Instagram scrolling apart, I’m not someone who typically gravitates towards fluffy kittens when it comes to my reading choices—give me a gritty thriller, a heart-wrenching romance, or a dystopian nightmare any day. But then, on my way to my next apocalyptic read, I stumbled upon Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, a bestseller set in a small, magical Japanese cafe that features two empty chairs, coffee mugs and a black cat on its cover. I’m not sure what made me pick it up, but this quirky little tale of time travel and second chances didn’t just warm my cynical heart—it made it melt like a scoop of matcha ice cream on a hot summer day as I fell into the comforting world of Japanese healing fiction.
For years, Japan has been quietly churning out novels designed to soothe frayed nerves and mend broken hearts. Think cosy mysteries, heartwarming romances, and stories that prioritise emotional comfort over edge-of-the-seat thrills. While the rest of the world has only recently woken up to this genre, healing fiction has long been a staple in Japan (take for example, Hiro Arikawa’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles, published in 2012). Its popularity in the country is deeply intertwined with cultural context. Japanese society is known for its fast-paced urban environments and high expectations for achievement. Loneliness and isolation—exacerbated by long working hours and urban anonymity—are pressing concerns. Terms like ‘hikikomori’ (acute social withdrawal) and ‘kodokushi’ (dying alone) point to the emotional toll of such societal pressures.
The rest of the world is also waking to it. So naturally, globally too, the healing literature genre is now garnering attention thanks to a surge in translated titles. Given the rise of loneliness, stress and anxiety the world over, be it over jobs, the climate crisis, or seemingly endless wars, it’s no surprise that people are turning to comforting stories for help. What helps is that these novels are short and easy to read (added comfort for a generation with a short attention span). Plus, the unique aesthetic of Japanese culture, made mainstream by manga and anime, is another factor that has contributed the rise of healing fiction. “I’m always reading Japanese fiction... There’s such a lightness, even when they’re approaching heavy themes, and so little hand-wringing or overwrought-ness. I find it so comforting,” adds a reader on a YouTube video dedicated to the power of healing literature.
At its core, healing fiction explores the small yet profound moments of life, offering quiet reassurance and emotional catharsis through its pages. Unlike traditional self-help books, these stories don’t preach or instruct. Instead, they immerse you in the lives of their characters—people grappling with loss, loneliness, or existential uncertainty. And they most often feature cats.
Take, for instance, The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. It follows a reclusive teenager named Rintaro who inherits his grandfather’s bookshop. Just as he’s about to close the shop for good, a talking tabby appears, whisks him away on a magical journey to rescue books from neglect and misuse. Through his whimsical adventures, Rintaro gradually connects with the world and discovers the beauty of human relationships.
Undoubtedly, cats are a recurring motif in healing fiction. And before you dismiss these stories as belonging to crazy cat lady territory, know that cats have been beloved for centuries in Japanese culture, both as real-life pets and as figures of folklore and superstition. The iconic maneki-neko (beckoning cat) is believed to bring good luck and protection, and you’ll find these figurines in countless homes, restaurants, and businesses across Japan, the cats’ raised paws inviting prosperity and warding off misfortune.
While some stories, like The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, weave feline magic directly into the narrative (in this case, through a pair of cats who comfort grieving humans with enchanted blankets), others use the animals more subtly. Across healing fiction, cats are symbolic companions, mirroring the emotional state of their human counterparts or serving as anchors of stability in an uncertain world. Sometimes, the cat’s role is purely atmospheric—like the cat on the covers of Before The Coffee Gets Cold and Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, neither of which actually feature a feline character in the book. The latter, set in a bustling Tokyo library, revolves around a mysterious librarian who matches readers with just the right book to guide them through stagnating careers, lost dreams, and unspoken regrets. The narrative gently takes readers through themes of self-discovery and the restorative power of community.
If you have stopped by a bookstore in recent times, you’re likely to have seen a whole shelf of Japanese fiction stacked together, even if the genre isn’t called out. The comforting genre’s appeal lies in its ability to capture the rhythm of ordinary life while injecting a touch of whimsy into the proceedings. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, for instance, follows a young woman recovering from heartbreak as she moves into her uncle’s bookshop in Tokyo’s quiet Jimbocho neighbourhood. “[This book] envelops you in its warmth like a cherished, old sweater, making it feel like a literary hug,” says GoodReads user Kushagri, who gave it 4 stars.
These feel-good stories often occur in everyday places: bookshops and cafés (like Kawaguchi’s book and Mai Mochizuki’s The Full Moon Coffee Shop) are exceptionally popular settings. But these mundane spaces are where magic appears, subtly woven into everyday life. And that’s what makes these stories particularly charming; this occasional sprinkling of fantasy that elevates the ordinary. In The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiragii and Syou Ishida’s We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, readers can time travel with stories that are in realms beyond our own. The core theme, though, remains the same—the comfort found in simplicity and the gentle healing offered by everyday life.
Last year, Hisashi Kashiwai’s The Kamogawa Food Detectives and Arikawa’s The Goodbye Cat were among the bestsellers, and Kawaguchi’s much-anticipated Before We Forget Kindness, which hit shelves a few weeks ago, is already all the rage at book clubs. So grab a steaming hot mug of your drink of choice, settle into a comfortable chair (ideally with your lap cat in place) and prepare to be healed.
