'Goodnight Tokyo' is a charming read about human connection, set in night time Tokyo.
It's a series of ten interconnected stories that follow a group of characters, who somehow linked to one another. The stories are quite mundane but there's something so interesting about the characters and their human experiences that keeps you reading.

'The clock struck 1:00am.'

So begins, with minor variations, each chapter of this book as we follow taxi driver Matsui through the nighttime hours that the tourists don't see. In a series of inter-connecting stories we meet a number of characters whose night-lives take us through a strange and wonderful array of events. Mitsuki is a 'procurer' for a film company, trying to find strange objects for the next day's filming. A woman helps herself to fruit from a loquat tree. Moriizumi disposes of old office items such as telephones. Four women run an all-night diner, Matsui's favourite place to stop for a break. And there are more.

As each story starts to weave into others and the fate of our characters gives them life choices, it becomes a book about finding resolution. It's not a book where much happens, so if you are looking for fast-paced car chases and yakuza vibes then. no, this is not for you. Instead this is a meditative book, one which will make you contemplate your own life and the choices that you have made - and are yet to make. Subtly crafted and beautifully written, with an excellent translation by Haydn Trowell, this is a perfect late-night read. Almost imperceptibly, partly due to each chapter re-setting to 1am, the book covers a year in the lives of these individuals and the final chapter ties up some of their stories in a satisfying conclusion.

A quiet and perceptive book that perfectly captures the mysterious night hours that most of us never see. A definite must-read for fans of Japanese literature. In its own way this is perfect.

Bookbinder, graphic designer and prolific author Atsuhiro Yoshida hails from Tokyo and draws on his experiences of the city for his novel. Instead of a conventional, linear narrative Yoshida presents a series of interconnecting pieces centred on weary, middle-aged taxi driver Matsui and a cross-section of his nighttime customers, from regulars to casual passengers. The result’s an atmospheric slice-of-life piece with an off-kilter feel that reminded me of Midnight Diner - the Japanese TV show adapted from Yarō Abe’s manga. Like that, this is an offbeat depiction of Tokyo in the early hours: sometimes eerily quiet, slightly unsettling, but also somehow liberating for those still awake and travelling through its streets.

Matsui works for Blackbird taxis, it’s 2018 and business is bad, another casualty of the wider economic downturn. Yet Matsui’s just about managing to keep afloat helped by regulars like Mitsuki who sources props for a film company. Her last-minute orders to find loquat fruits for a morning shoot sets Yoshida’s story in motion. Mitsuki’s quest leads her and Matsui to a woman calling herself the ‘loquat thief’ harvesting loquats for homemade wine. This encounter interconnects with a late-night diner where a woman pines for a long-lost customer and a detective frequenting all-night cinemas in an effort to track down movies featuring his father, former B-movie actor. Gradually Matsui and his numerous customers’ lives begin to overlap, hidden links between them emerge which might be sheer coincidence but could perhaps suggest the hidden hand of fate. Tokyo at night’s convincingly drawn, and I found elements of Yoshida’s plot unexpectedly charming and/or intriguingly eccentric – although some episodes were unsatisfyingly sketch-like. Translated by Haydn Trowell.

DNF but providing a review

I felt like the writing was simple and could have been more exciting and engaging. The storyline is decent but not enough to keep me hooked. Some of the dialogue with the other characters doesn't seem relevant or necessary.

The main character, or her boyfriend, does not seem very likeable, and it was difficult for me to imagine the atmosphere surrounding the story.

I'm reading a lot of Japanese and Korean novels and this is a very good one. It's about people, changes and the life in the big city.
Loved it as it's light and poignant at the same time
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a series of interlinked short stories about different characters who are out and about in Tokyo after midnight on the same night. The translation is excellent, I totally forgot I was reading a book in translation. The stories are good and tight with interesting and unpredictable people living lives only a very inventive author could have come up with. I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but this book read as a novel because the lives of the characters bisected each other and there was cohesion. If you enjoy short stories, these tales are a fascinating insight into very different lives. A quite amazing book. I loved it.

i really enjoyed this one. it reads like an anime in my brain and the prose was so easy to understand. i recommend this to anime lovers out there!

Love this book a lot. Felt like a hug. Really enjoyed the characters and all their stories and liked how they all linked together. Would highly recommend to people

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley.

This is what, at first, seems like a collection of short stories. However as we go through, we start to see our earlier characters pop up in later stories and we see how their lives connect and intersect, and see new relationships build.

We follow the people who are awake through the night in Tokyo, those with nocturnal jobs such as a late night taxi driver, a worker at an all night diner, and those whose activities require them to conduct at night such as a dresser on film sets, and a loquat thief. In the quiet of the night, these characters find each other, support each other and occasionally connect each other with new characters.

This is a charming, delightful, slice of life look at the ecosystem that emerges at night and the people who thrive and live nocturnally.

I have recently got into Japanese fiction so this was the perfect read for me, I loved exploring the characters life's and being on the journey with them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!
After the first few chapters Goodnight Tokyo seems to be a collection of short stories about a taxi driver, Matsui. He is working the night shift and meeting some interesting individuals.
After meeting a strange detective, Shuro (Matsui can't decide, if he is a real one or an actor who is playing a detective role :) ), step by step the reader gets the feeling that the stories will connect somehow.
I have to confess that something with the translation was off... There were confusing sentences with no meaning... That is why I only gave 4 stars...
The first story was also a bit weird but after some push from myself (I love Japanese literature) I didn't put the book away. It was worth it! Such a lovely sweet story about hope, friendship and connections!

This intriguing and whimsical piece of Japanese fiction by Atsuhiro Yoshida is translated by Haydn Trowell, set under the dark of Tokyo, the city of earthquakes, giving us a fascinating glimpse into the lives of a series of offbeat and quirky characters, a structured puzzle that begins to slowly materialise as a collection of stylised serial short stories, as described by the author at the end. The night time is the right time for dreams, the absurd, fantasies, and the surreal, as stars glitter in the sky. Cab driver, Matsui, picks up his customers in the night, some repeat clients, listening to their stories and getting a glimpse into their lives, although he is reluctant to let them into the secret of his special diner, Yotsukado, located at a major crossroads, run by 4 women.

With its circular rhythms, the narrative's interconnected lives slowly begin to emerge, and include the likes of film prop procurer, Mitsuki Sawatan, hunting for loquats, peanut crushers, with a ring from the Crow man stuck on her finger, impossible to remove. We have a call centre consultant, a collector of unwanted telephones dressed in funeral garments, a detective Shuro with his keys, or is he an actor? There is an antiques shop stocked with broken items, a large group of young actresses, a run down movie theatre struggling to survive. There is loneliness, the joy of a whisky and coke, a loquat thief, complex intertwined relationships and surprising connections, a search for the missing, and fates converging.

This is not always easy to follow but patience is rewarded as the large cast of diverse cast appear and return, the pieces converge to form a pattern and click into a whole. Overall, this is a beautifully entertaining and engaging read that will appeal to readers looking for something a little different. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Really enjoyed this one. Japanese fiction is the gift that keeps on giving. Very heartfelt with seem deep exploration around what it means to be human,

3.5 stars. A cosy book that is in the style of serial short stories, where a collection of stories feel separate at first glance but are actually connected. The starting point of these connected stories is a late night taxi driver in Tokyo. In this book, the stories are interwoven with each other which I did enjoy but at times felt a little confusing. I did enjoy how they linked, and particularly liked the feeling towards the end where they all came together. While I liked the book, I did struggle to stay engaged as there wasn’t a whole lot of plot and I don’t feel that any of the stories were overly memorable although most were entertaining to read at the time.

I love that publishing has been increasingly picking up Japanese works and making them widely available for English speaking audiences like me. Much like Days At This Morisaki Bookshop, this particular publication is a wonderfully cosy and gentle series of interconnected short stories. What makes Goodnight Tokyo different though is that it's all set after 1am and follows the night-time economy of Tokyo society.

The stories can be read as standalone despite the interwoven nature which makes for a lovely and varied series of stories and also makes the book ideal to dip in and out of. The stories and narrative can be quite sparse and direct which enhances some elements of the books, makes others less engaging and in some instances (the telephone courier that seems to dress like a funeral director) makes for quite absurdist imagery in places.

There isn't a large amount of action and overall I felt that this wasn't highly memorable but what it is, is a lovingly crafted, character driven book that is quiet, atmospheric and gives you an effective glimpse into people's lives - like viewing Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks' but getting to actually eavesdrop on the conversations this time.

3.5* rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for a digital review copy of "Goodnight Tokyo" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

An absolutely outstanding culmination of life and one that people need to read. Full of wonder, regret and life, this is something that will appeal to fans of all genres.

A set of interconnected stories describing episodically the lives of several Tokyoites, who spend the majority of their lives at night, due to the demands of their jobs. The stories are stand alone, but also interwoven, creating a compelling tapestry of what night-time Tokyo feels like.

The structure of the short novel is its most interesting quality. Many stories were interesting and esoteric in their own right, and were very enjoyable to read. The writing is straightforward and almost journalistic, well suited to this format of storytelling. I also liked how it all comes together, contributing to the overall positive vibe of the book.

The reason for the relatively mediocre score is that fact that the book is not particularly memorable or interesting. It's a fine read, but it's a bit simplistic and likely unmemorable. I'm not leaving this book with any echo of an interesting though, or experience (just the atmosphere, perhaps).

I recommend to folks who like contemporary Japanese literature, especially from young voices. It's an easy and quick read, but don't expect too much. If you're looking for a piece of "serious" and profound literature with conflicted characters, and moral nuance - this is not it.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Gradually, we come to know the characters, all navigating Tokyo's nightlife, their stories intricately interwoven. The narrative unfolds between 1 AM and 4:30 AM over several nights. We follow a diverse cast, each leading very different lives, yet their fates intersect in the heart of Tokyo's nocturnal hours. As we encounter them, we glimpse pieces of their lives and engage in the puzzle of uncovering the connections that bind them.
If you're seeking an escape from the mundane, this book is for you.

A wonderfully weird collection of intertwined stories set in the dark hours in Tokyo. I loved how the characters began to show up in each others stories and the odd little things that connected them all by the end. Really lovely! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. 3.5 stars

This is a specific style of writing that is common in Japan — serial short stories — that can be read separately or all together in one book as the stories come together like a jigsaw puzzle as they settings and characters intersect with each other over the course of the short stories.
The translation of the book was done well — and it was an enjoyable cozy read. The characters were compelling , interesting and easy to get invested in their individual stories as well as wanting to know how they will all be interconnected in the end - though I wish we had more time to get to know the characters on an even deeper level. The book does really bring out the atmosphere of Tokyo at night.


Thanks to Netgalley and Europa Editions for this ARC. This is an honest review.