4⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you've ever lost a loved one and wished you could see them just one last time, this book is for you. If you enjoyed “Before the Coffee Gets Cold,” this is a book you want to read.

“The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen” is set against a sea in Japan in an inconspicuous restaurant. The restaurant kitchen serves “rememberence meals” that allow their customers to see and speak to their loved one a final time, but only while the meal remains hot.

Any questions, regrets, or sentiments that have haunted restaurant patrons can be released at the Chibineko Kitchen.The book is divided into four connected mini-stories, which made it really easy and quick to read.

I enjoyed this novel a lot. I couldn't put it down and was excited to pick it back up each time. It surprised me how relatable all the characters felt and how much empathy the author causes you to feel for them. If you enjoy reflective literary fiction, give this book a chance.

“The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen” releases this Tuesday, February 4. Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Chibineko Kitchen is a small mysterious restaurant located in a seaside town just outside of Tokyo. Open only for breakfast, the kitchen will serve up a kagezen (a remembrance meal) to a heartbroken customer and potentially provide a magical opportunity to find solace and healing.

This is a heartwarming story about love, grief and food (and the memories food can bring). Through interconnecting short stories, it is a reminder that life is fragile. We often don’t realize how the time we have with family and friends may be cut short at any moment. The novella does a great job at portraying the stagnant feel of grief while still being comforting and hopeful. Personally I would have enjoyed it even more if the story was a bit longer and took a deeper dive into the subject material for greater emotional investment. It was a very quick read! I loved the magic of the restaurant, the kindness of the characters, and the cute restaurant cat. It was a fascinating experience to be so sad for the characters but also salivating at the food descriptions. I loved that it included recipes at the end of each segment. Readers who enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Kamogawa Food Detectives will also enjoy this one. Thank you to NetGalley for this heartfelt ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yūta Takahashi - Japanese Literature // A small collection of interconnected stories that share tales of the nourishment in a small seaside café in Chiba prefecture. // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // ARC

🐈Charming, heart-warming, healing stories
🐈So beautifully relatable for anyone that’s exp loss
🐈Portrays the cultural & spiritual comforts that food can provide
🐈Sweet themes of love, friendship, family, & the goodness of people
🐈Can be quite emotional at times while being cathartic & tender
🐈Short & easy to read in a single sitting or day
🐈Excellent translation
🐈Lovely exhibition of Buddhist beliefs of impermanence & the constant changing or evolution of a person’s soul & spirit

Oh man, the first chapter had me bawling! I loved the concept, I loved the execution. This is so good and the length was perfect for what it is! And I loved the recipes at the end of each chapter.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin books for my copy of The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 4, 2025.
I loved this little slice-of-life magical realism story. I’ve come to really appreciate these translated books, and highly recommend for an emotion, yet refreshing read. I love the scenery, the food, the heart.
You will leave this with your heart warmed and your stomach hungry!

Those who are familiar with Japanese literature would know what to expect from The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen, which is filled with short stories that connect to one another.

The Chibineko Kitchen is a small restaurant that offers remembrance meals, or kagezen, which is a meal that is offered for the deceased. In this book, the restaurant has some sort of magic which actually allows the customer to reunite with the deceased who they are offering the meal for, and have one last conversation. As a bonus, the restaurant has a cat!

As someone who loves this genre, I would say this is not my favourite. It is filled with touching, heartfelt stories, but recently there have been so many good books released with similar concepts, such as The Restaurant of Lost Recipes and The Lantern of Lost Memories.

If you're a fan of Japanese literature, I would recommend this book. However, if you are not familiar with it, this should not be the first book you read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

By the sea, there is a restaurant. A restaurant where you can say a final goodbye to a lost loved one, through a remembrance meal.

This style of Japanese fabulism, examining the interconnected nature of food, family, memory, & grief is fast becoming a favorite of mine. The Kamogawa Food Detectives and its sequel were two of my favorite books in the last couple years. And here we get another lovely example of connected short stories all dealing with a unique grief, but griefs that are so relatable and poignant even in their brevity.

And the characters! This little novella did such a remarkable job making the characters feel unique and have depth in such a short time. I would have happily read 600 more pages of this.

There’s also recipes that I cannot wait to dive into. But this also made me want to dig out some old family recipes and cook something my grandmother used to make.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to review this arc.

This story centers on a restaurant in a small, remote seaside town in Chiba Prefecture, called The Chibeneko Kitchen. Customers who eat remembrance meals (kagezen) in honor of deceased loved ones often report seeing their loved ones one last time, for a final farewell and closure. Kotoko Niki first visits the restaurant after her brother's death, and is able to come to terms with her loss. There are several more, slightly connected stories of other customers to the restaurant that follow this.

This was a gentle read, emotional and bittersweet, but also therapeutic and healing. The chapters are intertwined and include recipes at the end of each. The writing is simple and the book is short, making it a perfect palate cleanser for someone in the mood for a restorative read. Recommended for fans of The Kamogawa Food Detectives or Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

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

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi is a third person multi-POV Japanese magical realism novel centering grief and those who are left behind. Kotoko has been listless since her brother’s sudden death. When one of her brother’s friends suggests she goes to the Chibineko Kitchen for a remembrance meal, she might finally get a chance to start her life again.

One thing I really liked was how the book goes into the history of parts of Japanese agriculture and farming (specifically peanuts, fat greenling, beef, and eggs) and provides recipes for some of the dishes mentioned. On top of that, we get explanations for why seagulls are called ‘umineko’ or ‘sea cats’ in Japan from two different character’s POVs. While works in translation are under no obligation to explain aspects of the culture they come from, I really appreciated what we got here, especially because I think agriculture doesn’t get enough attention in the modern day despite how important it is to human life.

Besides Kototo, Taiji, a young boy who has just lost his first love, and Kai, the chef and de facto owner of the cafe, are the other two main characters with their own grief stories. The third is an older man who has recently lost his wife and is preparing for his own death. Death of a sibling, death of a friend and a potential partner, death of a parent, and the death of a long-time spouse are all given equal weight and treated with compassion, no matter how long or short the relationship. Of all the stories, Taiji’s was probably the one that hit the most, not only because his friend was so young, but also because he only comes to terms with his own romantic feelings after the one who inspired them is gone.

I would recommend this to fans of Japanese magical realism, readers looking for a short book about grief, and those who prefer novels with more episodic structures

This book is very similar to before the coffee gets cold. I did enjoy that series and thought it was very unique. So this is not a very original idea but the story was cute.

A sweet story about navigating grief set in a restaurant that specializes in remembrance meals (there are recipes!). Kotoko who finds the restaurant and Kai the chef are the links that float through the chapters, each of which is about a different chapter. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. There's nothing especially new here but it's a nice entry into this genre.

This short novel really tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has lost someone close to them. This was an emotional dive into the sadness and the future of those that are left behind. What would you say to the person you lost if you only had one more visit? Great story and would recommend for anyone looking for a heartfelt story.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

This book is much like others in this sub-genre; translated from Japanese, it features interwoven short stories that draw together grieving people, food memories, and closure. There is no surprise to the plot, and that’s fine. It’s a purely formulaic comfort read.

This book focuses on the titular restaurant. They serve normal food, but also remembrance meals that are so profound that some loved ones return to feed on the fragrant steam and partake in a final conversation with a loved one. The stories are sweet without being saccharine.

I wanted to read this to broaden my horizons and found it poetic for that reason. I would recommend for those looking for something different and particularly thought lrovoking.

3.5/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen was a very short and sweet novel that successfully explores themes of death and grieving. It takes place at a seaside restaurant in Chiba, Japan where they serve kagezen, or remembrance meals, that allow dead loved ones to visit until their meals get cold. The main character, Kotoko, visits the restaurant when she is having difficulty coping with the recent loss of her brother and the story follows her through the healing of her grief.

Each chapter features a different kagezen and has a recipe at the end. Yuta Takahashi, the author, does a great job setting the scene for the novel and has created a perfect balance of sad and sweet while dealing with such heavy topics. I haven’t read Before the Coffee Gets Cold (yet!) but the premise sounds similar, however I read this book in one sitting and it was such a joy to read so as far as I am concerned give me more! I do believe this is the first part of a series and I will definitely be reading subsequent books.

The only minor critique I have is that the second chapter, which focuses on a boy named Taiji who is grieving the loss of a friend, seems a little incongruous with the rest of the novel. He meets Kotoko who recommends the Chibineko Kitchen to him and the whole chapter is about his visit there and exploring his grief. Then chapter 3 and the rest of the book focuses on Kotoko’s story again. While I found Taiji’s story a sweet inclusion, it feels like if it wouldn’t be noticeable if it was removed from the novel. It gave me the impression that it would be more of an episodic novel with call backs to other characters in each chapter rather than a more serialized approach (similar to What You Are Looking For Is In The Library). I would have liked to have seen maybe 3-4 more chapters featuring other character’s experiences with kagezen at the Chibineko Kitchen and how their stories weave together under the overarching narrative of Kotoko.

Overall I would recommend this book, it was a good time. And I have to mention that the cover art is adorable!

3.75 stars 🩷
What a short, sweet, and cozy novel! While the premise of the novel is similar to "Before the Coffee Gets Cold", I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this more due to its wonderful use of food and culture interplayed into each chapter. Each character shares a memory with food in remembrance and reverance to their past lover/friend/family. It was an easy read with great pacing and at times I'd admit, there may have been a couple tears that were shed ;^) The only reason why I have rated it 3.75 was because the story was just a tad simple for my taste.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishing house for the ARC~

4.5 These Japanese cozies are fast becoming a new favorite of mine! This book follows a few characters surrounding this restaurant. We follow four separate stories of people having remembrance meals of their loved ones in this small restaurant and their spirits joining them for their meal. This book is so heartwarming and exactly what I need with all the craziness of life. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this author in the future.

Originally published in Japanese in 2020, The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen offers a solemn and serene look at the lives of individuals who are left with the question, "What if you could talk to someone who was dead, one last time?"

In the vein of other popular, recently translated novels, this book in not a continual story in a classic sense. Instead it is a collection of short stories that intertwine through several people's lives with the commonality that they are served food from a particular cafe. This cafe is special, as they serve "remembrance meals", which allow the spirit of someone to return to share the meal from beyond the grave. The stories in the book are touching, tragic, and distinctly human in nature. I think it would be difficult to find someone who does not connect with at least one of the stories. And since this is only the first in a series of books and related stories, I expect even more to come from this world.

While I was immediately drawn to the nature of this book, and consumed it rapidly, I found that I was not as deeply drawn to the writing style of the book. I don't know if this is a remnant of translation (as a translator can make a world of difference) or if this is indicative of the author's writing style. I found myself struggling to emotionally connect with the story at certain points and was longing to be drawn emotionally in. I would use the word distant to describe the writing style, though in all this does add to and parallel the presentation of the cafe itself. I wonder if this tone shifts in future books as the mindset of the cafe owner also develops?

If you are a lover of cozy, meditative fantasy novels, I do recommend this one. It is a quick read and I look forward to the rest of the series.

*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is a cozy, magical realism story about a cafe in a seaside town of Japan, serving remembrance meals that allow the customer to speak one last time with a loved one who has passed. This short novel is broken into four interconnected stories, with two characters present throughout each of stories.

My main problem with this, and I'm uncertain if this is a fault of the original writing, or the translation, but the writing in this felt repetitive in many places. The author does something to demonstrate how a character is feeling, in example, X frowned, and then follows up with a sentence explaining what that meant, X was sad, many times. This writing makes me feel like the author underestimates the readers intelligence to understand basic emotions, and gave the writing a more juvenile feeling.

Fans of cozy Japanese fiction such Before the Coffee Gets Cold or The Cat Who Saved Books.

"Your table awaits at the Chibineko Kitchen, where a soul-nourishing meal in the company of the resident kitten will transport you back in time to reunite with departed loved ones - for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Midnight Library.

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."

But what if the departed loved one you want to reunite with is also a cat?