The Menu of Happiness is the third book in Japanese food story genre by Hisashi Kashiwai. Released 14th Oct 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Putnam imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is such a comforting, nostalgic, and sweetly uplifting collection of related stories. Originally published in Japanese in 2016, the translation work by Jesse Kirkwood is seamless and manages to flow very well in English without losing the indelible Japanese cultural and food-related nuances.
The stories are related by a common thread: seekers find the restaurant run by a father and daughter duo who specialize in recreating meals for their clients from the clients' own memories and recollections.
Despite the lack of danger or dramatic tension, the stories are moving and told effectively. Food manga and food-centered narrative is a popular subgenre in Japan, and this is a wonderful collection.
Four stars. Utterly charming. There are 3 books extent in English, and a fourth due out from the same publisher in 4th quarter 2026. It would be an excellent choice for public or home library acquisition or a nice binge/buddy/bookclub read. Highly recommended and relaxing.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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