Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Tucked away on a narrow side street in Tokyo is the Torunka Café, a neighborhood nook where the passersby are as likely to be local cats as tourists. Its regulars include Chinatsu Yukimura, a mysterious young woman who always leaves behind a napkin folded into the shape of a ballerina; Hiroyuki Yumata, a middle-aged man who’s returned to the neighborhood searching for the happy life he once gave up; and Shizuku, the café owner’s teenage daughter, who is still coming to terms with her sister’s death as she falls in love for the first time.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

November 2025; Harper Perennial; 9780063445864
audio (8h), ebook, print; Japanese Literature

I've read quite a few of these types of Japanese novels. Days at the Torunka Café is different in that it doesn't have a magical realism element. It is still a "slice-of-life" story with a different main character for each section. 

I thought it had more of a focus on romance than others I have read. During part 1, I actually wondered if this was a Japanese romance novel. There are also themes of loss and grief.

Unfortunately, I didn't really care for the book. I struggled to pay attention while listening to it. I think some of it is because I was listening to the audiobook.

I liked that the narrator of the audio, Sadao Udea, had a Japanese accent. I've listened to a few other Japanese-translated books, but I don't remember any of them having a narrator with a Japanese accent. It was a nice touch. However, Udea didn't differentiate between the characters enough, so I was often confused as to who was talking. This was particularly problematic given that each part has a different main character. I was often confused as to who the characters were, and that made it difficult to connect with them. I saw that some of the other audiobooks (translated into other languages) had multiple narrators - that might have been a better choice.

Whenever I'm not loving a book, I look at the reviews to see if I'm missing something. I looked over the reviews at Goodreads, and I see that people either love it or, like me, felt it fell flat.

I think the biggest problem was the audiobook, as I did find parts of the characters' stories to be poignant. This book is part of a series. I might try to read the next book just to see if I feel differently. If you love trying new translated Japanese literature, I recommend reading the book yourself.

Buy Days at the Torunka Café at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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