Title: THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES
Author: HIRO ARIKAWA
ISBN: 9780857524195
Publisher: Penguin UK
Pages: 241
Source: Private Copy
It’s not the journey that counts, but who is at your side
Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where to. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved Satoru in the front of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.
Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and striking humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about friendship, solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take. Above all, it shows how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.
Official Summary
18 June 2026
This book kept popping up on social media, and while I am not usually a huge fan of translated fiction, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
Nana, our narrator, is a stray cat who, after being hit by a car, is taken in by Satoru. After living together for quite some time, the two have come to know each other remarkably well. Now they are embarking on a road trip. Satoru is visiting three childhood friends, hoping one of them will agree to take Nana in, as he can no longer keep him. Yet Satoru never explains why he must part with Nana, and Nana himself has no intention of leaving his beloved human. As a result, each visit leads to some sort of disaster, ensuring that Nana leaves with Satoru every time.
As they travel across Japan, the pair not only learn more about one another but also share meaningful experiences that deepen the bond between them.
This is a moving story about friendship, loyalty, and loss. Nana’s devotion to Satoru is unwavering and deeply touching. Even after discovering that Satoru is dying, Nana refuses to leave him, believing that even a return to life on the streets of Tokyo would be preferable to abandoning his companion.
The meeting between Nana and Satoru’s aunt was certainly a highlight for me. I loved the way Nana gradually won her affection while teaching her to care for—and love—a cat. When she sneaks Nana into the ICU to say goodbye to Satoru, I must admit I shed a tear.
This heartfelt novel is guaranteed to leave you looking at your pet in a whole new light.
Also by Hiro Arikawa
Add Your Heading Text Here
In the much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling and beloved The Travelling Cat Chronicles , seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives, climbing, comforting, nestling, and sometimes just tripping everyone up in this uplifting collection of tales by international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa .
Against the backdrop of changing seasons in Japan, we meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose playful nature and simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a popular holiday island show a young boy not to stand in nature’s way; a family is perplexed by their cat’s undying devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat will not stop visiting her at night; and an elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be in each other’s lives forever.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Hiro Arikawa won the tenth annual Dengeki Novel Prize for new writers for Shio no Machi: Wish on My Precious in 2003, and the book was published the following year. It was praised for its love story between a heroine and hero divided by age and social status, and for its depiction of military structures. Although she is a light novelist, her books from her second work onwards have been published as hardbacks alongside more literary works with Arikawa receiving special treatment in this respect from her publisher, MediaWorks. Shio no Machi was also later published in hardback. Her 2006 light novel Toshokan Sensō (The Library War) was named as Hon no Zasshi’s number one for entertainment for the first half of 2006, and came fifth in the Honya Taishō for that year, competing against ordinary novels.
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