Book Review: Days at the Torunka Café

A book by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa

As a reader who loved Days at Morisaki Bookshop, this felt like an obvious choice. I didn’t hesitate before picking it up. I went in expecting a cosy, easy read and in many ways, that expectation was met.

The café itself is warm and inviting, the kind of place that immediately gives you that feel-good comfort. The book is structured as a collection of short stories, each with its own theme, its own emotional centre. On the surface, everything about it feels gentle and familiar.

And yet.

While a part of me really wanted to give this a five-star rating, there were moments when I felt oddly frustrated. Moments when I wanted to pause and scream a little, and others where I found myself thinking, wait… what? I fully believe that characters don’t need to be perfect and that flaws are often what make them feel real. But some choices and reactions just didn’t sit right with me.

That disconnect could be cultural. It could also be personal, shaped by how I think about relationships, responsibility, and communication. Either way, there were parts that pulled me out of the story, even as the atmosphere continued to soothe.

So I’m settling on 3.5 stars. I finished the book, which matters. It was mostly cosy, and I suspect that if I hadn’t thought too deeply about certain moments, I might have been kinder in my judgement.

Favourite line:
“In life, reunions are the closest things we get to miracles.”