Yuta Takahashi

Cat Anderson

Your table awaits at the Chibineko Kitchen, where a soul-nourishing meal in the company of the resident kitten will transport you back in time to reunite with departed loved ones—for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Midnight Library.

In a remote seaside town outside of Tokyo, Kotoko makes her way along a seashell path, lured by whispers of an enigmatic restaurant whose kagezen, or traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones, promise a reunion with the departed. When a gust of wind lifts off her hat, she sees running after it a young man who looks like her recently deceased brother. But it’s not her brother; it’s Kai, the restaurant’s young chef, who returns her hat and brings her to the tiny establishment, where he introduces her to Chibi, the resident kitten, and serves her steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice, and miso soup—the exact meal her brother used to cook for her. As she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent, the air grows hazy, and Kotoko begins a magical journey of last chances and new beginnings.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen

It's been months since Kotoko first visited the tiny restaurant by the sea. Now she works there, alongside the chef Kai and his mischievous kitten Chibi.

One sunny morning, the restaurant opsn its doors to Nagi, a young woman facing an impossible choice. Should she marry her boyfriend, despite knowing she only has a few years left to live, or protect him from pain by refusing? She is desparate for advice from the one person no longer around to give it - her mother.

Next to visit are an anxious man rebuilding his life after shutting himself away for years, a lonely widow unaware that she is surrounded by friends, and an actor hoping to rekindle his career. Each leaves the restaurant nourished and reminded of what matters most in life.

Cat Anderson

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