Author: Hiromi Kawakami
Translated by: Ted Goossen
Pages: 121 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 2.8/5

I thought this would be another charming Japanese translation read, but it isn’t—though that doesn’t mean I don’t want to continue reading the book. Since I have two hours to spare on my boat ride from Bohol to Cebu, I might as well continue what I started.

This is my first time reading Hiromi Kawakami, so I didn’t know what to …

Author: Hiroko Oyamada
Translated by: David Boyd
Setting: Japan | Rural Japan
Pages: 71 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 2/5

The storytelling feels like I am watching a Japanese movie with a sepia tone, and when it ended, I just said, “ Oh! So that’s it?” But, don’t get me wrong, my emotions were stirred at the last part during the interaction between the old lady and the husband because I can relate to the couple.…

Author: Hisashi Kashiwai
Translated by: Jesse Kirkwood
Setting: Tokyo, Japan
Pages: 149 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 4/5

It took me a while to read the book because I initially thought it was another typical investigative story. While the investigative genre is my cup of tea, I’m currently trying to diversify my reading. You might ask why I didn’t read the plot summary first—well, I accept your criticism and agree with you on that, hahaha. By …

Author: Satoshi Yagisawa
Translated by: Eric Ozawa
Setting: Jimbocho, Tokyo, Japan
Pages: 176 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 5/5

I’m at a loss for words because More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is such a great narrative. Maybe I should just tell anyone to read this to go get their copy of the book and read it. And a note to Satoshi Yagisawa: Thank you for writing this story, sir, and I look forward to more …

Author: Michiko Aoyama
Translated to English by Alison Watts
Geemiz Rating: 4/5

One of the many feel-good Japanese fictions that I have been diving into since I started reading Japanese novels way back in 2016 with the book The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama.

Frankly, I miss reading Japanese historical fiction. Even though they are not as comforting and easy to read as the latest Japanese novels that I am into right …

Book Title: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Author: Satoshi Yagisawa
Rating: 4.8/5

Reading this book feels like watching a feel-good movie, you keep on smiling most of the time.

“Young people today, they don’t read books anymore. They just play computer games. It’s hopeless. And even if they do read books, it’s just manga or these shallow little stories on their cell phones. Even my son, he’s almost thirty and he still just plays video …

Book: The Samurai’s Garden
Author: Gail Tsukiyama
Personal Rating: 4/5

This is the 2nd time I read The Samurai’s Garden. I read this book way back in February 2017.

I’m a sucker for historical fiction and The Samurai’s Garden has a different take on what happen during the 1930s when the Japanese invaded China, especially the Nanking Massacre. The story takes place far away from war yet the consequences of war are still apparent.

“You

Book: Sweet Bean Paste
Author: Durian Sukegawa
Personal Rating: 4/5

A heartwarming story of an old lady, a young man, and a middle school girl who found an unfamiliar friendship at a struggling dorayaki (a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste) store.

“THAT’S WHY I MADE CONFECTIONERY. I MADE SWEET THINGS FOR ALL THOSE WHO LIVED WITH THE SADNESS OF LOSS. AND THAT’S HOW I WAS ABLE TO LIVE OUT MY LIFE.” –

Book: Before Your Memory Fades
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Personal Rating: 4/5

This is the third book of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series by the same author.

The setting is not Cafe Funiculi Funicola, but rather Cafe Donna Donna. It has the same magic as the latter and is owned by the same family but managed by the matriarch Yukari Tokita. Since Yukari is away in Amerika, he’s son Nagare Tokita owner of Funiculi