The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama
In a park in Tokyo there is a worn, old hippo. It’s a concrete sculpture with upturned eyes and a big smile that was once painted orange but has long since faded to almost brown. Someone has even written “stupid” across its head. But the story goes that if you pat the part of the hippo’s body where you have pain it will heal you.
The five characters who encounter The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park are all seeking different kinds of healing. The teenage student Kanato has resorted to faking his grades to avoid disappointing his mother and believes he is simply too stupid to find any success in school. Young mother, Suwa has lost all the drive and exuberance that made her a star saleswoman before she became a stay-at-home mom, she can’t even stand up to the bully in her mom’s group. Chiharu, a wedding planner, fears she doesn’t have enough empathy to truly give her clients the weddings of their dreams while she pines for a co-worker in love with someone else. Little Yuya is so reluctant to participate in sports at school that he fakes an injury, only to develop very real pain that the doctors can find no cause for. Kazuhiko, a middle-aged magazine editor wants to fix the fraught relationship he has with his mother but can’t seem to find a way to bridge the distance between them.
Where author Michiko Aoyama’s first novel, What You Are Looking for is in the Library, focused on characters who needed to engage more fully with the outside world to find fulfillment, here she turns her attention to addressing the inner struggles of her characters, expounding on the value in self-reflection and acceptance and an understanding of those things about ourselves that we cannot change. Aoyama puts a great emphasis on not living your life by another’s set of standards and as her characters cross paths with each other, getting small glimpses into each other’s lives they begin to see that there is no right path that everyone needs to follow. In slowing down and taking the time to observe the world and the people around them they begin to see their own inherent value even if it doesn’t match what society says success or fulfillment should look like. The key to each character’s healing is in their understanding of what it is they truly need to heal.
Aoyama writes with a wonderful, gentle style that eschews flowery descriptions while still fully conveying the depth of her characters and the world they inhabit. The lessons she imparts; trying your best mattering more than coming in first, recognizing that one person’s idea of fulfillment may not be the same as yours, understanding that love, even if it's not the kind of love you want, is worth holding on to, aren’t new or especially revolutionary but are conveyed with a refreshing clarity and simplicity that makes them resonate with the reader.
This is a quick easy read, a book meant to meditate over and to come back to. This is a perfect starter book for anyone looking to explore healing fiction. While they’re not wrestling with deeply profound tragedies, the character’s everyday struggles will be relatable to anyone who has ever questioned if they’re on the right path or wondered how to get back on it when they’ve lost their way.
Read-alikes:
What Your are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Sara Fiore, Rogers Memorial Library
Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Dinner at the Night Library was written by Hika Harada and translated by Philip Gabriel. This is Harada’s first book translated into English, but she is a well-known author at home who has written more than ten books and won several high-level Japanese literary prizes.
Dinner at the Night Library is narrated by Otoha Higuchi, a woman whose life revolved around books until she got burned out by a difficult bookstore job. She is approached online by someone who offers her a job at the “Night Library” - a special library that acquires and displays the collections of deceased authors and is only open from 7 pm to 12 am. The books cannot be borrowed, but researchers and patrons come to visit the books and feel a close connection to the deceased authors. The librarians all work together to help patrons deal with their personal issues with the deceased authors as well as dealing with the delicate work of receiving new collections. They bond and become like a family while living in the library’s employee dorm and eating together at the library’s book-themed cafe. Each person there has a hidden past, and their life at the library helps them to move on with their lives and problems.
Dinner at the Night Library feels typically Japanese - very slow moving and detail-orientated. It places a lot of emphasis on interpersonal relationships and personal development. The plot itself is slow moving and depends a lot on the reader reading between the lines to figure out what happens. This might be frustrating to a lot of Western readers, as America (a low-context culture) tends to be much more explicit and straight-forward (and honestly, American media tends to be very high-stimulation value), and so is its literature. Japan is a high-context culture (depending on implicit meaning) and it shows in its writing. However, if the reader has patience they will be rewarded by the satisfying end of the book. I think that this genre isn’t for the average reader, but will be rewarding for those who appreciate personal development stories or need something cozy and slow-paced in their lives.
Read-alikes:
What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Carolyn Brooks, The Smithtown Library - Commack Building
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
The Lantern of Lost Memories is, at the same time, a cohesive novel, and a collection of three short stories that seem only loosely connected until the end, when the connection becomes much clearer.
Each story begins with a delivery. The deliveryman, Yama, brings a box to Mr. Hirasaka and they have a cheerful exchange, as they always do. Yama comments on the size of the box, and makes a prediction about Mr. Hirasaka's next visitor based on the size and heft of the box. Each box contains photographs - precisely one photograph for every day of the life of the next to visit Mr. Hirasaka's photo studio.
The photo studio is a waystation between life and the afterlife. The recently deceased must sift through their individual boxes of photos and choose one for each year of their life. The photos will then be placed on a spinning lantern to give them a last chance to relive their favorite memories. Additionally, each person has the opportunity to go back to one day in their life to retake a photograph of a special memory.
Mr. Hirasaka is on hand for every stage of the journey from death to afterlife, but doesn’t know why he’s stuck in the liminal space of the photo studio. Unlike his guests, he has no memories of his life or his death, and only a single photograph of himself to go by. As the last story wraps up, and the threads begin to tie together, we get hints of why this is so, but no clear picture (pun intended) emerges. Perhaps a sequel is in the works in which Mr. Hirasaka will help more people make the transition from life to death and will also learn more about himself.
Overall, a thoughtful and reflective addition to the healing fiction genre.
Read-alikes:
The Ferryman and His Wife by Frode Grytten
Water Moon by Samantha Soto
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura
Mara Zonderman, Westhampton Free Library
We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida is a charming celebration of the healing power of cats. Tucked in a narrow alley in Kyoto sits Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, which can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and need help. This mysterious clinic with its quirky doctor has a unique treatment plan: prescribing a cat as medication. Puzzled patients will take their prescribed cat home and when they “take” it for the prescribed duration they find their lives have improved. The book is broken into five interconnected short stories. While Ishida doesn't shy away from heavy themes like the loneliness of the elderly, the crushing pressure of corporate Japan, and the grief of lost dreams, the feline intervention acts as a catalyst for change. The magic lies in the uplifting endings. It balances the weight of real-world problems with the whimsical, almost magical-realist premise that a cat’s presence can realign a human heart.
This book is recommended for people who like cats. True cat lovers will quickly understand the healing power of cats and may pick up on the catlike personality of the doctor. Readers looking for a quiet read to balance out their stressful lives or after a particular heavy read will enjoy this book.
Read-alikes:
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigmatsu
Nanci Helmle, The Smithtown Library - Commack Building
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
This comforting piece is perfect for those who love a little culinary adventure with an underlying theme of family relationships. The basic concept in this story involves a father and daughter who run a restaurant, cooking memorable dishes for their customers so that they can relive eating a delicious food from their past and help remind them of the special person who had first made it for them.
There are 6 vignettes in this book, each with a character sharing a meaningful moment of a close friend or family member who prepared a delicious food. It is the job of the father to investigate the ingredients of the recipe, traveling to cities and researching in books to find the right flavors. The daughter then cooks whatever is found and in each short encounter, she delivers it perfectly. A few stories from the collection that were most noteworthy involve a family whose deceased son enjoyed a Christmas cake made from France and a supermodel from Chicago whose mother cooked the best fried rice. The chef always puts together two of the same recipe so that the customer could enjoy the dish immediately, and then take the second dish with them to eat at a later time or put by the altar of the deceased family member. Before they leave the restaurant, the owners always tell the patron to pay them whatever they feel is worthy.
Some other interesting components in this book include a touch of magical realism where a cat lives outside the restaurant, greeting customers as they enter, as well as the descriptive language the author uses to address the touch, taste, and smell of different foods put in front of their clients. The relationship between the main characters is touching, especially since the father is a widower and the daughter has lost her mom.
Though the ending fell flat with banter between the restaurant owners and lines from a song to sum up the book, I would recommend this title for someone looking to explore Japanese culture and wanting a more emotional read with vivid descriptions of food from various customs. It poses the question, “Is there a lost recipe you have or a food you’ve tasted that was so delicious you wish you could have it again?”
Read-alikes:
The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro
Recipes for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden
The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin
Liana Coletti, West Islip Public Library
The Amberglow Candy Story by Hiyoko Kurisu
In the growing genre of "healing fiction," Hiyoko Kurisu’s The Amberglow Candy Store stands out as a charming, thoughtful collection. The stories revolve around a mysterious shop on the magical Gloaming Lane that only reveals itself to people at a crossroads. While the shop and its enchanted sweets provide a touch of whimsy, the real heart of the book lies in the internal growth of its characters.
Kurisu focuses on the kind of low-stakes dilemmas that define our everyday lives. Through five interconnected tales, we meet a diverse cast of characters:
- The High Schooler struggling to balance young love with academic pressure.
- The Middle-Aged Man trying to reclaim his confidence in a world that feels like it's passing him by.
- The Young Woman feeling invisible and undervalued within her social circle.
- The Junior High Student who views her life through the lens of constant "bad luck."
- The New Mother navigating the quiet exhaustion and isolation that can strain a marriage.
What I appreciated most was that Kurisu avoids the magical quick fix. The enchanted candy acts as a catalyst, but it doesn't solve anyone's problems overnight. Instead, the magic forces the characters to realize that the actual remedies, such as honesty, empathy, and accountability, have been within their reach all along.
The final chapter, which explores the origin of the shopkeeper, Kogetsu, initially feels like a shift in tone. However, it ultimately serves as a necessary anchor for the book, explaining the "why" behind this sanctuary for lost souls.
My favorite story was “Surrogate Caramels.” It follows a junior high student who blames her failures on a streak of bad luck. She hopes a piece of magic candy will help her win a trumpet solo, only to overhear that her competition is practicing relentlessly. It’s a powerful moment of realization--her problem wasn't a lack of luck, but a lack of effort.
This specific story hits home because it exposes a common human habit of using "bad luck" as a shield against our own shortcomings. It is often much more comfortable to claim the world is against us than to admit we haven't reached our full potential. By the time the magic fades into the background, the reader is left with a grounded message about the necessity of personal responsibility.
If you want a cozy, thoughtful read that reminds you that life’s biggest hurdles usually just need a little human connection to clear, The Amberglow Candy Store is a treat.
Read-alikes:
What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Letters from the Ginza Shihoda Stationary Shop by Kenju Ueda
Valerie Henrichson, Harborfields Public Library
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki. Translated by Jesse Kirkwood. Originally published in Japan as Mangetsu Kohiten no Hoshiyomi
The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a mobile coffee shop that has no fixed location and no fixed hours. The shop "might appear in the middle of a familiar shopping street, by the station at the end of the railway line, or on a quiet riverbank." At this coffee shop, one is served coffees, teas and cakes, along with star chart readings and bits of life wisdom by talking cats. "We usually serve coffee to people who've been through all the highs and lows of life."
This charming story takes place in Kyoto, Japan. Each of the chapters introduces us to one of five people who knew each other in childhood and whose lives now crisscross once again. Each of them (a screenwriter, a hairdresser, an actor, an IT-company founder, and a TV director) are feeling down-on-their-luck but a past kindness towards a cat that one day is repaid and just might be the reversals they all need.
Have you been feeling a bit lost lately or down on your luck? Maybe the coffee shop will appear to you.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy contemporary fantasies that are fun to read and have a satisfying ending. It would be a great selection for a book discussion read.
Read-alikes:
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Sue Ketcham, Retired
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
When Rintaro was a boy, his parents divorced, his mother died, and he was left with his grandfather to raise him. His grandfather owns and runs a used bookshop in Japan, in the old part of town, Natsuki Books. Rintaro who loves books, reading, and his grandfather, is now in high school, and his grandfather has just died, leaving him to live with an aunt to which he had never been close. He retreats into himself and stops going to school. Suddenly, a talking tabby cat, Tiger, turns up at the shop and asks Rintaro to help him save books. The first mission through a labyrinth at the back of the bookshop concerns a man who said he loved books but locked them away on bookshelves. Rintaro helps convince the man to free the books. When Rintaro thinks he has completed his promise to Tiger, he finds out, one by one, that there are a total of four dangerous missions with which he must help the cat. Throughout the story you meet a popular male school friend of Rintaro along with a feisty female class president who tries to help him and coax him back to school.
This coming-of-age story has fantastical elements, shows the power of books and reading, emphasizes the importance of education, and highlights the dark side of consumerism and a fast-paced life, while also stressing the need for family, friendship, and empathy for others. The characters are engaging; the story is well paced and creative. Those who like magical realism or fantasy should find it entertaining and satisfying.
The author, Sosuke Natsukawa, is a physician in Nagano, Japan. His debut novel Kamisama no Karute (God ‘s Medical Records) has won several prizes. His next two books were The Cat Who Saved Books and the Cat Who Saved the Library.
Read-alikes:
What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip Public Library
The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu
Born in 1963, Kiyoshi Shigematsu is an award winning and best-selling Japanese author of numerous novels and editorial works. The Blanket Cats was published in 2008, and released in English in 2024. It has been published in 16 languages and has sold over 150,000 copies in Japan alone, where a limited “US Edition”, with the US cover, has been recently released.
A Tokyo pet shop, in addition to selling cats, rents certain cats out for 3 days. Each of these cats comes with their own carrier, special food, and particular blanket. The blanket is the anchor for the cats, which also serves to emphasize the otherwise fleeting nature of the relationships between the cats and their temporary owners.
The book has 7 different stories, featuring 7 different cats. The stories, although different, share somber themes: isolation, guilt, loneliness, aging, uncertainty, grief, and the search for meaning. Each of the owners has a different need when renting a cat, but the cats do not effectuate a solution. It is rather the owner’s engagement with their cat, and the realization of “why” they selected the cat, that bring about introspection and a possible resolution.
That is not to say that each story has a resolution. For the most part, their endings are understated and open to reflection and our own interpretation.
The cats themselves are not much discussed. We do not get typical cat stories or typical cat behavior. On occasion there is some magical realism where we are invited into the cat’s point of view. Overall, the cats are symbolic. They are all different breeds, which further serves to emphasize the different needs they fulfill.
This is not a cat cozy book, or a happy book, which one might expect looking at the cute cover. The stories themselves are overall melancholic.
I simultaneously read and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Yuriri Naka. The audiobook requires close attention; for one thing, the details in the book are important. Secondly, the narrator, who has a wonderful, calming, voice, has a British English accent accompanied by her native Japanese accent. She reads without the cadence typical of American narrators, which lends the audiobook a meditative quality. The longer I read it, the more I liked it and became aware that my preconceived idea of the book was not entirely correct. This is not a feel-good book, although positive resolutions do happen.
Read-alikes:
The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
Messenger Cat Cafe by Nagi Shimeno
Karen Sonnessa, Babylon Public Library
The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin
Depressed, single, 30-year-old Jungmin abruptly quits her job as a television writer in Seoul and moves to the quiet of Ilsan to figure out who she is and what she wants to do with her life.
After nearly a year of rarely leaving her apartment, she looks for a café, hoping it will cheer her up. Instead, she finds a pottery studio and is drawn into the inviting interior and smell of the clay. She is made to feel welcome by the two women at their wheels. They brew her a cup of coffee and mention that next time she’ll get a sweeter coffee. Jungmin is surprised to hear the words “next time” and by the time she leaves, the women have talked her into taking pottery lessons at the studio twice a week.
Slowly, as Jungmin painstakingly learns to make cups and bowls, she also learns the arts of forgiveness, vulnerability, and self-acceptance. This new family helps heal her as she starts spending time with them outside the studio and opening up to them. She learns to let go of past hurts and looks toward the future.
In the end, Jungmin finds happiness wherever she turns and realizes she has found purpose in her life, all thanks to the pottery studio.
I think some ideas/meanings are lost in translation and I didn’t really connect with the characters. But that may just be the way the author writes. The best word I can come up with for this book is “quiet.” Which, I think, it’s supposed to be. It’s the kind of book you might want to read twice or at least read slowly with a cup of tea and a cat on your lap.
Readers of this genre are looking for a break from their hectic lives. They’re looking to destress and find comfort.
About the Author: With her quiet, poetic storytelling and deeply human characters, Yeon Somin has emerged as one of the most promising new voices in contemporary Korean literature. Since winning the Korea New Writers Award in 2022 for her debut Lazy Kinko, she has continued to captivate readers around the world with her introspective and healing narratives.
Read-alikes:
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama
Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser
The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon
Lori Ludlow, Babylon Public Library
Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun
Jieun is a woman with magical powers that she has never really learned to control. Born in a village where people know only happiness and peace, she does not learn how to deal with emotions such as sadness, grief, and hate. Then one night she overhears her parents talking about her dual powers – the abilities to empathize and heal and the power to grant wishes. That night she falls asleep and wakes alone. Believing that she is responsible for her parents disappearing she spends many lifetimes trying to figure out how to find them again.
In her current life she is Jieun, creator and owner of the Marigold Mind Laundry. This is no ordinary laundry. Here she serves healing tea, provides her patrons with a plain white tee shirt, and tells them to think of the moments that have caused them pain. Those memories manifest as stains on the shirt. As the stains are removed from the shirt, the stains are also removed from the patron’s heart.
Each chapter brings us another patron with a story of sadness. Some choose to completely remove the stains while others ask that they just fade or be ironed smooth. Jieun befriends the patrons and so creates a community for herself.
The plain, clear language evokes the very feeling of peace that is presented. While big emotions are discussed the true anguish felt by the characters is not as clearly evoked as the feelings of contentment. Perhaps this is a “lost in translation” issue, as American readers are accustomed to portrayals of deep and often dark emotions. Well-paced and easy to read, this book is a good choice for those who are already fans of healing fiction or those who may be interested in experiencing this genre for the first time.
Read-alikes:
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Ayoama
Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Ellen Covino, Sayville Library
