Matcha on Monday

Matcha on Monday is a collection of Japanese short stories. It was published in English on July 7, 2026. These snippets of Japanese life are not like American short stories where there is a mystery to solve. There is no whodunnit, howdunnit, or whydunnit in them. Rather, the process the characters go through to becoming more whole is the point. These stories are interconnected and one character will reappear in another. There is one story for each month of the year. Matcha on Monday is the second book in the Marble Café series.

The publisher summarizes the book: 

Across a bridge in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, a charming little matcha café – open only on Mondays – offers a beacon of light and healing to all who pass through its doors. All throughout the week, customers flock to the Marble Café that’s tucked away behind the trees – except when it’s closed on Mondays, when the Matcha Café opens in its place, offering its clientele a warm cup of matcha and restoration to start the busy week ahead. On this one day of the week, people from all walks of life frequent this cozy haven and experience the joys of human connection. Among them include: a singer who has just broken up with his lover, an unsociable young owner of a tea wholesaler, a husband who has made his wife angry, a designer and owner of a lingerie shop and a Kamishibai artist who doesn't get along with his grandmother. This heart-warming story takes place in Tokyo and Kyoto over twelve months, bringing together a community of untold unfolding lives – all starting with a cup of matcha.

The first story is Matcha on Monday where the Marble Café hosts a one time matcha event on the day they are normally closed. As a matcha lover, it is my favorite. A woman who is having a bad day is a regular customer. However, she ends up at the cafe by mistake on a Monday and is asked whether she wants her tea thin or thick. Not knowing what that means she rationalizes that thicker is better so she orders it. It was awful. She is then informed that it would go down better if she had a bite if the accompaning sweet. It tasted much better. Her bad day continues but she meets a man who will later become her husband.

Another favorite is Sparrows in Early Spring. The main character is a seamstress who opens a lingerie shop upon finishing fashion school. I thought it was unique for her to select lingerie as the focus for her shop, Peep Bird. As a seamstress myself, I learned what fabrics and thread worked best for constructing lingerie. I loved reading about her stitching the under garments. The guitarist/customer will appear in another story where she recounts shopping here.

I enjoyed the easygoing, cozy atmosphere of the stories. While the book is light reading, each story is character-driven and something profound happens to their way of thinking about themselves. I also think the book cover is magnificent. It's the reason I picked up the book in my local bookshop. Having read similar Japanese books I knew it would be a relaxing read, which it was.

5 out of 5 stars.