The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin was an utter, utter delight, and I absolutely adored this gorgeous tale of adventure, ambition and romance. Captivating to the senses, as well as the imagination, Julie Caplin writes a truly delicious and enchanting story within the pages and I just couldn’t get enough of this enriching Japanese escape. I think what I most loved about this novel was how much of a breath of fresh air it was, how unique and stand-out. I am pretty sure this is the only story I’ve read set in Tokyo and I found every single moment spent within it a pure joy. From the irresistible foodie delights, to the vibrant and boisterous city, I couldn’t help but to marvel at the wonderful world delivered to me by the author, and I found myself reading wide-eyed, as if I were wandering around this magical place too, alongside Fiona as she began her discovery of Tokyo with her trusty camera at her side.
The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin follows Fiona, travel-blogger and photographer, as she sets out to Tokyo on an all-expenses paid, competition-won trip, with the chance to exhibit her photographs at the Japan Centre in London being the best part of the prize. Not only is it the most incredible opportunity to experience everything Japan has to offer, Fiona is going to be mentored during her stay, by one of the best photographers in the world, Yutaka Araki. It’s a dream come true for Fiona and she’s not about to pass it up, even if her quivering self-confidence, and anxious hypochondriac of a mother, are tempting her to do exactly that. So, with her best foot forward, and her curiosity sky-high, Fiona begins her adventure, ready to learn and willing to see the enchantment around every corner. But as is so often the case, things aren’t about to go as smoothly as Fiona had hoped, and it turns out her mentor is not the famous Yutaka Araki after all, and is, in fact, rather disappointingly, Gabe Burnett, someone who is already familiar to Fiona, and someone she isn’t quite as willing to learn from. At least, not until she’s able to push aside the silly teenage infatuation she once felt towards him. Ten years may have passed, but it seems intense embarrassment and foolishness can surpass that amount of time, and then some…
The setting of Tokyo in this story truly held me captive throughout my reading of Fiona’s adventures. Julie Caplin delivers this world to her readers in the most effortlessly charming way, and her descriptions were beautiful. I was under the author’s spell entirely and found myself entranced by Fiona’s surroundings, star-struck and wide-eyed by this new and fascinating place. I can’t deny that reading this story certainly sparked an intense sense of wanderlust within me, and that’s entirely down to the author’s skill at bringing her setting to life. I fell head over heels in love with this setting and found myself marvelling at the very same things as Fiona, in awe of the bold and brash of the city, and fascinated with the simplistic beauty of the Haruka’s teashop and the incredible garden, both of which contrasted so beautifully against each other. There was such a delightful sense of serenity in this story, and the urge to take hold of Haruka’s wisdom and keep it for myself. The references to a deeper, more enriching way of life spent focused less on materialistic things and more on the heart and soul spoke volumes to me, and had me reading the pages wanting to soak it all up, wanting to be there in Haruka’s garden myself, sat in silence, allowing the peace to wash over me and feeling completely at one with the world. It’s safe to say that the setting of this story left a lasting impression on me, and I loved every single second spent within it. Caplin writes with the true essence of this place in mind and it shone through in every sentence, and every description I devoured.
Fiona’s journey within this book was an exciting and ever-changing one which kept me turning the pages, always wanting more. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Fiona travelled to new places to capture her photographs, with Gabe at her side. There were so many incredible spots that Fiona visited during her stay in Tokyo and I loved reading about them, almost as if I was visiting the places myself. There were so many, from The Skytree, the tallest building in Japan, to the digital art museum which was absolutely fantastic, Ueno Park to see the blossom falling and the incredible Mount Fuji. This was such an eye-opening read and not only did I love it for the escapism which it gifted to me, but also for the educational factor, as learning about Tokyo and all of the tourist hot-spots was exciting and informative.
And of course, the romance! I can’t end this review without telling you about the romance. Readers are aware pretty much immediately that there’s a history between Fiona and Gabe, and so this adds tension between them right away, especially when we discover that things didn’t exactly end on friendly terms between them. The relationships in this story all evolve brilliantly, not only the one between Fiona and Gabe, but the one between Fiona and Haruka and her family who reside in the teashop, too. Caplin captures the essence of family traditions so beautifully, but also the chemistry that still fizzles between Fiona and Gabe. It was teasingly sexy, and Caplin turns up the unbearable heat between the pair, making it all the more exciting and addictive. Even more interesting was the role that Yumi played in Gabe’s life, and how this changed over time, funnily enough, after Fiona had stepped on the scene. Gabe’s reluctance to mentor and throw his heart into his artwork at the beginning seemed to be the very thing which Fiona had the magic to fix, and this coming together made this a magical pairing, not only romantically but spiritually too. The scenes between Fiona and Gabe truly warmed my heart and when their story reached its end, I felt utterly bereft at having to leave them to their own devices. The emotions were all-consuming and I couldn’t bear it when I realised how close I was to finishing this book. I didn’t want to let them go! And the ending absolutely blew me away. Caplin pushed me to tears! It was such a memorable way to leave the characters and perhaps one of my favourite book endings of all time.
I cannot give this gorgeously uplifting, beautifully-told story enough praise. It was an enriching, soul-lifting book, full of adventure and warmth and heart. Packed with stunning descriptions and full of emotion, it made me want to pack up my bags and leave for my own Tokyo adventure immediately! Caplin well and truly brought Tokyo to life and her mesmerising descriptions opened up an entirely new world to me while I snuggled deeper into my sofa. Enriching and vibrant, I could not get enough of this romantic tale and it will be receiving a five out of five rating from The Book Babe today. Take me back to Tokyo!
Read on to find out more about The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin.
For travel blogger Fiona, Japan has always been top of her bucket list so when she wins an all-expenses paid trip, it looks like her dreams are coming true.
Until she arrives in vibrant, bustling Tokyo and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart ten years ago, gorgeous photographer Gabe.
Fiona can’t help but remember the heartache of their last meeting but amidst the temples and clouds of soft pink cherry blossoms, can Fiona and Gabe start to see life – and each other – differently?
You can purchase your copy of The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin here.
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