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Home ยป New Japanese Books Out in 2026: Your Favourite Releases from Jan to June!

New Japanese Books Out in 2026: Your Favourite Releases from Jan to June!

Books + Japanese Literature

Covers of new 2026 Japanese books: Tsundoku, Sisters in Yellow, Kokun, Hot Chocolate on Thursday, and Sakura

The new year arrives with a deluge of new Japanese books. From classics receiving first-ever translations to modern award-winning tales, 2026 promises to be a year full of Japanese literature to suit all tastes!

With almost 30 works receiving a translation into English between January and June 2026, it seems the industry will continue to quench our thirst for Japanese literature. After all, The Japan Times declared last year that:

Works by Japanese authors again topped all books in translation in the U.K., ranking in the top seven places. Out of the top 50, 24 titles were Japanese โ€” up by one from last yearโ€™s dominance โ€” according to NielsenIQ BookDataโ€™s annual analysis.

Considering all the fantastic titles coming out in the next six months, 2026 is bound to keep this trend going. Everybody ready to start? Then, here are the most exciting Japanese novels coming out between January and June 2026!

Since this is a long list that we’ll continue updating throughout the semester, why don’t you pin this article so you can refer to it later? Our pin is at the bottom!

If you’re looking for our list of Korean books coming out in the next six months, click here!

Disclaimer: All publication dates noted here are UK dates. Check with your favourite bookshop to see when these books are coming out in your country!

A long list requires a table of contents, of course!
  • New Translations of Classic Japanese Literature
  • New Translated Japanese Literature We Can’t Wait to Read!
    • Looking for a Novel That Will Give You the Chills?
    • Fantastical Worlds and Whimsical Tales
    • Gentle Healing Fiction
    • Stories that Will Make You Look at the World Around You with Different Eyes
    • Fun Non-Fiction!

New Translations of Classic Japanese Literature

Covers of The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, The Samurai Detectives 2, Troubled Waters, Good-Bye, and Twilight in Musashino
Look at all these classics: The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, the second instalment of The Samurai Detectives, Troubled Waters, Good-Bye, and Twilight in Musashino. (Credit: University of Minnesota Press, Penguin Books, Pushkin Press, and New Directions Publishing)

The first six months of 2026 are offering us some of the great classics of Japanese literature, now made available in English for us all to enjoy.

A couple of weeks ago, the Kaiju (a.k.a “huge movie monsters” like Godzilla) fans out there celebrated the release of The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, a novella written by Shinichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta. Out on January 13th, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra marks the very first appearance of Mothra, one of the genre’s most popular monsters. You can finally read the novella in English, thanks to Jeffrey Angles’ translation, 65 years after its original publication in January 1961.

On the 26th of February, Shotaro Ikenami’s The Samurai Detectives: The Killer on the Streets, the second instalment in Shotaro’s incredibly popular historical fiction series, is being published in a translation by Yui Kajita. Penguin Books describes the novel as “a perfectly coiled mystery as well as a profound portrait of honour and justice in the twilight of the Shogunโ€™s world.” The first book, The Samurai Detectives, came out last year.

In March, Yumiko Kurahashi’s Scorpions, a novella “that remains, after more than half a century, a shockingly transgressive text,” is coming out on the 5th. Originally published in 1963, Scorpions is being brought to the English-speaking world through Michael Day’s translation. Later that month, on the 26th of March, Ichiyo Higuchi’s Troubled Waters is receiving a brand new translation by Bryan Karetnyk. Pushkin Press offers Ichiyo’s work a lovely introduction:

Rarely translated into English, but revered in Japan for the purity of her classical language and her status as the countryโ€™s first professional woman writer, Ichiyo Higuchi drew on her own short life in a poor Tokyo neighbourhood to inspire her work. With immense delicacy of phrase and feeling, and vivid evocations of the colourful festivals and salty street banter that mask unspoken yearning and disappointed hopes, she transmits both the beauty and the struggle of working-class womenโ€™s lives in turn-of-the-century Japan. In her clear-eyed vision of the world, longing and memory may be the only solace.

Bringing March to an end, we’ll have Kobo Abe’s The Traitor reaching bookstores on the 31st. Translated by Mark Gibeau and originally published in 1964, The Traitor is a “part historical fiction, part detective story, (…) a remarkable novel about navigating changing political landscapes by one of the most significant modern Japanese writers.“

Now that Osamu Dazai’s work has fallen out of copyright, we’re expecting more and more of his words to reach this side of the globe. On the 5th of May, Michael Day’s translation of Dazai’s “uniquely powerful tale of teenage angst and survival,” Justice with a Smile, is being published in English for the very first time by Tuttle Publishing. Meanwhile, Dazai’s Good-Bye, a collection of “eleven works of short fiction and vignettes, most of which have never before appeared in English,” is coming out on the 2nd of June with a translation by Ralph McCarthy.

In May, fans of Japanese classic mystery stories will enjoy the publication of Seicho Matsumoto’s Twilight in Musashino on the 7th and Seishi Yokomizo’s She Walks at Night on the 21st, both with a translation by Jesse Kirkwood.

New Translated Japanese Literature We Can’t Wait to Read!

I know, I know. With so many books to choose from, you don’t even know where to start, right? That’s why I divided them according to genre or theme. That way, you can let your current mood help you pick your next read!

Looking for a Novel That Will Give You the Chills?

“Murder, mystery, the macabre!” would say one old American crime procedural I used to watch all the time (I wonder if you can tell which one I’m talking about?). These new Japanese novels might scratch that itch for dark, puzzling stories with high stakes and compelling twists and turns.

Cover of The Ark by Haruo Yuki

The Ark by Haruo Yuki

Translated by Jim Rion | Coming out on February 12th, 2026

“One week to escape
High in the mountains, a sudden rockslide traps ten hikers in an abandoned bunker, nicknamed ‘The Ark’. Then it starts to flood.

One person will be sacrificed
There is only one chance of survival – in order for the rest of them to escape, someone must be left behind.

But one of them has other plans
As they struggle to decide who to abandon, the group is torn apart by a brutal murder. And it won’t be the last.

Can they unmask the murderer and reach safety before the water rises? Or will The Ark become their tomb?
”
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of The Ark (Credit: Pushkin Press)

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Uketsu's Strange Buildings

Strange Buildings by Uketsu

Translated by Jim Rion | Coming out on February 26th, 2026

“From the bestselling author of Strange Houses and Strange Pictures comes a mesmerizing novel of eleven strange buildings and one terrible secret.

A lonely hut in the woods.
A murder house.
A hidden chamber.
A mysterious shrine.
A home in flames.
A nightmarish prison. . . .

Each of the buildings in this book tells a chilling story. Each one is part of a puzzle. Look closely… and you’ll see that everything is connected. All leading to a revelation so horrifying you won’t want to believe it.

Millions of readers have become addicted to solving Uketsu’s dark mysteries. Strange Buildings is the strangest, and darkest, of them all.”
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Strange Buildings (Credit: HarperCollins)

Cover of Mieko Kawakami's Sisters in Yellow

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

Translated by Hitomi Yoshio and Laurel Taylor | Coming out on March 19th, 2026

“Hana has nothing but sheโ€™s hopeful. Sheโ€™s fifteen years old. She lives in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.

Kimiko is older, a bright light in Hanaโ€™s dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that, despite its shabby setting and seedy clientele, becomes a haven for Hana. Suddenly Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.

But in the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hanaโ€™s hope, her optimism, and her drive, will be tested to the limit…

A story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, Sisters in Yellow is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation.”
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Sisters in Yellow (Credit: Pan Macmillan)

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Keigo Higashino's Guilt

Guilt by Keigo Higashino

Translated by Polly Barton | Coming out on April 9th, 2026

“A tour de force crime novel from one of the international masters of the form, where a simple murder case questions the simple notions of good and evil, guilt and redemption.

A body has been found on a Central Tokyo riverbank, and Homicide Detective Godai of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is assigned to investigate. The victim is identified as a lawyer, Kensuke Shiraishi, and Godai’s investigations lead him to one Tatsuro Kuraki, who ends up confessing to not only to the lawyer’s murder, but also another one from thirty years ago – for which another man was arrested and died in custody before trial. Kuraki’s confession neatly resolves two cases, but there is just one problem: Detective Godai doesn’t believe him.

What’s more, there are two other people who can’t accept Kuraki’s confession. One is the son of Kuraki, the professed murderer; the other is the daughter of Shiraishi, the victim.

As they get closer to the truth it becomes clear that the link between the two murders is murkier and more complicated than they could possibly have imagined – and so is the line between innocence and guilt.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Guilt (Credit: Little, Brown Book)

Cover of Akinari Asakura's The Final Six

The Final Six by Akinari Asakura

Translated by Polly Barton | Coming out on June 4th, 2026

“Shogo Hatano has beaten thousands of applicants to become one of six final candidates in the running for a graduate position at Japan’s most exclusive tech company. But Spiralinks will only make an offer to one of them, decided by a group vote in their last interview…

As deliberations begin at the glossy high-rise office in Tokyo, Hatano finds six envelopes addressed to them all. Each contains a shocking revelation about one candidate: six secrets so terrible that they could ruin more than just careers. They could destroy lives.

With the clock ticking, Hatano must figure out who planted the damning evidence and convince the others that he deserves the job of all their dreams.

But one person in the room is a monster capable of anything in the pursuit of their goal. Or is it possible that, behind their polite masks and slick words, six monsters hide in plain sight? Are any of them truly who they say they are?
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of The Final Six (Credit: Little, Brown Book)

Fantastical Worlds and Whimsical Tales

For those days when you’re looking for a magical story set in a fanciful universe (or for those days when reality is just too much!), these fantastical, enchanting journeys might bring you the warmth, comfort, and wonder you long for.

On that note, you might also want to stop by a bookshop on the 28th of May. That’s when British author Naomi Ishiguro is releasing The Rainshadow Orphans, “the first novel in a dazzling fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli, set within a mythical archipelago brimming with dragons and Sun Spirits, high-tech hackers and bubble tea.“

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Nahoko Uehashi's Kokun: The Girl from the West

Kokun โ€“ Book 1: The Girl from the West by Nahoko Uehashi

Translated by Cathy Hirano | Coming out on February 12th, 2026

“The vast Umal Empire has flourished for centuries thanks to the miraculous ohaleh rice, a sacred grain brought from a distant land by the first empress Kokun. Resistant to all parasites, the rice has sustained the empire, ensuring peace and prosperity for centuriesโ€”until now. When a mysterious infestation strikes, famine spreads and the empire begins to crumble.

Fifteen-year-old Aisha, granddaughter of the deposed lord of West Kantal, flees to the imperial capital with her younger brother after a violent coup. There she meets the reigning Kokun, Olieโ€”an enigmatic girl worshipped for her supposed gift of scent, yet secretly powerless. As Aisha uncovers her own latent ability to perceive the natural world through smell, she and Olie form an unlikely alliance.

Together, Aisha and Olie must uncover a hidden history and the truth behind the ohaleh rice, all the while battling forces that threaten not just the empire’s survival, but the very balance of nature.“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Kokun – Book 1: The Girl from the West (Credit: Europa Editions)

Cover of Naoko Higashi's The Soul Catchers

The Soul Catchers by Naoko Higashi

Translated by Lucy North | Coming out on March 19th, 2026

“What if you could come back after death to watch over your loved one, installing yourself in a treasured mug, for example, or perhaps your mother’s hearing aid, a diary, or even a climbing frame, to feel the clambering limbs of a beloved younger sister?

Eleven recently deceased protagonists find themselves floating in the afterlife where a nameless ghost offers them a joyous reunion with their loved ones.

But not as you would expect.

In a world where souls linger restlessly around after death, unwilling to depart, The Soul Catchers is a comforting, witty, and surprisingly sensual take on the Japanese folk belief that objects can be inhabited by human presences. Utterly charming and feelgood, Higashi’s classic is an original exploration of our eternal reluctance to let go.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of The Soul Catchers (Credit: Transworld Publishers)

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Keigo Higashino's The Keeper of the Camphor Tree

The Keeper of the Camphor Tree by Keigo Higashino

Translated by Jordan Taylor | Coming out on June 4th, 2026

“Imagine an ancient tree by a famous shrine, so powerful that visitors come from far and wide to commune with it by moonlight…

When a run of bad luck lands Reito in prison, about to be sentenced, a distant aunt he has never met offers him a surprising way out: he must become the next keeper of the camphor tree.

In his strange new job, Reito welcomes the people coming by nightfall to commune with the tree, all of whom are lost and all in need of something. There is the stern, middle-aged man who hums to the tree for hours; and his glamorous daughter, who has been secretly following him. Then there is the rich, disaffected young man who seems to come grudgingly, with no faith that the tree will even help.

What is the secret of the camphor tree? Can its power be more than just a myth?

Reito begs his aunt Chifune to explain, but she assures him that when he is ready for them, the answers will come to him.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of The Keeper of the Camphor Tree (Credit: Little, Brown Book)

Gentle Healing Fiction

Don’t we all love a tad of healing fiction? Sometimes, we don’t need twists and turns โ€” we just need a heartwarming, uplifting story that will tell us that everything is going to be okay. We just need to embark on a joyful journey that will remind us that our wounds will heal, that tomorrow will be a better day, and that kindness will always show us the way.

And remember: Sonoko Machida’s Tenderness convenience store is returning on April 30th with Meet Me at the Convenience Store by the Sea. Fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s bestselling series Before the Coffee Gets Cold should also keep an eye out for Before I Knew I Loved You, the sixth instalment of the Funiculi Funicula Cafe saga, which is coming out on May 21st.

Cover of Michiko Aoyama's Hot Chocolate on Thursday

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Translated by E. Madison Shimoda | Coming out on February 19th, 2026

“Across a bridge, in view of cherry blossom lies the Marble Cafe where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favourite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees…

Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish… The small, everyday acts that we do can offer unexpected encounters and ultimately change a life.

HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY connects twelve slice-of-life moments that open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe.

What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as readers connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Hot Chocolate on Thursday (Credit: Transworld Publishers)

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Nagi Shimeno's Messenger Cat Cafรฉ

Messenger Cat Cafรฉ by Nagi Shimeno

Translated by M. Jean | Coming out on February 19th, 2026

“Another heartwarming Japanese bestseller about a cat in the afterlife who must deliver messages to five people on earth in order to see his beloved owner again… if only he can manage to not disrupt the balance of the universe.

After a long life with a loving human family, tabby cat Fuuta has passed into the afterlifeโ€”but he is not as far from his owner Michiru as it seems. Slight openings bridge the divide between the lands of the living and the dead, and they can be traversed.

Eager to see Michiru again, Fuuta interviews for a position at Cafรฉ Pont, a cafรฉ that exists in the liminal space between the two worlds, known for its unique message delivery service: Customers leave requests with the name of the person they wish to meet, and a messenger cat is assigned to arrange the “meeting.” But these encounters cannot happen directly. The cats can only deliver the soul of the desired target by temporarily implanting it into an appropriate third party who then may relay the message in careful words.

If Fuuta doesn’t maintain plausible deniability, he could cause panic amongst the living, or worse: he could upset the balance of the universe itself. It is a weighty task for an old tabby cat, but Fuuta is up for the challenge. After all, the job offers a special reward: the right to see Michiru. And he’ll do anything to reunite with his family again.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Messenger Cat Cafรฉ (Credit: Penguin Books)

Stories that Will Make You Look at the World Around You with Different Eyes

These new 2026 Japanese books explore society, human nature, and gender expectations. Their sharp prose comes hand-in-hand with clear, intricate, and compelling social commentary, leading to stories that you will think about for a very long time after you finish the last page.

Cover of Jose Ando's Jackson Alone

Jackson Alone by Jose Ando

Translated by Kalau Almony | Coming out on January 15th, 2026

“A short, blistering gut punch of a novel, Jackson Alone is at turns satirical and deadpan, angry and tender – a frank exploration of identity, race, and queerness in contemporary Japan.

Nobody at the corporate offices of Athletius Japan knows much about the massage therapist, Jackson, but rumours abound. He used to work as a model. He likes to party. He’s mixed race: half-Japanese, half-somewhere-in-Africa-n. He might be gay. Fuelling the gossip is the sudden appearance of a violent, pornographic video featuring a man who looks like
[sic] a lot like Jackson.

When Jackson serendipitously meets three other queer mixed-race guys, he learns he’s not the only one being targeted. Together they concoct a plan: find out who’s responsible and, in the meantime, exploit the fact that nobody can seem to tell them apart to trick people who’ve wronged them.

From an Akutagawa prize winning author, Jackson Alone asks complex questions about how we see ourselves and how we see others, as well as what it really means to get revenge.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Jackson Alone (Credit: Footnote Press)

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Asako Otani's Hollow Inside

Hollow Inside by Asako Otani

Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori | Coming out on February 12th, 2026

“A witty, deadpan novel about modern relationships, pets, and living as a single woman; for fans of Sayaka Murata, offbeat humor, and sharp social observation

In this skewed, mordantly funny Japanese novel, two women navigate aging and relationships in divergent ways.

Hirai, 38, has recently started living with her colleague Suganuma, 42. Both women are single and feel ambivalent at best about the prospect of marriage. Stuck in bland jobs that donโ€™t pay enough for them to afford one-bedroom apartments in the city, they defy social expectation and create their own domestic routines, allowing space for Suganumaโ€™s side-hustleโ€”3D-printing figurines of beloved dead pets for their grieving owners.

Though initially united by their resistance to romantic love, the pair begin tentative forays toward partnership. Suganuma strikes up a secret affair, which shocks Hirai into action and back into the world of dating apps. As she drifts through painfully adequate dates and endures intrusive questions at office socials, Hirai frets over whether she really needs to freeze her eggs again. In a dating world sapped of genuine connection, where can she turn to feel less hollow?

The debut novel by a bright new voice in Japanese fiction, Hollow Inside won the prestigious Subaru Prize. With a dark, deadpan tone and sharply witty observation, Asako Otani satirizes the myths and pressures of contemporary romantic love, as Hirai and Suganuma try to chart their own paths in a precarious world.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Hollow Inside (Credit: Pushkin Press)

Book cover placeholder

Far from Everywhere by Hiromi Kawakami

Translated by Allison Markin Powell | Coming out on March 11th, 2026

Far from Everywhere has been postponed to February 11th, 2027!

“Take the train from central Tokyo and head west. In twenty minutes, hop off and here you are: far from anywhere, but right in the heart of everything. Here, you’ll meet a widowed fishmonger who invites his dead wife’s former lover to move in, a fortune teller who helps a friend down on his luck, a young woman who learns her mother-in-law’s secret over a late night snack of tea and rice crackers, and, at the local restaurant, the cook and the server whose on/off relationship might be back on.

From International Booker-shortlisted author of Under the Eye of the Big Bird, this is a charming, character-rich journey around a small community and a meditation on connection and attachment, on loneliness and loss.
“
โ€” Granta Books

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Asako Yuzuki's Hooked

Hooked by Asako Yuzuki

Translated by Polly Barton | Coming out on March 12th, 2026

“Erikoโ€™s life looks perfectโ€”from her prestigious job at a Japanese trading firm to her spotless apartment and devoted parents. Her newest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile Perch into the Japanese market, is as ambitious as she is. But beneath her flawless surface lies a consuming loneliness. Eriko has never been able to hold on to a real friend.

Enter Shoko: a popular lifestyle blogger whose work Eriko follows obsessively. Shoko lives a life of controlled chaosโ€”messy apartment, take-out dinners, a kind, easy-going husband. She writes about daily contentment, though her fractured relationship with her father gnaws at the edges of her happiness.

When Eriko orchestrates a โ€œchanceโ€ meeting with Shoko, the two women strike up an unlikely connection. For a fleeting moment, Eriko believes sheโ€™s finally found what sheโ€™s always longed for. But as her fascination turns to fixation and Shokoโ€™s carefully balanced life begins to dissolve, both women are pushed to breaking points neither of them saw coming.

Deftly translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is a taut, provocative novel about modern womanhood, the hunger for connection, and the quiet, ordinary ways our lives can spiral out of control. With razor-sharp insight and disarming empathy, Asako Yuzuki explores how far weโ€™ll go to be seen and what happens when the ones who see us donโ€™t like what they find.”
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Hooked (Credit: HarperCollins)

Cover of Nao-Cola Yamazaki's Beautiful Distance

Beautiful Distance by Nao-Cola Yamazaki

Translated by Charlotte Goff | Coming out on April 9th, 2026

“Before the hospital, we had often raised our hands towards each other as weโ€™d gone through life together.

A man sits in a cafe, sipping a green juice and watching the world go by. A white butterfly flutters through the air; a calico cat jumps onto a wall; cherry blossom petals fall, softly, to the ground. Life, momentarily, stands still. Our unnamed narrator is preparing to visit his terminally ill wife in hospital.

A prize-winning bestseller in Japan, Beautiful Distance is a profoundly affecting and intimate story that looks with honesty and tenderness at the journey towards the end of a life. It explores what family means, how we think about death, and the power of quiet acts of love.“
โ€” Daunt Books

Left: Cover of Beautiful Distance (Credit: Daunt Books)

Cover of Nao-Cola Yamazaki's Don't Laugh at Other People's Sex Lives

Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives by Nao-Cola Yamazaki

Translated by Polly Barton | Coming out on April 9th, 2026

“A love story that feels both new and achingly true, capturing the intensity, uncertainties and intimacy of falling for someone.

Art student Isogai first models for one of his tutors, the much older Yuri, then begins a passionate affair with her. As he gets to know her better, he struggles to understand his own emotions and his place in the world, just as he yearns to be closer to her and for her to share more of herself with him.

Donโ€™t Laugh at Other Peopleโ€™s Sex Lives was a smash-hit in Japan, winning the prestigious Bungei Prize, and selling over 250,000 copies. A touching portrait of late adolescence, with Isogai captured with exasperation, humour and tenderness, it is also, and above all else, an exploration of the exhilarating and destabilising experience of a love that defies prediction or explanation.“
โ€” Daunt Books

Left: Cover of Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives (Credit: Daunt Books)

Cover of Kanako Nishi's Sakura

Sakura by Kanako Nishi

Translated by Allison Markin Powell | Coming out on April 9th, 2026

“Available in English at last, the international bestseller from one of Japan’s most acclaimed authors, a touching tale of a broken family contending with the pain of the past to live in the present, helped by the unforgettable dog who becomes their lifeline.

Sakura is the story of a family who is happy, until it isn’t. Skipping back and forth in time, it begins when the narrator, Kaoru, receives a letter from his estranged father announcing he will be home in Osaka for New Year’s. The letter spurs Kaoru to go back to his childhood home, and though he is apprehensive at returning, his spirits are unexpectedly lifted when he is greeted by Sakura, the family dog.

Growing up, the Hasegawas were the perfect family. Kaoru’s loving parents doted on their children. Kaoru’s baby sister, Miki, was cute and charismatic, and his older brother, Hajime–a natural leader, athlete, and charmer–was the superstar. The middle child, Kaoru was good at school, but not a star student, friendly with girls but never popular. He was content to exist in Hajime’s shadow, and occasionally bask in his light. Then Hajime was involved in a tragic accident that fractured the Hasegawas, with nothing to keep them together but memories and melancholy.

Returning home, Kaoru and his family must find the strength to reckon with the past and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Luckily, there is Sakura, who somehow has managed to stay happy. What’s her secret As the Hasegawas learn to let go, it is Sakura who holds the key to help them move forward.

A major bestseller in Japan now available in English, Sakura is a tender, bittersweet, funny, and beautifully told tale about the magic and mysteries of familial love, from one of Japan’s most acclaimed writers.“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Sakura (Credit: HarperCollins Publishers)

Fun Non-Fiction!

Just before we go, a bit of non-fiction! And this one is a very special book for all bookworms out there:

New 2026 Japanese books: Cover of Taiki Raito Pym's Tsundoku

Tsundoku: The Art of Collecting Books by Taiki Raito Pym

Coming out on April 2nd, 2026

“An ode to the quiet joy of collecting more books than we could ever possibly read – and loving them all the same…

Drawing on the evocative Japanese term tsundoku – first coined in the Meiji era to describe the growing stacks of unread books that accumulate around devoted readers – this insightful and warmly humorous book reframes what some might see as clutter or guilt as a deeply meaningful way of living.

From the tactile pleasure of flipping through pages to the quiet ritual of rearranging overflowing shelves, Tsundoku explores the psychology, culture, and poetry behind the irresistible urge to collect and cherish books. It offers meditations on the joy of choosing and buying books, the rebellion against reading lists, creative ways to organise your shelves, foolproof excuses for sneaking in yet another new title, techniques for remembering what you’ve read, and the guilty – but glorious – pleasure of re-reading.

Above all, this philosophy reminds us that we do not necessarily have to have read all the books we own to love them unconditionally. Feelings of guilt, be gone! Unread books can be even more fascinating because they take us on wonderful journeys, and speak to us regardless, whether we open them or keep them closed. We know that books are a cure for the soul: just touching one, smelling one, or leafing through one makes us feel better immediately.
“
โ€” Google Books

Left: Cover of Tsundoku: The Art of Collecting Books (Credit: Octopus Publishing)

Remember to pin this list so you can read them all!

Pin with nine covers of new 2026 Japanese novels: Kokun, Hot Chocolate on Thursday, Messenger Cat Cafรฉ, The Soul Catchers, Sisters in Yellow, Don't Laugh at Other People's Sex Lives, Sakura, Meet Me at the Convenience Store by the Sea, and Before I Knew I Loved You.
Pin with nine covers of new 2026 Japanese novels: The Luminous Faries and Mothra, Jackson Alone, Hollow Inside, The Ark, Strange Buildings, The Samurai Detectives 2, Hooked, Guilt, and The Final Six.

With so many exciting stories coming up, which of these new 2026 Japanese books are you looking forward to reading in the first half of the year? Let me know in the comments!

Published on January 30, 2026 ยท Tags: 2026 Japanese books

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The 2026 Korean Books You Should Know About: From Jan to June!

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New Japanese books in translation 2026: Covers of How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?, The Friday Bookshop, The Nine Lives of a Bookshop Cat, A Game of Cat and Killer, and Tales of Green Tea
All the Japanese Books in Translation You Need to Read from July to December 2026!
Covers of new Korean literature in translation coming out from July to December 2026: A Magical Girl Rehired, One Day a Cat Came to Me, On the Balance Beam, The Seoul Letter Shop, and Plant Lady
Korean Literature in Translation from July to December 2026: What to Read Next!
Illustration from the cover of Hiro Arikawa's The Passengers on the Hankyu Line
The Passengers on the Hankyu Line: The Magic of Serendipitous Encounters

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Welcome to The Blossom Review!

Me

Hello, beautiful people!


I'm Karen, a Korean and Japanese media critic, fan, and flag-bearer. I'm here to help you get closer to Korean and Japanese media and together, we can discover and discuss the fascinating universe of J- and K-drama, cinema, and literature.


The Blossom Review is our little corner of J- and K-drama, film and book reviews, recommendations, and musings.


Come back every week for a brand-new J- or K-drama review and J- or K-film and book article.

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The Blossom Review is slowly growing, and I feel that I need a tad of help to keep fostering this little universe. Of course, every little helps, and if you can support this little project of mine, I'll be forever grateful. If you can't, please remember that just the fact that you're giving me a bit of your time and attention every week means the world to me. So thank you very, very much for being here! โค๏ธ

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What Are You Looking For?

Hello there! ๐Ÿ‘‹ How are you today? Despite its 12 Hello there! ๐Ÿ‘‹
How are you today?
Despite its 12-episode format, Spooky in Love has an old-fashioned charm to it. Its tone and aesthetics โ€” its strengths and weaknesses โ€” remind us of the K-dramas of yore, with their blend of romance, comedy, supernatural, and chaebol intrigue. That's what we're discussing together this week, and I really hope you join me! ๐Ÿ˜‰
I must confess that there's much about Spooky in Love that I simply adored โ€” but just because I fell in love with Yeo-ri and Gang-wook's little fairy tale doesn't mean it was an absolutely perfect show.
Our complete review of tvN's Spooky in Love is coming out on The Blossom Review ๐ŸŒธ and YouTube tomorrow! I hope to see you there! Remember that all our links can be found in our bio, okay?
Have a marvellous day today! โœจ
 #spookyinlove #spookyinloveedit #kdramaedits #kdramaquotes #kdramareview
Hello, everyone! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Believe it or not, August is a Hello, everyone! ๐Ÿ‘‹
Believe it or not, August is about to come to an end ๐Ÿ˜ฎ
(You know, for me, that's just shocking ๐Ÿ˜… I always wonder if time is flying for everyone or if it's just me!)
Anyway, it's time to talk about new K-dramas. September will be a fairly relaxed month, but we'll see dramas of different genres coming out on different platforms -- so we'll have some good options for everyone! ๐Ÿ‘
If you stop by The Blossom Review ๐ŸŒธ, you'll find our complete calendar of September releases (which we'll be updating throughout the next few weeks). Oh, and over on Substack this week, we reviewed ENA/Genie TV's Dream to You too! Remember that you can find all our links in our bio ๐Ÿ˜‰
Next week, we're reviewing tvN's Spooky in Love, so I hope to see you then! ๐Ÿฅฐ
Have a marvellous day today and a fantastic weekend ahead! โœจ
#newkdramas #kdramaedits #koreandramas #kdramastowatch #kdramarecommendation
Hello, everyone! ๐Ÿ‘‹ How are you all today? We're Hello, everyone! ๐Ÿ‘‹
How are you all today?
We're back to our weekly reviews with Netflix's Our Sticky Love, which came out a couple of weeks ago! 
Some call it a "rom-com", but I'm not so sure I agree with that description. Call me a purist, but Our Sticky Love isnโ€™t a proper rom-com. Itโ€™s the latest addition to the โ€œaction-thriller-romantic-comedyโ€ genre, with its mix of kisses and explosions, adorable makeshift dates and intense fighting scenes, yellow umbrellas and torture sequences.
The thing is, what makes Our Sticky Love special isn't its fight choreography or its intense action sequences, but the compassionate interactions between its ensemble cast.
We're talking about Netflix's Our Sticky Love tomorrow on The Blossom Review ๐ŸŒธ and on YouTube. I hope you stop by!
Oh, and over on Substack, we reviewed JTBC's The Apartment Job yesterday. You can find all our links in our bio ๐Ÿ˜‰
Have a marvellous day today, and I'll see you tomorrow! ๐Ÿ˜Š
#ourstickylove #kdramaedit #koreandramareview #netflixkdramas #koreandramaedit
Heeellooo! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Yes, it's me again! ๐Ÿ˜‚ Are you alrigh Heeellooo! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Yes, it's me again! ๐Ÿ˜‚
Are you alright?
If you didn't see me yesterday, here's a quick recap: This week, I'm taking a break from reviews (I know: Netflix's Our Sticky Love has recently come out. Yes, I'd like to discuss it with you all. But, no, I couldn't review it this week, so we'll be talking about it soon! ๐Ÿฅบ I'm so sorry, everyone! ๐Ÿ™)
Anyway, instead of dramas, we're talking about literature this week! Yaaay! Yesterday, we talked about Japanese books, so today is the day for Korean books, of course! ๐Ÿฅฐ The second half of 2026 has arrived with some incredible new Korean literature in translation, so shall we choose our favourites and fill up our wishlists? Yes, please!
Here are some of the titles I'm looking forward to reading the most -- but you'll find a thorough list with 10+ Korean books coming out from July to December 2026 on The Blossom Review ๐ŸŒธ! I hope you stop by! Remember that you can find all our links in our bio ๐Ÿ˜‰
Have a marvellous weekend ahead! โค๏ธ
#KoreanBooks #NewKoreanBooks #KoreanLiterature #KoreanBookstagram #HealingFiction
Hello! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Everything okay? This week, I'm taking Hello! ๐Ÿ‘‹
Everything okay?
This week, I'm taking a break from reviews (yes, I know that Netflix's Our Sticky Love has recently come out... but I couldn't review it this week, so we'll be talking about it soon! ๐Ÿฅบ Forgive me, my dears! ๐Ÿ™)
Anyway, instead of dramas, we're talking about books this week! Yaaay! The second half of 2026 has arrived with a toooon of new Japanese books -- and who doesn't want more Japanese literature in translation? We never say no to books; that's what I say! ๐Ÿฅฐ
Here are some of the titles I'm looking forward to reading the most -- but, on The Blossom Review ๐ŸŒธ, you'll find a thorough list with 30+ Japanese books coming out from July to December 2026! I hope you stop by! Remember that you can find all our links in our bio ๐Ÿ˜‰
Have a lovely day! โค๏ธ
#JapaneseBooks #NewJapaneseBooks #JapaneseLiterature #JapaneseBookstagram #HealingFiction
Hello, there! ๐Ÿ‘‹ How are you all this week? I'm s Hello, there! ๐Ÿ‘‹
How are you all this week?
I'm stopping by to share some sequels to beloved Japanese book series coming out from July to December 2026 โค๏ธ Some of these series are very, very special to me, so I'm looking forward to being welcomed once again into their universe.
Have you read any of these series?
Oh, and that's not all! Tomorrow, I'm coming back with more Japanese books coming out in the second half of 2026. Stay tuned! ๐Ÿ˜‰
#JapaneseBooks #NewJapaneseBooks #JapaneseLiterature #JapaneseBookstagram #HealingFiction

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