Category: Japan - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Letters from the Present

28/8/2026

Tsubaki Stationery Store by Ito Ogawa
Translated by Cat Andersen

Hatoko - or Poppo, as she's known - has returned to Kamakura to run the Tsubaki Stationery Store, which is part of her family's tradition. While she sells supplies, her most important inherited job is that as a scribe, writing letters for those who are unable to express themselves properly. Poppo serves as a connection between others... but she is slowly making her own connections.

One could be forgiven for claiming that Poppo has no personality of her own. But Poppo finding herself is the entire point. A good many novels of this type focusing on an array of characters having their perspectives change by a place or person - this book shows just how well it can be done in the reverse. Poppo is the one encountering growth through her encounters with others. This is a gentle, slow-moving book best paired with tea. And now I wonder if I should return to Kamakura myself... it has been years...

All the Literary in the Fiction

16/7/2026

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
Translated by Sam Bett & David Boyd

Fuyuko, a lonely freelance proofreader, has a chance meeting with a high school teacher and discovers someone with whom she can discuss light.

This is a hard one to rate. The techniques Kawakami used in writing this are impressive, though I can't say I was delighted by the story itself. Literary fiction is always like that, mind. The journeys they portray don't tend to have happy endings, but they do have an ending... and sometimes there's even growth. This particular journey is a slow-paced discussion about memory and trauma.

I have to say that Fuyuko's blatant fatphobia was very icky (hopefully Kawakami doesn't share her views...). It was also distracting.

Content warning: graphic rape, alcoholism, fatphobia

Timely Correspondence

28/6/2026

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
by Keigo Higashino
Translated by Sam Bett

Three thieves need to lie low for the night and find an abandoned general store in which to do so. But things soon get a little weird. Letters asking for advice keep arriving from the past. Somehow, time has slowed down in the store and given them the chance to reach these people. The thieves could ignore them...but they feel compelled to try and help them. What miracles will occur?

An absolutely fantastic book that is akin to a tapestry, expertly woven together across different characters and different decades, moving backwards and forwards with both ends of the narrative finding the perfect conclusion. I'm really impressed with this one. The author seems to write a lot of crime fiction... which may explain why he handled the time travel aspects so well. It's a similar type of puzzle.

Tokyo to Sydney

8/6/2026

Hot Chocolate on Thursday (Marble Cafe #1)
by Michiko Aoyama
Translated by E. Madison Shimoda

Hot Chocolate on Thursday is about the interconnectedness of everything and everyone and how small interactions can have great meaning. It's certainly not the cosy cafe novel that the cover suggests it is. That's not a bad thing, mind. I just wasn't expecting most of the book to be in set in my own city! It's actually really nice to read a Japanese perspective of Sydney. Most healing fiction novels contain longer stories; here, you get bite-sized moments that will stay with you long after you close the book.

I will note that while the translation seems to be well done, there are a few very minor Australian-specific niggles (e.g. Circular Quay is referred to as "the Circular Quay", an Australian wouldn't say "gym class" and so on). But I understand that most translations are made palatable for US readers.

More Than Merely Convenient

7/5/2026

Meet Me at the Convenience Story by the Sea (Convenience Store by the Sea #2)
by Sonoko Machida
Translated by Bruno Navasky

Sometimes you just need a bit of Tenderness...and by that I mean the convenience store by the sea, where the manager and his siblings could pass for movie stars. It also happens to be an unassuming place of healing and reflection. A grandmother and granddaughter grow closer, a store employee discovers himself, and a school girl finds herself receiving the same treatment she once gave others.

I was hanging out for this sequel for months. Happily, I can report that it did not disappoint in the slightest. Machida delves so deeply into her characters and their psyches that you feel like you have formed an intimate acquaintance with each and every one of them. I was particularly moved by Mizuki's tale. What incredible character growth...and her new friendship actually made me teary. Now can November please hurry up and arrive? I want the next book's English translation...NOW.

Best Read of 2026 So Far!!

22/4/2026

Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono
Translated by Haydn Trowell

Riko takes her work as a full-time employee at a bookstore very seriously. But there is one aspect in which she cannot be professional - Aki, another full-time employee, who continually grates on her. Aki is young, married and employed solely because of her connections. They clash constantly. Gossip keeps them at odds with each other. But they will need to find common ground to save their store.

Absolutely brilliant. Wow. I'm blown away by this book - I was expecting something more cosy and plodding, but it was a searing indictment of the way women are treated in the professional world. Yes, this is set in Japan and the obstacles are more overt, but it applies to women in the Western world too. Aono understands that when we are divided, it better suits the purposes of men and the society that is built around them. When we are united, we are a force to be reckoned with - Riko and Aki are a superb portrayal of this.

Gosh. I really love Bookstore Girls. Sometimes a book will emblazon itself on your soul and this one definitely has, for me.

Nijiko's Delivery Service

15/4/2026

Messenger Cat Cafe by Nagi Shimeno
Translated by M. Jean

Fuuta is a cat who has departed the land of the living, but he wants to see the owner he left behind. He could wait the customary time - or he could become a messenger cat and earn the right to see her again after completing five tasks. Fuuta's new job can be difficult. He must convey a soul's message through someone - or something - conveniently nearby. Sometimes, he has to leave it to chance.

This is a sweet enough book and one chapter actually left me sobbing, but there's not much here to make it stand out amidst the rest of the titles in the crowded healing fiction genre. I also think this would have worked better had every story involved a soul who had actually passed on. A couple of the stories failed to leave an impression on me due to this. But at least Fuuta is a charming narrator.

Content warning: discussions of child loss/stillbirth, cheating

The School Teacher or the Actor?

2/4/2026

My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Kaede's grandfather has Lewy body dementia, but he hasn't lost his love for solving mysteries. From how obituaries came to be a secondhand book to missing persons to murder, Kaede comes to him for help in teasing out the most likely scenario. What seems like a harmless game becomes a very serious matter of life and death. Kaede's own personal mystery might be her ultimate undoing.

I'm not really a mystery fun, but I couldn't pass up the premise of this book. It's obviously a deeply personal piece of writing for the author. Konishi draws on his experience with his own grandfather and there's so much love in every word. Kaede is such a relatable character, as is her struggle to balance her anxiety about her grandfather's situation with trying not to worry him. His condition is given so much care and respect, and it's woven beautifully into each mystery. I will admit that some of it's farfetched... but this book really is something special.

The Philosophical Ride

1/4/2026

The Lucky Ride by Yasushi Kitagawa
Translated by Takami Nieda

Shuichi is an insurance salesman who has just lost twenty contracts in one hit. The financial repercussions will be huge if he doesn't fix his situation - and fast. As luck would have it, he finds himself in a taxi driven by a strange man who tells him that his bad mood is stopping him from making better use of the opportunities around him. This taxi ride might very well change his life.

This book is so easy to read. I flew right through it, because the writing style (either due to the author or the translator or both) flowed so well. Unfortunately, I just couldn't agree with book's message. I am not a fan of toxic positivity, especially given how ableist it can be, though I suppose some people might feel inspired by Kitagawa's worldview. An interesting story, nonetheless.

Meow-food for the Soul

1/4/2026

Diary of a Cat by Mayumi Nagano
Translated by Yui Kajita

Chimaki and his little brother Norimaki are two cats that became lost at an airport and then became strays. They are found by "Grandpa", quickly becoming beloved members of the Horai family. Chimaki observes the behaviour of the family, their relationships with each other and the food that connects them throughout the year.

I'm not entirely sure if I truly liked this one, since it's not really my thing. It's the kind of book that an anthropologist would love in a few decades' time, because it focuses on the minutiae of life. If it wasn't told from the POV of a cat, I'd write it off as an aimless description of a slightly unusual Japanese family. But it IS narrated by a cat. And that part is well done. Chimaki is such a great character. Less great is Mum Komaki, who is less a character and more of a mouthpiece for the author and her interest in nutritional food. I did like the touch of magical realism surrounding another character, the particulars of which I won't spoil here.

Anyway, this book is about people doing mundane things. It's a slice of life for foodies and cat lovers.