
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen
A Novel (Meals to Remember at the Chibineko Kitchen, Book 1)
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $13.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Hanako Footman
About this listen
Your table awaits at the Chibineko Kitchen, where a soul-nourishing meal in the company of the resident kitten will transport you back in time to reunite with departed loved ones—for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Midnight Library, and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away.
Menu
Namero-don: Seasoned minced fish served on rice
Easy omelette sandwich
Umebishio: Pickled-plum jam
Sukiyaki-don: Beef hotpot, served over rice
In a remote seaside town outside of Tokyo, Kotoko makes her way along a seashell path, lured by whispers of an enigmatic restaurant whose kagezen, or traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones, promise a reunion with the departed. When a gust of wind lifts off her hat, she sees running after it a young man who looks like her recently deceased brother. But it’s not her brother; it’s Kai, the restaurant’s young chef, who returns her hat and brings her to the tiny establishment, where he introduces her to Chibi, the resident kitten, and serves her steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice, and miso soup—the exact meal her brother used to cook for her. As she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent, the air grows hazy, and Kotoko begins a magical journey of last chances and new beginnings.
©2025 Yuta Takahashi and Cat Anderson (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Marigold Mind Laundry
- A Novel
- By: Jungeun Yun, Shanna Tan - translator
- Narrated by: Sofia Jin
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born with mysterious powers she does not know how to control, young Jieun accidentally causes her family to vanish. She vows to live a million lives in search of them. Finally, one night, she brings the Marigold Mind Laundry into existence. Its service: to remove the deepest pain from our hearts. Jieun listens while customers share their unhappy memories. As they speak, she transfers their sadness onto T-shirts as stains. After a spin in the washing machine, the stains become flower petals that soar into the air, and Jieun’s customers find solace.
-
-
Sometimes finding what we want, means letting go of everything.
- By Rebecca A. Frager on 01-29-25
By: Jungeun Yun, and others
-
If Cats Disappeared from the World
- A Novel
- By: Genki Kawamura
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat, Cabbage, to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the Devil appears to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, our narrator will get one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week....
-
-
I couldn't finish this
- By 5thBusiness on 01-27-22
By: Genki Kawamura
-
The Lantern of Lost Memories
- By: Sanaka Hiiragi
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard. Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time.
-
-
Quiet, magical feels...a bit like Harry
- By SHES4AMWF on 03-18-25
By: Sanaka Hiiragi
-
A Perfect Day to Be Alone
- A Novel
- By: Nanae Aoyama, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Mirai Mirai
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Perfect Day to Be Alone is a moving, microscopic examination of loneliness and heartbreak. With flashes of deadpan humor and a keen eye for poignant detail, Aoyama chronicles the painful process of breaking free from the moorings of youth.
By: Nanae Aoyama, and others
-
The Rainfall Market
- By: You Yeong-Gwang, Slin Jung - translator
- Narrated by: Rosa Escoda
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life. No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.
-
-
Reminders
- By Marlene Orozco on 04-24-25
By: You Yeong-Gwang, and others
-
The Blanket Cats
- By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Yuriri Naka
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers a unique opportunity: the chance to adopt one of seven special cats whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality.
By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, and others
-
Marigold Mind Laundry
- A Novel
- By: Jungeun Yun, Shanna Tan - translator
- Narrated by: Sofia Jin
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born with mysterious powers she does not know how to control, young Jieun accidentally causes her family to vanish. She vows to live a million lives in search of them. Finally, one night, she brings the Marigold Mind Laundry into existence. Its service: to remove the deepest pain from our hearts. Jieun listens while customers share their unhappy memories. As they speak, she transfers their sadness onto T-shirts as stains. After a spin in the washing machine, the stains become flower petals that soar into the air, and Jieun’s customers find solace.
-
-
Sometimes finding what we want, means letting go of everything.
- By Rebecca A. Frager on 01-29-25
By: Jungeun Yun, and others
-
If Cats Disappeared from the World
- A Novel
- By: Genki Kawamura
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat, Cabbage, to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the Devil appears to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, our narrator will get one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week....
-
-
I couldn't finish this
- By 5thBusiness on 01-27-22
By: Genki Kawamura
-
The Lantern of Lost Memories
- By: Sanaka Hiiragi
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard. Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time.
-
-
Quiet, magical feels...a bit like Harry
- By SHES4AMWF on 03-18-25
By: Sanaka Hiiragi
-
A Perfect Day to Be Alone
- A Novel
- By: Nanae Aoyama, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Mirai Mirai
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Perfect Day to Be Alone is a moving, microscopic examination of loneliness and heartbreak. With flashes of deadpan humor and a keen eye for poignant detail, Aoyama chronicles the painful process of breaking free from the moorings of youth.
By: Nanae Aoyama, and others
-
The Rainfall Market
- By: You Yeong-Gwang, Slin Jung - translator
- Narrated by: Rosa Escoda
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life. No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.
-
-
Reminders
- By Marlene Orozco on 04-24-25
By: You Yeong-Gwang, and others
-
The Blanket Cats
- By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Yuriri Naka
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers a unique opportunity: the chance to adopt one of seven special cats whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality.
By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, and others
-
The Healing Season of Pottery
- By: Yeon Somin, Clare Richards
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Burned out by her TV news writing job, Jungmin leaves in an attempt to salvage her life. When she stumbles upon a mysterious pottery studio, she feels immediately at home. The warmth, the smell of clay, and the incredible coffee awaken her senses and make her feel alive for the first time in months. Over the coming year, season by season, pot by pot, Jungmin returns to herself and builds unexpected friendships with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own trials at the pottery wheel.
-
-
A lovely surprise
- By Sharon on 02-24-25
By: Yeon Somin, and others
-
The Passengers on the Hankyu Line
- By: Hiro Arikawa, Allison Markin Powell - translator
- Narrated by: Natsumi Kuroda
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between the two beautiful towns of Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, in a stunning mountainous area of Japan, rattles the Hankyu Line train. Passengers step on and off, lost in thought, contemplating the tiny knots of their existence. On the outward journey, we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters, and on the return journey six months later, we watch them find resolutions.
By: Hiro Arikawa, and others
-
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book Set
- By: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
- Narrated by: Arina Ii, Kevin Shen
- Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What would you do if you could travel back in time? Discover the internationally bestselling novels of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, now a worldwide phenomenon and BookTok sensation, in this special new book set. Step inside Tokyo’s whimsical Café Funiculi Funicula and travel back in time with a cast of unforgettable characters.
-
-
very profound, lost in translation?
- By Ashlyn C. on 10-06-23
-
The Guest Cat
- By: Takashi Hiraide
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A couple in their 30s live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife - the days have more light and color.
-
-
A Novel As Poetry
- By Sara on 06-29-17
By: Takashi Hiraide
-
She and Her Cat
- Stories
- By: Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa, Ginny Tapley Takemori
- Narrated by: Winson Ting, Julia Strowski, Jacqui Bardelang, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lying alone on the edge of the sidewalk in an abandoned cardboard box, a nameless narrator contemplates the indifferent world around him. With his mother long gone, his only company is the sound of the nearby train. Just as he fears that the end is near, a young woman peers down at him, this fateful encounter changing their lives forever.
-
-
Poor Narration
- By Melody Powell on 12-31-24
By: Makoto Shinkai, and others
-
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
- By: Baek Sehee
- Narrated by: Jully Lee
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baek Sehee is a successful young social media director at a publishing house when she begins seeing a psychiatrist about her—what to call it?—depression? She feels persistently low, anxious, endlessly self-doubting, but also highly judgemental of others. She hides her feelings well at work and with friends, performing the calmness her lifestyle demands. The effort is exhausting, overwhelming and keeps her from forming deep relationships. This can't be normal. But if she's so hopeless, why can she always summon a yen for her favourite street food: the spicy rice cake, tteokbokki?
-
-
Woe is me
- By Adrianna Flores on 07-10-23
By: Baek Sehee
-
The Dallergut Dream Department Store
- A Novel
- By: Miye Lee
- Narrated by: Shannon Tyo
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there's a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died. For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at Dallergut is the opportunity of a lifetime.
-
-
Love The Concept of Living a Life In Your Dream
- By S. Garza on 07-23-24
By: Miye Lee
-
The Friend
- A Novel
- By: Sigrid Nunez
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: Dogs are prohibited in her apartment building. While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time.
-
-
Dreadful and misleading...
- By Gail on 11-18-18
By: Sigrid Nunez
-
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
- By: Keigo Higashino
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii, Sura Siu, Kyle Omori
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“From exactly midnight until daybreak, the Namiya General Store advice box will be reopening for one night only.” When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store’s shutter. This seemingly simple request for advice sets the trio on a journey of discovery as, over the course of a single night, they step into the role of the kindhearted former shopkeeper who devoted his waning years to offering thoughtful counsel to his correspondents.
-
-
One of my favorite books now
- By Anonymous User on 01-15-23
By: Keigo Higashino
-
The Easy Life in Kamusari
- Forest, Book 1
- By: Shion Miura, Juliet Winters Carpenter - translator
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is “take it easy.” At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull.
-
-
I wanted it to be a true story
- By Scott on 05-19-22
By: Shion Miura, and others
-
The Door-to-Door Bookstore
- A Novel
- By: Carsten Henn
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Small-town German bookseller Carl Kollhoff delivers his books to special customers in the evening hours after closing time, walking through the picturesque alleys of the city. These people are almost like friends to him, and he is their most important connection to the world. When Kollhoff unexpectedly loses his job, it takes the power of books and a nine-year-old girl to make them all find the courage to rebuild their bonds with each other.
-
-
Delightful
- By susan boardman on 07-11-23
By: Carsten Henn
-
Jenny Colgan's Christmas Island Collection
- A Scottish Romance Book Set Featuring Christmas on the Island & Christmas at the Island Hotel
- By: Jenny Colgan
- Narrated by: Sarah Barron, Eilidh Beaton
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Celebrate the holidays with New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan’s Christmas Island Collection, featuring two novels—Christmas on the Island and Christmas at the Island Hotel—two romantic and festive tales set on a charming island off the coast of Scotland.
-
-
So disappointing
- By Kelly on 12-03-24
By: Jenny Colgan
Critic reviews
One of Electric Literature’s 10 Heartwarming Japanese Books Perfect for Cozy Nights
“Charming . . . Easy to read, this book will take readers on an emotional and nourishing journey.”—The Seattle Times
“A warm hug of a novel.”—AARP
“Heartwarming . . . If you enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold, you might enjoy this magical tale set in a seaside town outside of Tokyo.”—Savvy Tokyo