Japanese works in translation are having a real moment in publishing, and I am here for it! The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen will be a hit with fans of When the Coffee Gets Cold or The Kamogawa Food Detectives.

The Chibineko Kitchen is a small seaside restaurant that serves remembrance meals: a special meal to honor a loved one who has passed away. Something magical happens when people eat a remembrance meal at the restaurant. Their loved one appears to them for a few moments and they are able to talk with them and see them for as long as steam rises from their food. Troubled individuals find much needed closure and the courage to move forward with their lives through these encounters..

It’s a lovely book and has that same cozy comforting feel that seems to be a trademark of Japanese magical realism. (Of course, there’s a magical cat in the story.)

I believe this is the first in a series of Japanese best sellers, and Cat Anderson translates so beautifully. I look forward to reading the other books in the series as they come to life in English translation!

3.8 Stars
One Liner: Sad but heartwarming

In a remote seaside town in Uchibo (near Tokyo), there’s a tiny restaurant that serves remembrance meals. The specialty of this place is that a person who lost their loved ones can meet them one last time during the meal.
How does this place help people, including the owner?
The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters.

My Thoughts:
This is another feel-good Japanese fiction with a touch of magic realism. The book has three inter-connecting stories. The recipe for the special dish in each story is provided at the end of the section.
After enjoying Full Moon Coffee Shop, I was eager to read something along the same lines. This is a bit heavier as it deals with death and mourning. However, the vibe is the same – mellow, soothing, reflective, and hopeful.
Though there’s a cat (a kitten), I felt it was more of a prop. Yeah, the kitten was a cutie but doesn’t have an active role as such. It just walks around and meows. Maybe there will be more of the cute kitten in the subsequent books.
All three stories are distinct and deal with characters of different ages (which gives us a wide spectrum of backstories and emotions).
I like how we also get the backstory about the restaurant and sweet Kai. I particularly like how the book ends. It works as a standalone, though I am delighted there will be more books in the series. It would be lovely to see Kai and Kotoko’s characters grow.
The setting is atmospheric and adds to the impact. We also get some information about the region, the past and the present, so there's something to learn as well.
To summarize, The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is a bittersweet and heartwarming book about finding solace and moving on after losing a loved one. It shows there’s hope and more to life than grief.
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This was so sweet! If you enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold, you will love this. I especially love the addition of the recipes. It was such a great addition to the story having the food so integrated into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC!

This is a very cute book, with some tender moments. It is not asking anything of you, but to relax and enjoy the journey, as the destination is not that important. There are no real conflicts, or twists and turns. It is a cozy read that has a kitten in it! I read it in the middle of an extremely stressful move, so this was perfect.

The downsides: the characters could have used more development for me to be more involved in the story. The vibes are great, but I would have loved to know more about the characters without being explicitly told what they are, but instead seeing it through their actions.

Also, for such a short book, there is a lot of repetition. Because of the premise of the book, the four stories go through exactly the same beats, with exactly the same reactions from characters. So much so that it becomes a little unbelievable.

If you’ve read “before the coffee gets cold” or “the kamogawa food detectives” and enjoyed those books then you will like this one.
Chibineko Kitchen is about a restaurant that serves remembrance meals. However it’s rumored that when eating the dish, the person you are remembering/honoring will appear for the period the meal is steaming. During that time, the patron can tie up loose ends with the loved one.
Maybe because I’ve read Coffee and Kamogawa, I thought this book was just okay and semi like a copy of the other two. I didn’t find the 4 short stories particularly heart-tugging or deep. I thought the book was sweet and cozy overall, but nothing to tug at the heart strings to make me cry or feel any type of way.
That being said, it was an easy read. I thought the recipes at the end of each story was kind of cool.

This was a solid 3.5 stars, and a cute and cozy read just as expected. I wasn’t ready to get so emotional from the first chapter, but it was only natural given the premise of being able to meet your dead loved ones at the Chibineko Kitchen. I loved learning about Japanese funeral culture, and the recipes at the end of each chapter were a great touch.

My only issue was that the initial reading experience was a bit confusing. The synopsis gives you the impression that we will be following Kotoko as the main character, when in actuality, each chapter focuses on a different character and their grief, with Kotoko and the chef Kai being a significant part of all the chapters.. So I was quite confused starting the second chapter, where we’re suddenly introduced to a new character who has seemingly no connection with Kotoko until a few pages in. I think a more seamless transition or a more accurate synopsis would have improved the reading experience.

Despite that critique, I would definitely recommend this book and plan to reread in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for an ARC of this book!

This short book follows a restaurant that offers remembrance meals (a meal with an extra portion for those who have passed) where individuals say they are able to talk to their dead loved ones while eating. This novella is definitely in the same vein as Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in being a nostalgic/cozy read. I thoroughly enjoy this genre of Japanese literature which follows a place (restaurant, library, cafe etc) and the customers who come and how their lives are changed. It is a sweet palate cleanser, however this one has a bit of an emotional base to it. Since this book only follows ~3 stories, it doesn’t get as repetitive as some of the other books in this genre do. Overall a sweet story which I thoroughly enjoyed and I would recommend it.

Beautifully written book with four substories about characters that have dealt with loss, but their stories intertwine through the connection at the Chibineko, a restaurant by Tokyo Bay that serves remembrance meals to reunite with their love ones that have parted for a moment. Once the meal gets cold, the parted love ones will return to the afterlife.

Ah, if only.

A restaurant where you can enjoy a remembrance meal, and, as long as the steam is still rising from the food, you get one chance to spend time with the person you are honoring. The Chibineko Kitchen - and the sweet kitten that lounges there - grants these wishes to those grieving. The first story centers on Kotoko, a woman whose brother saved her from death at the cost of his own life. There is guilt, there is a life unlived, until the miraculous happens and Kotoko can finally move on with her life.

Kai, the young man who runs the Chibineko Kitchen, has a story of his own, which I loved. The storytelling is full of hope and kindness and I enjoyed the translation.

The age of the Japanese cat novel is here and I'm not mad about it! At less than 200 pages, this book contains four linked stories (plus recipes!) centered around the Chibineko Kitchen, a restaurant rumored to allow diners to hear loved ones’ voices one last time. This month will be one year without my dad; the book might have hit me harder because of that, but it was so lovely and comforting. This book is listed as the first in a series and I’ll absolutely be picking up the next.

"The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen" is a charming, if somewhat sparse, tale from Japanese author Yuta Takahashi. Set in a quaint neighborhood restaurant, the story follows a mischievous kitten's adventures as it explores the world around it and develops unlikely bonds with the restaurant's staff and patrons.

Takahashi's understated prose captures the subtle nuances of Japanese culture and the beauty of everyday life. While the plot is simple and the characters relatively one-dimensional, the book's warmth and whimsy make it a pleasant, if unremarkable, read.

For those accustomed to the sparse style of Japanese literature, "The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen" is an enjoyable and lighthearted tale that offers a glimpse into the world of Japanese storytelling. However, readers seeking more complex narratives and character development may find this book lacking in substance.

This was an incredibly cute book. I loved how well, yet simply the concepts of death, grief, and moving on are executed. I loved how emotional the writing was, and the translation was beautiful.

In a remote seaside town outside of Tokyo, Kotoko makes her way along a seashell path, lured by whispers of an enigmatic restaurant whose kagezen, or traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones, promise a reunion with the departed. When a gust of wind lifts off her hat, she sees running after it a young man who looks like her recently deceased brother. But it’s not her brother; it’s Kai, the restaurant’s young chef, who returns her hat and brings her to the tiny establishment, where he introduces her to Chibi, the resident kitten, and serves her steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice, and miso soup—the exact meal her brother used to cook for her. As she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent, the air grows hazy, and Kotoko begins a magical journey of last chances and new beginnings.

So cute, comforting, and just an adorable read all together. I love love love love stories like this and I am so happy I got to read this early.

3.5 stars

“The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen” was a delightful treat of a novella. At the restaurant by the sea (which has a cat), patrons can request a remembrance meal in honor of someone they’ve lost. The twist: as long as steam still rises from the food, they are able to speak to the loved one they miss the most. This book reads like a cluster of interconnected sort stories, centered abound Kai, the chef at the kitchen, and Kotoko, the first patron we meet. Kotoko is grieving the sudden loss of her brother in a traffic accident and blames herself for his death; when Kai prepares the meal her brother used to cook for her, she is able to speak to him again and get closure for his loss. We met several more patrons: a young schoolboy grieving his first love, an elderly man mourning his departed wife, and more. Throughout the story the kitten is present for the remembrances.
This book was a lovely read and very quick. I appreciated the inclusion of recipes to separate the different stories from one another, it was a really nice touch. A lot of thought about grief and carrying on after loss went into this book, but it didn’t feel sad; rather, this book is about acceptance of loss. Very well written and enjoyable.

I picked this one out because I thought the style may be similar to Until the Coffee Runs Cold. I did enjoy the first book of that series, but then it felt repetitive. This story is basically the same exact thing, but I couldn’t connect with the characters. I didn’t feel the same emotions.

If you haven’t read Until the Coffee Runs Cold, you may enjoy it, but it feels too familiar.

En la cocina de Chibineko preparan Kagezen, una comida conmemorativa que, al probarla, permite escuchar la voz de un ser querido y, en algunos casos, incluso verlo.

La historia se centra en cuatro personas que han perdido a alguien importante en sus vidas y buscan encontrar un cierre:

- Kotoko quiere comunicarse con su hermano Yuito, quien murió muy joven en un accidente del cual ella se siente culpable.
- Taiji desea escuchar a Fumika, su primer amor, quien falleció hace algunos meses, y él nunca supo que estaba gravemente enferma.
- Yoshio, por su parte, quiere realizar una especie de funeral para él mismo, y al mismo tiempo busca algo que le recuerde a su esposa, Setsu. Esta historia me pareció la más triste, aunque no estoy completamente segura de por qué, ya que en realidad tuvieron una vida plena.
- Finalmente, está Kai, el hijo de Nanami, la fundadora de Chibineko, quien falleció recientemente. Kai desea cerrar el negocio, pues no encuentra sentido en seguir con el trabajo de su madre.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While reading the synopsis, I thought this book would be about a romantic relationship in the setting of a restaurant’s kitchen. It may not have been the book I thought it was, but it may be a book that I needed. I do not want to give away any spoilers, so I shall be short and sweet with this emotional tale. It tells of multiple characters that are dealing with the loss of a loved one and how they deal with that unending grief. The various main characters are in different stages of their life and all deal with the circumstances of the death differently. In a tale that connects food with grief, it is worth a read.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is a book about love and loss. It is broken up into four chapters that focus on different people who are grieving a loss. I enjoyed seeing how all the characters were connected and loved reading how each one sought solace in a different way. The way food and recipes were incorporated was well done, too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for an advanced copy of this book.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi tells four stories that take place around the concept of kagezen, or remembrance meals that people prepare in memory of loved ones who have passed away. Kotoko travels to the Chibineko kitchen to have a meal with her brother. She is able to redirect her life and forgive herself by having one last conversation with him. The descriptions of the food are mouthwatering, you will want a table at the restaurant if only to enjoy the food! Chibi, the cat, curls up in the restaurant where the magic takes place and adds considerably to the ambience of a cozy place. The other stories take you on a journey through people’s lives and their regrets that lead them to having a meal with their loved ones.

I would recommend this books for all readers, it’s a quick and heartwarming read. The book leaves you feeling better about the world and wanting Japanese food in a quaint kitchen with a cat at your feet. Recipes are included in the text if you want to experience the food featured in the book.

Thank you Penguin Group Viking Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.