Set in Kichijoji! The shelf owners solve everyday mysteries
surrounding a shared bookstore in this bibliographical light mystery, “Meeting in the Book Garden: A Small Mystery at Kichijoji’s Shared Bookstore,” on sale October 20th!
Micro Magazine, Inc. Press release: October 3, 2025 To Members of the Press Set in Kichijoji! “Meeting in the Book Garden: A Small Mystery at the Kichijoji Shared Bookstore,” a bibliographical light mystery in which shelf owners solve everyday mysteries surrounding a shared bookstore, goes on sale October 20th! This mystery begins with someone’s precious book. Set in Kichijoji, this light bibliographical mystery follows the shelf owners of a popular shared bookstore as they solve everyday mysteries. Micro Magazine will release “Meeting in the Book Garden: A Small Mystery at the Kichijoji Shared Bookstore” (novel by Fujino Fujino, cover illustration by Nina) from Kotonoha Bunko on October 20, 2025. The e-book version will also be available for download from the same day. The cover illustration by Nina-sensei is included at the end of the e-book! Plus, exclusively at participating bookstores, we’re giving away an original short story paper written by Fujino Fujino!
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https://kotonohabunko.jp/detail/honnoniwa/ ○Synopsis This is “Book Garden,” a shared bookstore located in Kichijoji, Tokyo. This quirky store, where “small bookstore owners,” known as “shelf owners,” display and sell their own books, is always home to a collection of small “mysteries.” An elderly woman wants to recapture the memories of a precious book she exchanged with her best friend in her youth. A battle rages between the shelf owner and a customer who keeps buying the same zine, the creator of which is unknown. The thoughts behind the “reading trace books” filled with notes. The reason why this bookstore’s first books are “books not for sale”… When someone’s “thoughts” that you overlooked at the time transcend time and appear before your eyes as a “mystery,” the friends at this bookstore will surely help you gently solve it. Welcome to the wonderful and gentle world of “little puzzles” where the aroma of books and coffee wafts through the air. Benefit information 〇 Exclusively available at participating bookstores: Original short story paper Exclusively available at participating bookstores: An original short story paper by Fujino Fujino! For more details, please visit the URL below. ▼https://kotonohabunko.jp/spcont/2510_tokuten/ *Distribution status and timing may vary by store. *Please inquire at the store to find out whether or not a bonus is included. We’re revealing the thoughts of everyone who got a sneak peek at the galleys! ◎Reviewer At Book Garden, a shared bookstore with an attached cafe, books are rented out by the shelf. Each shelf is home to a unique world, featuring not only books selected by the owner, but also self-published books and books with notes written on them. While it’s not the perfect place to find a specific book you’re looking for, it’s a great place to discover new passions. Of course, customers browsing the shelves also have their own worlds unfolding and being reminded of by each shelf and book. To the casual observer, it seems like a small mystery. However, when the mystery is solved, each of the worlds involved in the mystery transforms into something a little new. It’s uplifting, sad, and even a little surprising. If I were a shelf owner, I’d definitely want to display this book alongside my favorite works. ◎Reviewer Recently, the number of “shared bookstores” has been increasing. The handwritten POPs on the shelves convey the owner’s passion for the books, creating a very comfortable atmosphere. You can also enjoy delicious coffee at Book Garden in Kichijoji. And so begins the mystery surrounding the book. Every time you come into contact with someone’s memories and feelings contained within a book, you’ll feel a little sad and surprised as the mystery unravels. The Book Garden is the perfect place to discover a new passion. The book features a variety of titles, from nostalgic to new, and the book covers came to mind, making me feel like I was actually visiting a “book garden.” I empathize with the desire to spread the word about a book you like, and the feeling that your impressions change when you read it after some time has passed. It would be fun to actually write your thoughts in this book and reread it after some time has passed. When someone’s love overlaps with your love, it’s sure to lead to a long and sweet happiness. ◎Bookstore personnel “Book Garden” is a shared bookstore. It also has a cafe, where unique shelf owners welcome you with books from a wide variety of genres. Just browsing the shelves is fun, and above all, the shelves owners are proud of the books they love. You may only be able to see the spines, but this is what makes a bookstore look nice. The books cited in the story were all well-known, and I nodded along as I read. This book contains writings by Kiriyama, something you would never find in a regular bookstore. I thought it was interesting how the fresh feelings of the reader at the time popped out. And there was a notebook where you could write freely. Even with the same book, different readers will likely have different favorite parts, and even with the same person reading it, I think the view they see will be different depending on the point in their life they read it at. I thought it would be fun to visit a “book garden” where you could hear the chatter of all kinds of books. Author information Novel: Fujino Fujino (Fujino Fujino) Born in Tokyo. Her hobbies are writing, walking, movies, and London. Kotonoha made her debut with the paperback “Cat and Curry Rice: Spices and the Secret Tail.” This work was her first to win the “Curry of the Year 2022 Planning Division” award for a novel. Her short story “Invited by a Funeral” won an honorable mention in the 5th Kotoba to Newcomer Award, sponsored by Shoshi Kankanbo. Her other published works include “Cats and Curry Rice: Biryani and the Morning Glow of the Ganges.” Her favorite spice is cardamom. Illustration: Nina Lives in Tottori. He mainly works on music video illustrations and CD jackets. His dramatic worldview, which uses delicate light and color with a sky motif, has gained popularity. His book cover illustrations include Madoka Okita’s “I’ll Fall in Love with You Again and Again” (Starts Publishing Bunko). Fujino Fujino’s debut work, the “Cat and Curry Rice” series, is now on sale from Kotonoha Bunko! Enjoy the exquisite spice curry, infused with the aroma of youth and love. A coming-of-age story for adults, led by a white cat.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/48095/2412/48095-2412-6a50f90c62aec0b450069382e706ff4a-983×1400.jpg Winner of the Curry of the Year 2022 Planning Category! “Cat and Curry Rice: Spices and the Secret Tail” Fiction: Fujino Fujino
Illustrations: Fusui Price: ¥759 (¥690 10% tax) ISBN:9784867161524 https://kotonohabunko.jp/detail/nekocurry/ His specialty is spicy curry. He’s unemployed. He’s just been dumped by his girlfriend. Led by a mysterious white cat, I, Matsumoto, reunite with my childhood friend, Nakamura, for the first time in over a decade. The two of us rented space and opened a curry restaurant, but when a student from the “Curry Prep School,” Mr. Narimiya, came to the restaurant, he said, “It’s amazing that you can make such a great dish as a hobby.” We wanted to do this seriously, not just as a hobby. We started attending a prep school attended by famous people in the curry world. To grasp our true “sincerity.” And so, together with his friends, he sets out to create the “ultimate meal.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/48095/2412/48095-2412-19ba06cbe6ea55c72af60791573da0e6-986×1400.jpg “Cats and Curry Rice: Biryani and the Ganges Sunrise” Novel: Fujino Fujino Illustrations: Fusui Price: 781 yen (710 yen tax 10%) ISBN：9784867165188 https://kotonohabunko.jp/detail/nekocurry2/ Five years after graduating from curry prep school, Matsumoto and Nakamura are running a modest curry restaurant called “Neko to Curry Rice.” One day, Nakamura is approached from India to work on spice development, and Matsumoto is approached by his mentor, Sakamoto, to support his junior students at the curry prep school. The project lasts for about two weeks. While the two are pondering what to do with the restaurant during that time, a mysterious white cat appears before them for the first time in a long while. At that moment, the store was in trouble…!? The two-week closure felt as if it had been forcibly imposed upon them by heaven. Split into two locations, India and Tokyo, will they be able to create their new challenge: “Our Biryani”!?
Kotonoha Bunko is a literary label for adult women from Micro Magazine, celebrating its 6th anniversary in 2025.
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