Days at the Torunka Café

純喫茶トルンカ #1

by Satoshi Yagisawa, Eric Ozawa (Translator)

From the internationally bestselling author of the Morisaki Bookshop novels comes a charming and poignant story set at a quiet Tokyo café where customers find unexpected connection and experience everyday miracles.

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.

While Café Torunka serves up a perfect cup of coffee, it provides these sundry souls with nourishment far more lasting. Satoshi Yagisawa brilliantly illuminates the periods in our lives where we feel lost—and how we find our way again.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Cozy, Contemporary, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Audiobook

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2013

About the author

八木沢 里志 (Satoshi Yagisawa) was born in Chiba, Japan, in 1977. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, his debut novel, was originally published in 2009 and won the Chiyoda Literature Prize.

千葉県生まれ。日本大学芸術学部を卒業する。2008年、『森崎書店の日々』で東京都千代田区が主催する第3回ちよだ文学賞を受賞し、デビュー。2010年、同作が菊池亜希子主演で映画化される。神田伯剌西爾によく訪れ、コーヒーを嗜む。趣味はギター。

Reviews

[Liong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading the author’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop series. 😍

Now I’ve started the Days at the Torunka Café series.

The book is set in a cozy, quiet Tokyo café called Torunka, which serves as the heart of the story. ☕

It follows three interconnected, character-driven stories about patrons and staff, focusing on their personal struggles with love, memory, and loss.

The appeal lies in its gentle, introspective, and heartwarming tone.

It reminds you to appreciate the small, simple moments in life—like a good cup of coffee or a quiet conversation.

It highlights the importance of community spaces and the quiet strength found in listening and being present for others.

The stories show that while you can’t change the past, you can still find peace and understanding to move forward.

I especially loved this quote: “In life, reunions are the closest thing we get to miracles.” 🤩

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulling off an earnest and sentimental story without feeling cliche or cheesy can be difficult, but Satoshi Yagisawa continues to do so (with the excellent assistance of translator Eric Ozawa) in his cozy novels set in Japan. This time, rather than the Morisaki Bookshop, we follow the lives of characters connected to a coffee shop tucked away in the Yanaka district of Tokyo.

This novel is made of up of 3 parts - each telling the story of a different character who works or frequents the titular Torunka Cafe. We have Chinatsu, a young woman coming to Tokyo seeking a reunion with someone from her past; Hiro, an older man living with some regrets from a former love gone sour; and Shizuku, the cafe owner's daughter who, at 17, is finding a sense of self and still mourning the loss of her older sister six years before.

While the stories overlap in setting and with some characters, each tale stands on its own in a way that creates a beautiful tapestry highlighting the need for community, which they all find in some way at the cafe.

I loved spending my time with these characters, and if Yagisawa continues to write in this world, I'd gladly pick up whatever he puts out next. He has an ability to craft simple, but profound stories that remind the reader of the beauty of something as simple as a well made cup of coffee.

[Thanks to the publisher for an early review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

[Cozy Puppy Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed reading Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, this one fell flat for me. The pacing was very slow, and the content was incredibly heavy, with a lot of themes featuring death, suicide, grief, and depression. I thought this was going to be a cozy, charming read, but it was anything but. Not sure if something got lost in translation, but it was boring and disjointed. I barely finished it.

[KellyJ1028 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Days at the Torunka Café felt like stepping into a warm, sunny corner of Tokyo where time slows down and emotions are gently stirred . Yagisawa has a gift for crafting spaces that feel like sanctuaries, and the Torunka Café is no exception. It’s not just a setting—it’s a character, quietly observing the lives that pass through its doors. What struck me was the quiet strength of the characters. While each one is dealing with loss, regret, longing or searching for a meaning the author offers small moments of connection.
The pacing slow, but for me it was a reminder that healing often happens in the in between spaces of life. This book has the most warm & comforting feel. It isn’t a story that shouts, rather it listens and sometimes that is all we need as human beings.

[Sadie E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for this FOREVER from the library and… yikes. What an absolute waste of my hold queue. Yes, the cover is adorable 😍 instant cosy café expectations. Unfortunately, that was the highlight.

I went in expecting the literary equivalent of Midnight Diner and instead got slow, awkward emotional wandering with zero payoff. Weird? Yes. Profound? Babe, no.

I nearly DNFed at the first story. I was bored out of my mind. Like staring-at-the-wall bored. It’s painfully slow out of the gate and leans hard on vibes over substance, which had me wondering why I didn’t just go make real coffee. At least coffee delivers something.

This book wants SO badly to be soft and meaningful, but most of the time it just feels awkward and emotionally hollow. The writing is pretty in places, sure, but so many scenes exist purely to be atmospheric with absolutely no payoff. I love vibes. I live for vibes. But even the vibes here are mid.

Everyone shows up carrying emotional baggage (love some baggage!), but somehow they’re all still flat. They’ll be going through supposedly huge emotional moments and reacting like they missed their bus but it’s okay because another one’s coming in 3 minutes.

And I’m sorry but WHY does Shuichi even give Chinatsu the time of day?? If someone came into my work (okay I work from home so it would already be weird af if someone just waltzed in) and told me we were lovers in the 18th century, I would RUN. Straight up Naruto running down the street. Wouldn’t see me for dust. Then once I was safely several postcodes away, I’d call the police. Please exit my living room 😭 That whole storyline had me staring at the page like ??????

Also: I cannot stand Shizuku. So nosy. Please mind your business. Not every sad loser needs an intervention.

Yes, there are a few sweet moments. Yes, there’s technically a message about connection and healing. But it leans so hard into kindness and emotional openness that it stops feeling comforting and starts feeling fake. Everyone is magically patient and magically emotionally fluent, and the customers are way too eager to trauma dump in public. These people need to rediscover shame. Imagine turning up at Starbucks and immediately having a mental breakdown with strangers. Absolutely not.

I didn’t connect with this at all. It dragged. It bored me. It never earned its emotional beats. By the end I wasn’t moved, I was just relieved it was over.

If you’re here purely for cosy café aesthetics, maybe you’ll get something out of it. If you’re expecting depth or memorable characters, lower your expectations into the basement.

1.5 stars, generously awarded for the cute cover and occasional pretty sentence.

[Aishwarya (Mindscape in Words) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 STARS

Days at the Torunka Café consists of three short stories revolving around the Torunka Café showcasing the tenderness in relationships above anything else. Located at the end of a tiny alley, this cozy café is run by Isao Tachibana alongside his daughter Shizuku and a part-timer worker Shuichi.

In the first story, Shuichi meets a mystery woman Chinatsu who comes into the café. We see the theme of self-identity. It’s about how pain from old incidents can still cause people to judge their self-worth, how it can feel like you’re a burden and incapable of love. It was about opening our hearts to new people, new possibilities and most of all change.

In the second story, a middle-aged man Hiroyuki Numata meets Ayako, the daughter of a woman he dated 30 years ago. We see the theme of regrets. While a little long, it had a tender bitter-sweetness to it. It was about trying to find a piece of the past long-gone which made you happy and how that can be at times a glimmer of hope, but at other times just a last chance to be reminded of the person and time that brought a lot of happiness.

In the third story, Shizuku meets Ojino, her dead sister’s ex-boyfriend. We see the theme of grief. After six years of her sister’s passing, we see how she is still coping with a life without her. It showed how grief can make you do things you wouldn’t usually do. It’s about how grief forces you to do desperate acts just so you can feel somewhat closer to the person you’ve lost.

All the interconnected stories had heavy themes of death, grief, regrets, self-identity which revolved around finding and staying in those memories of happiness. While the connections to those long-forgotten memories brought the characters a lot of solace, they also painfully reminded them that it was in the past. So, we see them cling to those memories in self-destructive patterns, but at the end of it, they move on with the help of the community built around the Torunka café.

While all of this sounds charming and healing set in an aesthetic setting, this book did not work for me. It was a mix of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Lantern of Lost Memories, both books which I loved. Firstly, the theme flowed well across the three stories, almost too rigidly. What I love most about healing fiction is the absence of social commentary, which is not seen, but felt. This book had it all spelled out, leaving very little to imagination and personal interpretations.

Secondly, the interwoven relationships between the characters. Now this is where I like it spelled out. Two kids who treated each other as brother-sister grow up to fall in love. Two people with a 25ish age gap going on walks, eating together and hanging out. What is their relationship? Simply platonic friends or she was the daughter he never had or something unbecoming? A girl falling in love with her dead sister’s ex-boyfriend? Nope. I would have liked it to be entirely platonic or a mix of love story and friendships, but the nonchalance of their relationships left me guessing and had my focus diverted from the real focus on emotions. The dialogues as much as the affection between characters felt devoid of emotion, which was another major upset. If you read a lot of healing fiction books, you expect a standard from them, which I thought was very low in this one. I have rated Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa at 2/5 stars!

Full Review: Mindscape in Words

[Mizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ | This was a little disappointing.

I’ve read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by the same author, and I enjoyed both. So, I was pretty excited going into this book—but it kind of went downhill with each chapter/story!

This book was divided into three chapters—all set in the Torunka Café. Each chapter is narrated by a different character from the book, and I like this type of narration. Basically, every Japanese book I’ve read so far is written this way!

When I read the first story, it was about Shuichi and Chinatsu—and I loved it. It was my favorite. It was amazing. I loved it so much. It made me emotional, and I wanted to cry, but I was at a park, so I held it in as much as I could! It’s definitely my favorite. If I were to rate this story alone, I’d give it 4.5 stars.

The second story was about a middle-aged man named Hiro. I didn’t like this one as much in the beginning, but toward the middle and the end, it really grew on me—and by the end, I loved it. It also made me a bit emotional. I really liked it by the end; it was so good. Buy itself, I would probably give it 3.75 to 4 stars.

The third and final story was about Shizuko, the daughter of the café’s owner, and this one completely ruined the whole book for me. I didn’t like it at all, and I didn’t like Shizuko either. She was so annoying, and the choices she made were just infuriating. If I were to give this story a rating on its own, it would be two stars—maybe even one!

If you noticed, I didn’t go into too much detail explaining each chapter, because I feel it would be a spoiler, so that’s all you’re gonna get. The only thing I’ll say is that I wish the last story didn’t exist in the book—because it literally ruined the whole thing for me!

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cozy read! I enjoyed this so much!

[Repellent Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escondida en un callejón, la cafetería Torunka se encuentra congelada en el tiempo. En su interior lucen los mismos muebles y de sus paredes cuelgan los mismos objetos desde hace décadas. Esta entrañable cafetería sirve de refugio a todas las personas que pasan sus días en ella. Los clientes encuentran una atmósfera agradable y relajada, un lugar donde parar, reflexionar sobre sus problemas y descubrir su camino. Por allí pasarán la enigmática y tímida Chinatsu, la amigable Ayako, que trabaja en una floristería, o Hiro, un hombre que pasa de los cincuenta años deprimido por una vida llena de errores. Tachibana, el propietario del local, elabora el café con mimo, mientras su hija adolescente, Shizuku, y Shuichi, un joven universitario, atienden a los clientes. En el café Torunka se acoge a todo el mundo, rebosa felicidad, y todo parece estar en el lugar que debe.

"Mis días en el café Torunka" no solo me parece la mejor obra de Satoshi Yagisawa hasta la fecha, sino que se ha convertido en una de mis historias favoritas dentro de esta oleada inmensa e inagotable de literatura cozy japonesa. Y creo que esto ocurre porque el autor es capaz de trasladar esa sensación agradable a través de una ambientación que casi puede degustarse leyendo sus páginas. El olor del café se hace protagonista de la historia, acompañando a sus personajes y al lector por esta pequeña cafetería donde las emociones parecen aflorar de manera natural. Las personas que por allí pasa logran abrirse y poner nombre a sus emociones. No he parado de imaginarme esas callejuelas estrechas y llenas de encanto que desembocan en ese refugio para todo el que se siente perdido y necesita compañía o un momento de reposo para coger fuerzas. Me he visualizado sentado en esa cafetería observando como interactuaban estas personas.

Aunque la historia está estructurada en tres partes, cambiando la persona que narra en cada una de ella, lejos de parecer una colección de relatos que simplemente se desarrollan en el mismo lugar, se siente más como una novela. El cambio de perspectiva favorece el conocer a los personajes desde diferentes lugares, creando un croquis completo de quien es cada uno, de dónde viene y hacia dónde acaba yendo. Siempre valoro un buen cambio de perspectiva, sobre todo cuando suma a la historia, como creo que es el caso.

Además, lejos de resultar superficial o acelerado como siento algunas otras obras dentro del género, Mis días en el café Torunka, habla de temas más complejos y, a pesar de no ser una obra extensa, da la sensación de que son analizados con mayor profundidad. Para mí, destacan la soledad, la muerte, el duelo, la pérdida, la inseguridad, el amor o la ambición. Me gusta especialmente la historia de Shizuku y como esta afronta la vida mientras se encuentra sumida en un largo duelo. Algunas de las problemáticas sobre las que se reflexiona en relación con ella me han parecido tan interesantes que me hubiera gustado poder seguir su vida un poco más.

Por supuesto, no le falta su parte tierna, entrañable e, incluso, utópica, donde las personas se toman el lujo de dedicarse los unos a los otros, ayudándose mutuamente a salir de su bloqueo, a escapar de su desdicha. Si por algo disfruto de la cozy asiática es porque logra suavizar un poco esa poca fe que tengo de normal en la humanidad, dejándome una sensación agradable en el pecho, la (casi) certeza de que otro camino es posible, de que existen otras formas de relacionarnos, donde hay personas, que por el simple hecho de existir pueden salvar a otras. Un mensaje precioso.

Los autores japoneses son únicos a la hora de plasmar estas emociones, el propio Yagisawa ya lo hizo bien con "Mis días en la librería Morisaki", pero es en el café Torunka, con una taza caliente entre las manos, donde ha conseguido traspasar las páginas y no quedarse solo en el cliché, logrando que se respire verdad. Es difícil que ente tanta obra parecida, una destaque y, sin lugar a dudas, esta lo hace. Existe una segunda entrega, ya que esta primera deja algunas cositas abiertas, y no veo el momento de tenerla entre mis manos.

[⋆.˚ Ariana ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love reading comfy books like “Days at the Torunka Café.” Taking a break from your own life and reading about those fictional characters who may or may not share a similar experience with you is something that all we need sometimes.

The book is like 200 pages long, and I honestly thought that I’d finish it quickly, but I’m glad that I didn’t rush it. Every time I picked it up, it felt like taking a break from…well, everything.

”Let’s keep going with zero accidents.”

After meeting Chinatsu, Shūichi changed so much. He became more mature even though he only met her a few months ago and would only see her once a week. It showed how much a person can mean to you in such a short time, and have a huge impact in your life for the better. But it’s also the truth that Shūichi decided to become better for her.

”In life, reunions are the closest thing we get to miracles.”

Then we met Ayako and Hiro.
Hiro was a man who had practically given up on life, but after meeting his ex-girlfriend’s daughter, Ayako, he slowly began to realize that life isn’t that bad after all. And Ayako, a girl who made a sense of the world around her by quoting one writer after the other to cope with the loss of her mother.
Ayako was the redemption Hiro was seeking, and Hiro became the father figure Ayako needed.

”I’m sure there’s a lot on your mind. But you don’t need to rush things. Working on yourself takes an incredible amount of time.”

And lastly, the story of Shizuku, Ogino, and Kōta.
Even after so many years, Shizuku was still mourning the death of her sister whom she adored dearly. Then she met her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Ogino on a random day. She started falling for him quickly, a) because Ogino was the last thing that made her feel closer to her sister and b) because he’d listen and understand her the way she wanted. Her short story with him reminded me of the Cdrama called “Hidden Love.” Shizuku started losing a sight of herself soon after, but because of Kōta, her childhood best friend, she was able to snap out of it.

I’d say that all the characters in the book were mature and self-aware in some way, so reading about them wasn’t frustrating at all. There were times that I could relate to all of them, so that kept me interested too.

[Gerard Pèrez Fontova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro de reyes que me ha hecho viajar y disfrutar con unas historias sencillas pero muy tiernas. Un buen inicio de año.

[Mai H.]

Japanuary TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial

[Seawitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quiet story about loss, simple pleasures, and community and friendship, told very simply and methodically. It’s wrapped in the aromatic culture of coffee and mostly set in one cozy cafe in the hidden alleys of Tokyo.

One part of the story felt a bit less complete to me but perhaps that’s just my need for a more concrete approach.

This book will be embraced by the current popularity of Japan, by coffee lovers, by those seeking the simple connections of daily life.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Alex Pler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yanaka es mi barrio favorito de Tokio. Así que sabía que una novela ambientada en esa zona me iba a gustar sí o sí. Describe muy bien el ambiente del barrio, que conserva el encanto del antiguo Tokio, con pequeñas tiendas y cafeterías, vecinos que pasean o van en bici, templos en cada esquina y un cementerio que es también un gran parque. Conocer las vidas de sus habitantes me ha emocionado hasta las lágrimas en varios momentos del libro.

[ritα ۶ৎ]

~ dnf at 20% ~
I promised myself I wouldn’t force myself to read books just to read them, I want to actually enjoy them and unfortunately this wasn’t it.
I was very excited to read this since I LOVED Days At The Morisaki Bookstore. Unfortunately this book gives a completely different vibe, which is totally okay but it’s just not to my liking.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bonnier Books UK for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Yagisawa's Morisaki duet so I was really excited to see more works of his being translated. I was even more excited to receive the ARC and, upon reading, to realise it was once again set in a familiar backdrop; Yanaka Ginza. On a more personal level, it is always a special experience to read books set in places I have visited myself - albeit the residents of the neighbourhood in this book had more luck encountering cats than I did when I was there.

As for the plot itself, it is written in a familiar tone often associated with Japanese fiction; quiet, sometimes thoughtful, pleasure in the small things, nostalgic and, in this case, also a little strange. Days at the Torunka Café, like it's Morisaki counterpart, doesn't dip into magic realism, and yet I want to argue that this one would have been better had it done so. Divided into three overarching stories, all focused on patrons of the Torunka café, they all felt a little less relatable - be it wild stories of past lives or extraordinarily vivid dreams that drove the characters forward. I feel as though these stories had felt a little more tangible had these aspects either been toned down or actually had some truth to them. As it was, it just didn't quite click with me.

Although I didn't love the stories as much as I have done with other similar books, I did appreciate the pacing and atmosphere. The little café sounds like a most charming place and I especially liked the owner - he was clearly passionate about making quality coffee, had an interesting backstory and was a pleasant character. Of the stories, I probably enjoyed the first most and then they kind of felt less interesting as they came.

If you enjoy Japanese fiction, especially along the lines of slice of life or overarching short stories - this might not have been my personal favourite but it is still a lovely little book and worth picking up.

[mana · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5/5

🍰 synopsis: this novel is divided into three parts, each following a different character as they step into the torunka café. in every part, a new main character takes center stage, reflecting on their past, present and future. through their stories, they explore how to cope with grief, love, letting go, as well as how to accept what was never meant for them. along the way, the characters share tender, meaningful life lessons that linger long after their stories end.

🍰 thoughts: i absolutely loved the atmosphere satoshi created. even though the book touches on heavy themes, they are gently wrapped in beautiful, thoughtful lessons about life. some feel disappointed because they compare it to days at the morisaki bookstore, but I don’t think the two can, or should, be compared.
i truly loved this book, and it still stays with me. love, in particular, plays such a powerful role throughout the story. it makes you reflect that love actually goes beyond simplicity; it’s not restricted to certain people, but exists in many forms, much larger than we often realise.

[Bella Azam · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are expecting the same kind of cozy, comforting vibe like Days at Morisaki bookshop, I will say don't put too high hopes on this. This book, with all of honesty, its average at best. Not as memorable and good as the beloved Days at Morisaki bookshop which is my personal favourite book and the entire story fell flat for me from start to beginning.

I knew the author's most popular book get mixed reviews with some really love it and some found it dull but I enjoyed the book a lot. So hoping to get the same kind of reading experience as that led me to feeling underwhelmed by this newest translated stories. While there are moments shared between the characters that felt genuine & interesting, most of the characters are too underdeveloped for me to feel any attachment to them. There are 3 stories in here with the setting in Torunka Cafe, a small cafe tucked in the back alley served good coffee with a charming vibe manned by a father and daughter duo. A cafe where customers came to relax, have a chat, basking in their own time of doing mundane stuff. A lot of the stories focused on the relationship between these characters from first love, blossoming romance, past endeavours and the present day ties, old time connection between an ex lover and the family. Some of the relationships are complex mixed with trauma & hurtful pasts but the new connections formed to resolve and renew their bond.

The book dealt more with some really dark topics like depression, grief, loss, affairs, abandonment and death while tying these people to seek comfort and newfound ways to move forward. As much as I want to like the book, the pacing was slow for me and I find that some of the stories dull.

Thank you to Definitely Books for the review copy

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fast paced for a cosy read!

I appreciate the good translation and the writing. I appreciate how genuine the characters are.

However, I am a bit sceptical about their relationship development as the main characters seem like they did not know what they wanted out of their relationships. Yes, I know we in real like are like this as well but when it comes to romantic relationship, all the significant characters seem to be in a delusional world. It’s okay but it didn’t work for me.

There isn’t much about the bookshop or the coffee vibe as much as the author wanted to instil in between the chapters. However, I appreciate how the author writes about the instability and the insecurities of the characters as per their ages.

A good one sitting read I say!

Perfect for weekends, flights, after work time chill reading.

[Nick]

As I was reading this one, I kept thinking of it as the non-magical, more grounded, and less simplistic cousin of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and its sequels. Very slice of life, like Yagisawa's earlier "Morisaki Bookshop" books, but "Torunka" takes a more short stories approach by having three different main protagonists. There are similar explorations of love and relationships, family, death, and finding meaning and joy in your work. Lots of dialogue heavy scenes between characters, some odd humor here and there, and of course many sentimental moments.

I grabbed a physical copy of this one at the bookstore because I had enjoyed Yagisawa's Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. I'll be keeping my copy for my personal library.

[Marie or June · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[bookmehnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2/2026) 3.5/5🌟 General (Fiction) | 229 pages

“𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙛𝙛. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙠𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝘼𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚.”

At the end of a narrow street, between private homes, there stood a coffee shop, “Torunka Cafe” as it was called often visited by its loyal patrons. Among them, there would be three persons from the cafe, including the cafe owner’s teenage daughter, Shizuku, who would soon learn about the longing that they had felt throughout their lives through their encounters with special visitors to the cafe.

There were a mysterious young woman who thought she was reincarnated, an old man who seemed lost about an old cafe he always visited and an ex-boyfriend who was caught in remorse. These special visitors would somehow help the regular patrons move on with their lives without any guilty conscience.

How would a cup of coffee change everything in these meetings?

Lo and behold. Before you are caught in the feeling that this is somehow a story about a magic cafe like its other predecessors, I am sorry to tell you, that you are wrong. No magic whatsoever was involved in the making.

These are stories about life as he always see it. Normal human beings having normal human feelings. You see, human feelings are wonders. We sometime could hide our sadness behind a smile, we sometime fall sick for holding such guilty conscience, and we easily catch feels, if you understand what I meant? These are everyday stories that we could have encountered in our daily lives.

So, this is a very character-driven story. Therefore, we would not encounter any mysterious or magical plots. It is a story that perhaps would help readers explore the other sides of human feelings and how some people deal with them. Treat it like a slow-burn, if you want, so maybe it is not for everyone’s liking.

I chose the word “longing” because I think each of the characters in the book “long” for something that could be unachievable, due to past regrets. The only way to solve this is to brave up and be frank, and accept whatever the outcomes would be, then maybe we would find peace.

I was particularly intrigued with the anecdote regarding how coffee was called the “Devil’s Drink” and I couldn’t be more amused after reading more about it on the net(please Google them, I promise you would find it interesting! (read: political 🤫). Also, how the cafe owners creatively came out with the name “Torunka” for the cafe, and how the translator made a sealed deal of not revealing the actual cafe that gave inspiration to the story.

Read this if you need a subtle note that it is okay for us to make mistakes along the way in living our lives. Thank you #timesreads for this review copy in exchange with my honest personal opinion.

#justreaddontbawang #bookmehnia #January2026 #2026reads #JanuaryReads #JanuaryTBRs #bookstagrammalaysia #bookstagrammy #malaysiamembaca #bookstagrammer #bookgram #bibliophile #bibliophilemy #bookish #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #goodreads #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookworm #daysatthetorunkacafe #satoshiyagisawa

[Marisa LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the previous books from this author, this is another warm, cozy, lovely book.

There are 3 stories in which there's a mix of friendship, love and grief. My favourite was the second. All the characters are connected and somehow one can get close to them (there's no one to dislike!).

"In this life, reunions are the closest thing we get to miracles".

[Dijana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baš jedna onako prava feelgood knjiga, nemam da dodam ništa više. Nakog godinu dana i 0 pročitanib knjiga, ova je kao topla šolja čaja - ili možda bolje reći dobre kafe.

[Marina Castey · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2'5/5) El que vaig dir: un llibre per no pensar. Trobo que ja ens estem passant eh, podríem començar a parlar d'altres coses que no siguin dies i carrers perduts a Tokio.

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the ARC!

I loved this continuation of the series!
We get three stories about people who either work or visit the cafe. The stories are a mix of friendship, love and grief.

My favorite story was the second one. It was nice to see someone face their mistakes in the past and try to move forward after arguably continually making wrong decisions for themselves. It was cute seeing him become friends with the daughter and finding companionship without any weirdness or attraction being a thing. Sometimes people just need a friend, or a constant in their life to keep them going.

I hope the author continues to publish cozy short stories like this!

[Ganyat · Rating 2 out of 5]

El senyor Yagisawa es pensa que el lector és retrassadet i se li han de donar les coses tant mastegades que només se les ha d'empassar. Que realment el llibre m'ha agradat mínimament, però em sento insultada.

[hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slice-of-life premise told in 3 loosely connected tales, all centered in a small cozy Torunka Café located at a downtown area in Tokyo serving delicious hand-ground coffee that personally brewed by the owner. It was similar to any comfort or healing fiction that I have read previously but with nothing that punchy and go less dramatic than I expected despite its sentimental and heavy emotional theme that revolved around one’s unresolved feelings, of love, loneliness, loss and grief.

The first story really struck me bit underwhelming as I followed the brokenhearted Shūichi, the café’s part-timer upon meeting Chinatsu Yukimura; a customer who claimed to be his lover on their previous lives. I was concern as much as Shūichi and I think the sort of pushy romance on the earliest part making me bit annoyed throughout. Foreseen lovetale but even after knowing all the backstories, it was still did not entice me as much.

It was quite heartwrenched to follow Hiro’s longing and his regrets on the second story; bit draggy on the exploration but loved Ayako as I also lost my dad due to cancer so Ayako’s POV about her mother drowned me a bit into my own flashbacks. I did not fancy Shizuku much since from the beginning but the last story of hers did grasp my interest on its loss and grief observations. Getting a glimpse on the café’s backstory with expected love mess for Shizuku, Ogino and Kōta; was waiting for Shizuku to realise but I digressed with how she decided to resolve on her feelings at the end.

Frankly not on my top to recommend for a cozy, healing or slice-of-life read but if you’re fine with a minimal, easy to predict premise or really fond with a café-centered plot (with catsss!) then I think you might enjoy the read much more than I do 🙌🏻

**thank you Pansing Distribution for the gifted copy!

[Rehnuma]

❛𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿.❜


A cozy evening with a book and a cup of coffee (or tea, for me) is the perfect mood! And what if there’s a place where you can enjoy the best coffee and find peace? Ahh, now that’s the ultimate vibe!
Alright then, let’s dive into a place just like that.
Lesgoooo....


Plot:

In the heart of Tokyo, there’s a quaint little café — perhaps a hidden gem — called ❛Torunka Café❜. It’s a place where people, especially the elderly, often come to sip their coffee and share the stories of their lives.

The café is owned by Isao Tachibana, a man in his forties, who runs it alongside his daughter Shizuku. Shizuku, a cheerful teenage girl who proudly calls herself the ❛poster girl❜ of the café, adds a touch of warmth and charm to the place.
There’s also Shūichi Okuyama, who works part-time at the café — and this is where the story truly begins.

❛𝚆𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝.❜

That was the first thing the girl said to Shūichi — but why?

Chinatsu Yukimura visited Torunka Café for the first time and left quite a strange impression. She spoke of an unbelievable story — a tale of a past life shared with Shūichi. Her words caught Shizuku’s curiosity instantly. But what was the real reason behind that awkward story?

Meanwhile, Shūichi was still struggling with the pain of a recent breakup. How would he handle this unexpected twist with Chinatsu?
She began visiting the café every Sunday, always leaving behind a delicate napkin ballerina. Then, suddenly — she stopped coming.

Now what?
Shizuku misses Chinatsu’s warm presence… but what about Shūichi?

Hiroyuki Numata comes back to this place after thirty years, but it’s not the same anymore. The café that was once called ❛Nomura Coffee❜, run by an old woman in her eighties, is now Torunka Café.

He feels a deep sense of nostalgia mixed with pain. The mistakes he made in his younger days still weigh on his heart. Will he ever see Sanae again?

Ayako, a cheerful woman in her twenties, brings a lively energy to the place. Hiroyuki tries to talk to her, but it only makes him feel sadder — because every time he looks at Ayako, he sees Sanae.
His story is one that will make you feel both sad and angry at the same time.

Shizuku, the self-proclaimed poster girl of Torunka Café, has been feeling different lately. Even though her father owns a café, she actually hates coffee. The last time she drank it was when she was seven — and for the past ten years, she hasn’t touched it.
But why?

She’s caught in a confusing phase of her life. Memories of her older sister keep haunting her, filling her heart with sadness. And soon, she’s about to do something she never thought she would.

After everything, Shizuku decides to drink coffee again — no matter if it tastes like poison or brings back nightmares.

Then there’s Kōta, Shizuku’s bestie — a childish boy, yet surprisingly dependable when it really matters. That’s what makes him not just a good friend, but one with real responsibility.

The regulars at Torunka Café come here, sip their coffee, and somehow end up finding solutions to their life problems — almost like magic.

Does this café hold some hidden power? Or is it the freshly brewed coffee made by Isao that works its magic?
Or maybe… it’s the people themselves?


Review:

Every time I read a book about a café (and in Bangla when there’s a scene about drinking tea), I start craving coffee (tea). That craving can’t be compared to anything!

Satoshi Yagisawa returns with another slice-of-life novel, ❝Days at the Torunka Café❞.

The story is set in a café on a quiet, narrow street in Tokyo. The café often goes unnoticed, but locals say a stray cat leads the way to it.

Satoshi Yagisawa has a remarkable talent for telling gentle, heartfelt stories. In this novel, he continues to give readers a warm, cherished feeling that lingers long after the last page.

The novel is divided into three parts, each telling an individual yet interconnected story about three different people. Each part has its own title:

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 – 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐬
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐰𝐨 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 – 𝐀 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

Of the three, I loved the first part the most. It begins with an incredibly sweet — almost unbelievable — story, but it ends leaving you with a heartwarming feeling. I really fell for the character Chinatsu; she’s simply unforgettable.

Hiro’s story was really touching, though it kinda felt like it didn’t fully finish. I loved Ayako’s quotes — the way she sees life was so refreshing. I won’t lie, there were times I found Hiro a bit frustrating, but that’s life, right? Full of ups and downs. His grief made him easy to relate to, even likeable in the end. Still… it leaves you with a little sense that something’s missing.

The last part of the book kinda disturbed me. Maybe love is just like that — it comes out of nowhere. Shizuku was a teenager, so her behavior was understandable, but I didn’t really like that part. On the other hand, Kōta totally stole the show with his simple gestures. He was childish and funny, but he showed what a true friend really is — someone who supports you, even if you don’t fully get it yourself. The ending of that part felt really satisfying.

Isao, the café owner, was such a genuinely nice person. I seriously found myself craving the coffee he made for his customers! The way he blended it, the aroma, and even how he talked about it — I was completely hooked.

Honestly, I probably drank 3–5 cups of coffee while reading the book. Especially whenever the story talked about coffee, I had to pause, make a cup, and then dive back in. The little background bits about coffee and the ❛Devil’s Drink❜ part were super fun too.

In this crazy, hectic life, we all need a place, a person (or sometimes a few close people), and a cup of coffee (tea for me) where we can find ourselves again — a place to share anything and feel inspired to keep going. Somewhere on a market street in Tokyo, there’s a café where people quietly enjoy their slice of life.

This book actually has a second part, but unfortunately, it’s not available in English yet.


❛𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚛𝚎𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜.❜

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is one of my all-time favorite books. I decided to pick up the second one and was deeply disappointed for all the same reasons that I hated Days at the Torunka Cafe. *This is going to be a harsh review* only because the original DATMB was written so beautifully and is one of my favorite books.

I was so excited for this book to come out. I've had it wishlisted for months, I pre-ordered it from my favorite local bookshop, and even planned my day around reading this book at a little cafe near said bookshop. I had so hoped that the Torunka would give me some sense of peace and belonging, like the Morisaki Bookshop did; so when I had to force myself to finish this book only for the sake of writing an accurate review, it was disheartening to say the least.

If you've ever read "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," then you've already read this book. It's set up the same, having only 3 chapters telling the story of one of the patrons or staff of the cafe. Speaking of similarities, just as in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, there are "coincidentally" many similarities between some plot points, characters, and descriptions of things, such as a young woman who lost her mother, that meets an older man who came to the cafe specifically to meet her because he knew her in the past. "Coincidentally," that young woman is also very quirky and upbeat and "flashes a peace sign' randomly when trying to be cute... not super common. So many things were too similar to ignore. When most of these similarities occur during the first half of the book, the characters even say to drink before the coffee gets cold. (I am well aware that this is a common phrase and isn't unusual in any way; however, the similarities are so glaring.) This is where I started having to force myself to read.

The first two chapters are literally about someone stalking another person from their past and trying to befriend them. In the first chapter, this woman literally moves to a new city to try and find someone that she last saw when she was around 7 years old, and they were 3 or 4. She ends up making up some insane story about how they knew each other in a past life and fought in the French Revolution together?? And the guy is only slightly weirded out when she keeps showing up. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, his character goes from a keep-to-himself kind of guy that's only slightly weirded out to... he's in love with her? To make it worse, she finally confesses that she literally stalked him, lied about the past life stuff, and just wanted to be close to someone that she always thought of AS A YOUNGER BROTHER???? Yeah... so he asks her out after all of this. Are you kidding me?

The second chapter is only better in that it's just boring instead of flat-out insane. This middle-aged man carelessly tossed aside the love of his life for money. He then is unhappy (surprise surprise) and begins to drink so heavily that it caused severe long-term damage to his heart. He hears that the long-lost love that he cast aside had eventually gotten married and had a daughter. Later, the woman died of illness. So obviously, what does he do? Find out who her daughter is and move to the city she lives in so he can stalk her, of course! This chapter is genuinely just painfully boring. I literally read it 2 days ago and can't recall much else that happens. Eventually, the woman looks through old pictures and recognizes the man in one of them, and she just gives him the picture. No reaction, no heartfelt words, she just seemed like she couldn't care less. The daughter is also just a weird character in general (the one who flashes peace signs), she basically just adopts this random middle-aged man who doesn't speak much, isn't super friendly, and HAS BEEN STALKING HER. It's like no character in this book reacts in any sort of normal way to anything that happens.

SPEAKING OF WHICH. Wow, I didn't like the first two chapters, but the last one takes the cake. This teenage girl, whose parents own the cafe, dresses up in her dead sister's clothing and even acts like her in order to get her dead sister's ex-boyfriend to fall in love with her. Yes, you read that right... The teenage girl is still in high school, and the ex-boyfriend is 6 years older than her. Then all of a sudden she randomly confesses her love to him and makes him uncomfortable (thank God). She then goes on to tell him that it was a joke?? I'm just not sure what the message here was. It was just so bad I couldn't get over it. There were so many things mentioned that should have been important that were just completely forgotten about or just left out. Like in the first chapter, we learn that the teenage girl's lifelong best friend, Kota, has always been in love with her. THAT'S WHAT HER CHAPTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT, NOT HER WEARING HER SISTER'S CLOTHES AND TRYING TO BE HER SISTER WHO'S BEEN DEAD FOR 6 YEARS.

Every character in this book is also poorly written. They have zero personality, and what little they do have switches up halfway through stories. For example, the main guy in the first chapter is sort of set up as just a bit grumpy and closed off. Then later, he completely changes into a different character and sounds more like a therapist sitting down with a client than a guy who's around college age talking with someone from his past whom he had completely forgotten about.

Along with many other things that weren't good in this book, like someone standing up and then a paragraph later, them standing up again, the writing is just bad. I have no idea what happened with DATMB because that book has gotten me through some really difficult times in my life. It's one of my favorite books I've ever read. I just don't understand what happened with this one.