Diary of a Cat

by Mayumi Nagano, Yui Kajita (Translator)

The perfect cosy read for 2025 - cats and food come together as the seasons change.

Meet Chimaki and Norimaki - two young cats lost in the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, sniffing out cat-lovers who might be kind enough give them a ride or place to sleep for the night . . . Until they find a new home with the Hōrai family, an eccentric assortment of artists, dreamers and caterers who have one thing in their love of good food.

Inspired by the bougie magazine column written by Madam Hōrai, Chimaki decides to keep his own diary, inviting us in to share the family's meals and activities, his younger brother's comical scrapes, and the movements of a mysterious stranger around the house. His journal follows the change of the seasons from early spring to midwinter, with each entry featuring all kinds of delectable dishes and a wealth of Japanese culinary lore.

Playful, gentle and curiously addictive, Diary of a Cat offers intriguing glimpses into Japanese culture on every page, recipes to follow and characters to fall in love with - all through the eyes of an endearingly curious cat.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2012

About the author

Mayumi Nagano [長野 まゆみ (ながの まゆみ) ] is Japanese author. Graduating from Joshibi University Of Art And Design. Therefore, She is also an illustrator that draws covers etc for her own works.

Reviews

[Shona · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 starts rounded up. It’s a shame this book has such low ratings on Goodreads, and I think that’s likely because people look at the front cover and make assumptions about the plot. The blurb is a more accurate representation of the story. This is a really quirky book where the cats are observers of family life. There are lots of insights into Japanese culture and society, with a sprinkling of cat-specific plot. I enjoyed it for what it is: an offbeat look into family life in a culture very different from mine.

[Silke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little bit of a disappointment, wanted more cat stories but it was mostly about food.
Also not really a storyline going on

[Mark Warmby]

A fun read, lots of food references and hints of contemporary Japanese life today. uplifting basically and it helps if you like cats 😊

[Daniella · Rating 2 out of 5]

No plot - just lengthy descriptions of food...

[Tairachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diary of a Cat 🐈

A book that's more about Japanese cooking and culture than cats, this one rides the recent wave of cat-related cosy Japanese books.

Diary of a Cat is a slice-of-life novel that's dedicated to the fine art of Japanese cooking, nutrition, food, the ever-changing culture, traditions, mannerisms and history of Japan. It's all told from the perspective of a boy cat, Chimaki, who after getting separated at the airport from his previous owner, a woman named Mademoiselle Rocco, lives with his brother Norimaki, and the Horais, an eccentric family obsessed with food.

Inspired by Madame Horai's newspaper column, Chimaki keeps a diary with the entries segmented by the changing seasons and seasonal Japanese dishes.

A must-read if you're a Japanese food foodie, or simply obsessed with the finer details of Japanese linguistics and way of life.

[Elentiyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I expected a book about a cat, it didn't seem that the cat was the main focus of the book. I finished it but it became close to a DNF for me. The book is heavily on describing food/meals and how they are prepared which eventually bored me out. It is interesting if you want to learn more about Japanese food and culture but it's definatly not a book that has a title of "Diary of a cat".

Sadly, I expected more cat stories then food in this book, there also is no storyline but I also had no expectations of this book having a plot or storyline because well it's about cats. All this book did for me, was making me hungry. Must say I do adore the cover.

[Martin Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything like A Diary Of A Cat. My initial reaction was one of puzzlement but I'm glad I gave it a chance as I thoroughly enjoyed the read. If like me you have an interest in Japanese culture, cats and cooking you're sure to find this enjoyable.

[Manaksh Bhanushali · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s no plot???? There’s no story???It goes nowhere???
Its just random description of food!!!!!
Literally just food
It really has no story!!!!

[Bookworm Denz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diary of a Cat
Author : Mayumi Nagano
Translator : Yui Kajita

Entertaining and quirky at the same time!

It all started with Chimaki the cat, who after getting separated at the airport from his previous owner Mademoiselle Rocco, a columnist writer, was inspired to keep a diary full of notes about people's characteristics, behavior and ordinary lives. While looking for a warm place to stay and for cat-loving people willing to take them in, he and his sibling Norimaki stumbled upon the Horai (written with the kanji characters for treasure and come) family, a large idiosyncratic bunch who all have a single thing in common : their obsession with good food (although in Kagami's case, he's more of a nutritionist than a foodie. 🤷‍♀️)

This eight-chapter slice-of-life novel has no plot, but is rather full of snippets and vignettes of the two star cat characters, Chimaki and Norimako, and their POV of everyday life. Since it is based on the cats' thoughts, observations and insights, the narrative of the family's mundane life was playfully and amusingly written.

This took a full turn though since the central point is focused on the historical art, culture, and tradition of Japanese cuisine, with each entry embracing cooking traditions, expanding throughout the changing seasons.

As a foodie and cat-lover, reading this did make me "crave" the delectable delicacies throughout the heavy and detailed description of the various dishes mentioned in the book.

On the contrary, it made me think more of a recipe book though with every ingredient written down to the last minutiae detail, which in my opinion, took the spotlight rather than the cats' input itself. Plus, there was just too much information that it became longdragging and didactic. Probably more of a target book for nutritionists and dietitians-to-be. 😅

Moreover, if it wasn't for the family tree on the front page, I would have been lost due to the multiple characters mentioned in the book. 😅

Somehow I was expecting more depth on the feline perspective on human interaction, behavior and the like than an in-depth and exhaustive description of food. 😮‍💨

Beautifully written, appealing and enjoyable, yes, but it lacked that charm that I was expecting and looking for. Could have been better if it was a balance of both worlds. 🤷‍♀️

Special mention for the English translation. It was smooth and easy to read. 👌

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

P.S. If anyone wants to follow my book reviews I am on Instagram & Goodreads (bookwormdenz), as well as Threads (denz.kaye). Let me know so we can connect! 📚

[Bella Azam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diary of a Cat followed a cat named Chimaki as he chronicled his daily life in this new home of a large family with his baby brother, Norimaki. Chimaki as inspired by his master or whom he called his mother, Madam Horai, a columnist writer decided to keep a diary detailing each and everything of his life from the foods, the family members and the daily mundane stuffs happening around them. With each entry following the different seasons, they featured varieties of different delectable dishes described in details for the reader to salvage.

For a starter, this book does not have a plot as it mostly followed the cat's POV on the daily life but even this was not the central focus of the book. This book was heavily descriptive on foods and meals prepared painstakingly described in minutiae details that gets me bored halfway through. Its more like a recipe books for food lovers wanting to learn on Japanese food and culture rather than reading a diary from a cat. Rather than having the charms of a cat navigating its life in this new home with a very large cast member, it mostly focused on the foods as its main story which took back the charm. I found this a tedious read at some point that I honestly just skimmed through the rest of the book and barely missed anything from this. Another thing is since the book has so many characters, it does get confusing and hard to connect to each of them. Since I'm reading an early reader copy, there was no character list but I believe a family tree list is supposed to be in the book which might help to get familiar with the character. As far on the relationships go, there is one particular relationship dynamic that I'm not so onboard with and I dont know if its me or its just doesn't vibe well with me.

As a book itself, its not a particularly bad book but it doesn't work for me because it doesn't exactly fit the narrative of story book for my liking. I wanted the charm of reading from Cat's POV like I am a cat by Natsume Soseki that is charming and hilarious. While Chimaki is an adorable character, its a shame when we are too focused on describing the foods itself rather than giving more spotlights to the cat's antic and how it viewed its human counterparts.

Thank you to Definitely Books for the review copy.

[Periplus Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuk, temani Chimaki dan Norimaki, dua anak kucing yang tersesat di Tokyo … hiks! hingga menemukan rumah hangat bersama keluarga Horai yang begitu doyan makan. Melalui jurnal harian Chimaki, kita diajak menikmati momen-momen sehari-hari keluarga, kekonyolan sang adik, hingga misteri sosok asing yang berkeliling rumah. Setiap halaman memadukan perubahan musim dengan hidangan lezat dan pengetahuan kuliner Jepang yang menarik. Kisah ini memikat dengan kelembutan, humor ringan, dan kehangatan keluarga yang terasa nyata. Bagi pencinta kucing, makanan, dan kisah nan hangat, novel dengan sudut pandang anabul ini menawarkan pengalaman membaca yang tak terlupakan. https://blog.periplus.com/2025/09/15/...

[Hailane Salam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter bought this book, and I only meant to flip through it out of curiosity, yet somehow, I found myself still turning pages an hour later. Diary of a Cat is quiet, tender, and disarmingly simple, but simplicity can be a doorway to depth.

This isn’t a story to rush. It’s one to settle into, like a purring cat circling a cushion before sleep. A cosy read, yes, but also a gentle meditation on belonging, gratitude, and the quiet poetry of ordinary days.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This to me had more of a ‘cosy mystery’ feel than other Japanese authors. The main focus was on cooking with the cat being the narrator. Lovely relaxing reading, however, lacking (I think intentionally) the deeper meaning and understanding I do love from Japanese authors.

[Spike · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet, innocuous and calming. the cats are sweet, but the story went no where. however, i suspect that was the point

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very wholesome with a surprise background gay relationship that was fun also included some recipes that seemed like good soul food.

[KLCreative · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing if you want descriptions of food. I found the characters really hard to get my head around, as they come and go between paragraphs of food.