A cozy bookshop by day, a secret dining by night—heartwarming tales of literature, comfort food, and second chances

In one corner of Tokyo on the back side of an old shopping arcade is a little bookshop called Fuku-Fuku Books. This shop run by former cook Natsuro, his daughter Naru, poster dog Fukuko, and poster cat Daifuku transforms at night. After the bookshop closes, a warm lamp goes on outside—that’s the sign that their secret dinning is open. The visitors to this “little night time rest s station” are exhausted by life. Limited to a few meals a day and with the menu being themed around works of literature, the nighttime diner section of Fuku-Fuku Books is a favourite spot among locals.
A woman betrayed by her fiancé, a mother feeling lonely as her daughter prepares to move out—people with various worries come to this curious space in search of healing.
The food Natsuro and Naru cook are inspired by literary masterpieces, from Japanese classics such as Botchan and Night on the Galactic Railroad to Western titles such as Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie: tempura soba, hitsumabushi, shepherd’s pie, cookies from scratch—all imbued with the spirit of literature.
On the upper floors are bathing facilities and overnight accommodations.
With that plus the interaction with animals, what more could a person want from a healing space?
Amemichi Sunagawa’s depictions of the food are a highlight, and the lightly crunchy tempura, fragrant soba, and rich, buttery cookies appeal to the reader’s senses. These are stories of hope and rebirth told through the
intertwined warmth of books and food, humans and animals. This moving book will sooth stinging hearts through the powers of literature and good food and offer courage for tomorrow.