how Yuki progresses in pursuing Nao, the elementary school teacher that he have been having a crush on since from the first series. How he is also maturing and progresses as a man. At least that was what i was hoping to see through this second series,of how Yuki's character developed more not only in his career but also as an individual, as a young adult man who in his early 20's.

However my expectations has been short lived when this series focuses mostly on the happenings in the village particularly on the villagers superstitious beliefs and folktales and the legends. As the book's title suggested,all the tales of the village has been narrated from the perspectives of Yuki himself in a personal travel note and diary which he usually wrote to his imagined readers at night.They were interesting to know though as we get to learn how the village and the mountain existed from the folktales/the legends of Oyamazumi-san (the mountain god) and Nagahiko (the snake god)as narrated by one of my favourite characters in the story, Granny Shige (Yoki's grandmother who also lives with him and Yuki).

And in the subsequent chapters, we will get to learn about the Oyamazumi Festival,how the lumberman and the villagers all came together to hold cultural ceremonies to seek the protection and the blessings from the mountain god who safeguards and watches over the whole village. The part that struck me the most is how much care and respect the lumberman gave towards the trees despite their jobs of felling them down like how Iwao and Old Man Saburo always offer tea or water from their canteens to the trees and stand before the trees quietly with their palms pressed together as a sign of showing respect to a superior.Some of the related lines as a respect to trees/nature and portraying faith or leaving one's fate in god's hands were:
-"Sometimes a tree is so sublime,felling it would be a desecration".
-"On the mountains, we have no one to rely but ourselves. There's always the risk of an accident or a sudden dangerous change in the weather. Under those conditions, i guess revering the god of the mountain or the god of an enormous tree comes naturally"
-"You treat trees with respect they deserve,but when the time comes to cut one down,you do. If something fells off,all you gotta do is step back".
-"This tree has been protecting this slope for generations. Its provided a dwelling place for the god of the mountain and sheltered other trees and animals from storms and snow,saving lives. I'm against cutting it".

If you were expecting to find some more complex plot or character development, this story isn't it as it mostly revolves the lives of the people of Kamusari particularly the lumberman and their families and of the forestry industry,of their superstitious beliefs and folktales and legends. Overall this is a very simple and easy going story of friendship and love. How the people always came together in times of need and in happiness (which also the part that i loved about this story). Nothing complex happened except for when a tragedy struck on a number of the villagers in the past then the story started to climax and became more interesting to me as i am interested to know more on how they picked up from the tragedy and move on with their lives.

All in all, this is still an enjoyable story which i recommend to anyone who loves a simple but heartfelt story of love, family,friendship and of nature (these categories standout to me the most). If you were keen to learn more about the Japanese way of life in the countryside and learn about their culture, legends and folktales, this book is for you.

Thank you AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this beautiful story in an exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely continuation of Kamusari's story. I am always looking for more books in translation to read, and this series is a gem.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

The second in the series was not as interesting and engaging as the first. The story continues in the forest and village. The main character continues to learn from the others and observe their lives. I thought this slow and not insightful of the cultural aspects that were present in the first.

The first book is this lovely series was a story of young Yuki getting told by his mother to get serious about life by getting a job. He begins with the forestry at Kamusari, and meets a caste of unusual people, and falls hard for Nao, an elementary teacher.

In book two, we get more episodes into Yuki's life as he gains more experience working in the forest, and gains a better appreciation for the relationships of the Kamusari townspeople, while he tries really hard to convince Nao to give him a chance and go out with him.

None of the stories have big stakes, but I loved spending time with Yuki and everyone else. The caste is colourful, and the situations are sweet and gently funny. The character dynamics are soothing, and despite learning of a terrible tragedy that occurred to the townspeople twenty years earlier (which brought tears to my eyes), the author showed the strengths of the villagers, and had me greatly appreciating the quiet life in Kamusari.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Amazon Crossing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first one.
I don't think I was that interested in the theme of this book, for me it was just an attempt to make the story of the first book continue when it didn't need to.
I finished this story just because I already liked the characters and wanted to know where this story ended.
But for me these books don't have a plot, you just follow the day to day of our protagonist, so the author could keep writing books forever, but happy that it ended up here.
I do recommend this duology, I think that in the end you learn a lot and are very enchanted by the story!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautifully written story and i love the sort of fantasy, fairy tale-esque the tales in here. I love the pacing and the characters. Such a wondrous read

'I have written down all I know about the place, its legends, and all the things that have happened here. I hope you all love Kamusari a little, too. That would make me glad.'

Book 2 in the series, an unassuming and relaxing book that is as equally enjoyable as the first. While the story of Yuki Hirano develops as the book goes on - he's now into his second year as a forester in the village of Kamusari - each chapter also involves a story or a legend from or about the village and the surrounding area. It's a neat idea, and gives the reader a wider appreciation of the importance of stories handed down over the generations, especially is small isolated communities.

The perfect book just to ease away the troubles and enjoy for what it is. 4 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

An easy read for lovers of Japanese literature. Excellently translated, this is a realistic (though fiction) look at rural Japan. A beautiful and gentle break from the intense and stressful thrillers I've been reading lately. Read this for some feel-good eyebleach.

A light-hearted journal of a young man in a town distant from where he grew up. As he comes to know the town, little by little he learns and appreciate the life and aspects of culture in the small town. A light read that gives off a slice of life vibes.

Enjoyable to read but I had a hard time getting through it because absolutely nothing happened.
I also thought pretty much everything related to romance wasn't done very well, but it had very little to do with the first book, so it didn't bug me as much. In this, because of the smaller part of the story that Yuki's job and "new" life take, there's a lot more space to be filled, and that's almost completely filled with romance. I'm not too fond of Yuki and Nao's relationship as it is, and all of the little things about other characters' relationships kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I only wish I'd gotten to it sooner, but I did want to read the first book before starting this one and then just got delayed and delayed.
It's a testament to the author and the translator that I read both back to back. I was so invested in Yuki's unfolding life I just dove right in after finishing [book:The Easy Life in Kamusari|58755262]

The tale is told with so much spirit and reflection that it just captivated me. I was deeply drawn into the socioeconomic mores of their village, Yuki's burgeoning love life, and (unexpectedly) forestry. I have zero knowledge of forestry in my own country (India) but after these two books I have a lot of curiosity, definitely.

I expected to like this book, but not quite this much. For its life lessons, cadence, character development, the fabulous setting, the quirky secondary characters, and the folklore, I give it all the stars. For the absolutely non-preachy, reverent look at nature and ecology, it should really get even more.

My review is in the Japan Times and was published on Saturday, May 28th 2022. Please follow the link to read it.

It is so rare for me to have several 5 star reads in a row, but with finishing this book, this makes three in a row! WOW!

I loved the first book in this series - I had read "The Great Passage" by this author and never expected to love a book about dictionaries but here we are [that is a book that I still think about, 5 years later], so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it, even though I knew nothing about forestry in general and forestry in Japan specifically [something these book rectified fairly quickly]. I am here to say that I was not disappointed.

This was an excellent read [the translator does a really great job with the author's books] that picks up from where the previous book leaves off [I highly suggest that you read that one first so you know who everyone is and just how Yuki ended up in Kamusari] and is told in stories by Yuki about a specific time frame in his second year in Kamusari. I love the characters and how they have accepted Yuki and continue to teach him all about forestry and about life. There WERE a couple of eye-rolling moments, but then I remembered that Yuki is only 20 and he is one of the youngest people in the village and then it settled back in. You learn about forestry and life in an extremely rural town and the Japanese way of life with festivals and the honoring of their ancestors and gods. It was so interesting and extremely entertaining [there were so many moments where I was laughing out loud at things that happened] and I cannot recommend these book enough. Such a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shion Miura, Juliet Winters Carpenter - Translator, and AmazonCrossing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A light-hearted stream-of-consciousness journal of a young man in a town distant from where he grew up. As he comes to know the town, he learns to appreciate aspects of the culture and history that make the story have a warm hygge quality. The narrator's jovial and teasing voice make this otherwise at times potentially droning account of a fictional character seem more like you're listening to a random stranger you've met out in Yokochō regale you with his experiences as he finds particularly memorable. A light read with slice of life vibes.

I absolutely loved this book. As someone who read the first book in this series, I knew that the second book would give much more beautiful tales of life in Kamusari, and I was not disappointed by any means. The book, I felt, was much less action packed than the first, but I felt like Yuki's story blossomed, along with his life and tales. The book focused much less on his transformation and more on his relationships, and there were also some beautiful and somber parts as well. I would highly recommend this book if you read the first one, and also if you have any interest in ever visiting Japan. A great story!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a follow up to The Easy Life in Kamusari which I also read and enjoyed greatly. Reading about Kamusari is kind of addicting as you get to know the village and its people. I thought some of the writing, or translation, was a bit awkward, but that fits in well with our narrator as he is a very young twenty year old. Can't wait to read more! Such a sweet book and it contrasts nicely with some of the other translated works coming out of Japan at the moment.

First and foremost, I would like to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kamusari Tales Told at Night by Shion Miura is the sequel to The Easy Life in Kamusari. As with the fist book, it has been a delight to delve into the town of Kamusari and further discover details about the town’s own folklore and its charming inhabitants. The novel is able to transport the reader to the Japanese countryside, where nature is the ruler of the townspeople’s daily lives, in one way or another.

In this second book, forestry takes a step to the side to allow the narrator, Yuki, to show more of Kamusari’s deities and its people’s peculiar stories. Each character, from Yoki to Old Man Saburo, help Yuki better understand Kamusari and, at the same time, reflect on his own life. This constant reflections from the fable-like tales that grandma Shige tells Yuki, illustrates how tightly the town of Kamusari and the community are linked together.

In addition, with the unfiltered manner in which Yuki narrates his thoughts, the reader is able to clearly see how he finally has found a place where he belongs and will be able to live happily. Moreover, this happiness is also intertwined with the fact that Yuki has a romantic interest for one of the girls in town, Nao. Although the love story is there as one of Yuki’s drives for staying in Kamusari, it, by no means, overpowers the novel.

Furthermore, the translation of the book has been carried out beautifully. Translating from a language, which many may not have general knowledge about, is sure to be a taxing task. However, the fact that the original words for food, festivities and other related happenings to the Japanese culture were maintained and accompanies by an explanation was, in my humble opinion, the best option. Even though some lines, which might have not been in the original were added, it was the perfect way to further transport the reader to Kamusari.

All in all, Kamusari Tales Told at Night is a light-hearted novel that will transport you to a peaceful town in Japan, where life takes a more laid-back approach. Thus, allowing readers to scape, even if it is only for a few hours, our own life’s hecticness.