The Chibineko Kitchen

Follow the bank of the Koitogawa river until you reach the beach. From there a path of white seashells leads to the Chibineko Kitchen. Chibi, the restaurant cat, will meet you at the door.

These are the directions Kotoko follows to find the tiny restaurant by the sea. She's been told that the food served there can bring someone you've lost back to you, for one last time. And as she sits down to steaming bowls of food and takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent and the air grows hazy . . .

Meet the diners at the Chibineko Kitchen:

• Kotoko, a young woman reeling from the death of her older brother
• Taiji, a primary school boy confused by the disappearance of his first love
• Yoshio, an elderly peanut farmer mourning his wife and their beautiful life together
• Kai, the restaurant's young chef, bravely taking over the business alone

A meal at the Chibineko Kitchen leaves each of them nourished, soothed, and reminded of what matters most in life.

If you could speak to someone you've lost, one last time, what would you tell them?