Publication Date: February 15, 2015
The internationally bestselling author of the beloved Morisaki Bookshop series welcomes us back to the Torunka Café, down a narrow side street in the Tokyo neighborhood of Yakata, run by its stern-seeming owner, Tachibana, and his teenage daughter Shizuku.
Stopping in for a cup of coffee or a sweet treat at the Torunka Café, locals and tourists from all stages and walks of life experience interactions and small miracles that unexpectedly offer joy and connection.
A little old lady named Chiyoko Obāchan sits alone in a corner with her balls of yarn and knitting needles. One day, hearing a Chopin melody playing in the café she is reminded of the days of her lost youth, when she fell in love for the first time.
Shizuku’s childhood friend Kōta is fiercely protective and believes he’s responsible for keep her safe. But as he confronts the limits of his own strength, he finds help in a surprising place when a film crew arrives at the café’s door.
Ayako, a quotation-loving illustrator, is at a crossroads, feeling burned out by her career yet not knowing what direction to take next. Then, a chance encounter with an old friend changes everything.
Charming and delightfully heartwarming, More Days at the Torunka Café is a delicious and satisfying slice of life in all its flavor. Wise and endearing, it reminds us that all our lives are threads in the beautiful and wondrous tapestry of humanity.
Japanese author Satoshi Yagisawa revisits the setting from a previous novel and brings readers back to More Days at the Torunka Café. In the style of cozy Japanese literature, this novel invites readers to slow down and enjoy the details of a story connecting three characters to The Torunka Cafe.
The first character is Chiyoko, who was featured in the previous novel. She is elderly and lonely, but she has spent many years visiting the Torunka daily. She sits quietly, and when she hears a piece of music, it brings her back to a memory of someone she loved. It was a unique relationship, one which the war marred. She wonders how her life could have been different, how love could have been different for her.
Kota mostly comes to the cafe to see the owner’s daughter. On the surface, they joke in a way that high schoolers use to hide their real feelings. But he actually is filled with terrible guilt and stress because he made a promise to a dying friend, and he has trouble finding his place in the present because of it.
Both Chiyoko and Kota will have a sudden change in their lives when a film crew comes to the Torunka Cafe.
Coincidence plays a big part for the third character, Ayako. She is an artist, but she fears she will not find enough creativity to give up her part-time job as a florist. Then she runs into an old friend.
The novel makes readers feel as if they have sat in the back of the cafe, people-watching. Ordinary people living ordinary lives, coming in and out of the cafe as you wonder what is really going on in their hearts and minds.
More Days at the Torunka Café lets readers peek into the lives of three characters as they come in and out of a cozy Japanese cafe.
Satoshi Yagisawa is the internationally bestselling author of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, his debut novel which won the Chiyoda Literature Prize, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, and Days at the Torunka Café. He lives in Japan.
