A sly and careful portrait of office life
—
In this careful portrait of Japan’s office culture, food and gender roles are put under the microscope, just as social niceties are tested to the extreme. One of the classic plots in fiction is to put a man between two women (or a woman between two men): in Takase’s sidelong glance at Japan’s gendered culture, the man is Nitani, a recent transfer to their branch office; and he is caught between Ashikawa, easygoing, a provider of food goodies to the office, and a shirker from the hardest tasks; and Oisho, hardworking, an outsider, and Nitani’s drinking pal. As the women subtly clash around him, Nitani builds his relationships with them, drinking with Oisho and both badmouthing their fellow workers, and his secret personal one with Ashikawa, a woman who might be his best chance at landing a wife; until it all spills over from personal to office, and the truth gets revealed in the cold light of day.

I say sly because the novella is told in Nitani’s third person and Oisho in first, and Ashikawa is seen only from their perspectives, and so no-one really sees or knows what are Ashikawa’s motivations, at least, not until the end. Ultimately, Nitani is a salaryman and will do what he needs to do in his role, at work, at home, in life; he makes nice with both Ashikawa and Oisho, and in completely different ways. Ashikawa presents the acceptable femininity that traditional Japanese culture expects, even in her helplessness at work and asking her colleagues to take on her tasks; Oisho just gets her head down and gets on with her job and everything else that anyone asks of her, piling on the overtime but refusing to take part in the politics of office life.

The book is revelatory in taking a huge swipe at Japanese culture with a plot that accepts the status quo but still manages to add a rueful twist on how it’s achieved. The quote-good-unquote are rewarded but so too the undeserving of censure are punished, resolving the book with both an up and down ending. There is no black and white in Takase’s office world, and the range of greys are infinitely varied.

A must-read for translated fiction lovers, MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS is another fly-on-the-wall literary novel that explores office dynamics and food culture in a meandering, page-turning format. Gently satirical but potentially a little too slow in parts. While it was enjoyable overall, I felt disinterested and disconnected from many of the characters… but maybe that was the point?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

A quiet, exquisite book that lingers long after the final page. Junko Takase explores connection, memory, and healing through the lens of food in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. It’s a gentle novel, filled with subtle emotion and thoughtful prose. A beautiful reminder of how nourishment extends far beyond the plate. Tender, reflective, and deeply satisfying.

I was really looking forward to this, as the concept of an exploration of the dynamics of office politics in Japan through food sounded like a great theme for a novel. Whilst I did enjoy it, I couldn't really connect with the main characters, nor did I feel that the plot developed as fully as it could. The message: use food to curry favour (sorry for the pun) and it's ok to be lazy or incompetent.

Interesting, and a quick read, but in the end kinda forgettable and one that I won;t be re-reading. 3.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

This was a sarcastic, weird book - I was expecting it to be a cute book about food and it wasn’t and I loved the direction it went in and the food for thought (pun intended) it gave me.

May You Have Delicious Meals offers a sharp and thought-provoking exploration of workplace culture, societal pressures, and the tension between authentic and performative relationships. Initially, I struggled with the pacing—it took me a while to settle into the rhythm of the narrative—but as the novella progressed, I found myself increasingly drawn to its quiet, incisive critique. The recurring motif of food is particularly compelling, serving as both a reflection of social expectations and a metaphor for the ways in which these pressures can become stifling, even suffocating. What begins as a seemingly straightforward commentary on corporate life gradually deepens into a meditation on conformity, obligation, and the quiet rebellion of personal choice.

I want to try the food.
What an interesting slice of life. I made a list of characters and sorted out the sexes, I found the attitudes of the full time and part time workers interesting. The story is set in a marketing company, with very normally polite people, one exeption is Oshio, she often says what she thinks and is not fond of Ashkawa, a girl who is timid, kind and sweet. Nitani starts seeing Ashikawa, they meet for meals and she often cooks for him. Nitani would actually prefer pot noodles and instant food as he resents the time taking to prepare food and eating with other people.
I liked the insight into office life and the interactions of Oshio, Nitani and Ashikawa.
Thank you NetGalley, Junko and publisher for this ARC.

This is a novella translated from the Japanese that seems to poke fun at the power games within Japan’s offices using food as a sort of mirror. It focuses on three main characters. Nitani eats nothing but Pot Noodles. He likes life to be convenient - not for him the idea of going home to prepare a meal. The other two characters are Ashikawa and Oshio. Ashikawa is described as a good person, one who is constantly smiling but she is seen as weak. She needs to be looked after as a difficult client will reduce her to tears. She brings in baked goods regularly as a way of thanking her co-workers for stepping in. Being so sweet and meek, Nitani believes that she is the sort of person he should marry and so starts to date her. Oshio is the opposite of Ashikawa and almost the bad voice in Nitani’s ear. They regularly go out for a drink after work and Oshio will moan about Ashikawa and Nitani will join in even though he is dating her. The whole culture around food is, for me, strange, as there seems to be a specific way that you are supposed to praise the person bringing in food. However, Nitani rebels against Ashikawa’s food and her attempt to stop him from eating Pot Noodles. At times this is an uncomfortable and misogynistic read and you wonder why Ashikawa stays with him. However there could be another way of looking at Ashikawa - is she manipulating her co-wprkers to do her work by the constant gift giving? While she seems to be the ideal feminine model, Oshio is not as she is seen to be outspoken and aggressive. An interesting read.

I found this quite muddled and a little too repetitive to focus on, wasn't for me. I feel like this could have been much shorter and therefore much more compelling.

I think if you were immersed in Japanese office culture, this novella about food and work relationships would have more meaning. I could really see what was meant to resonate - the relationship with food, reflecting the work world - but it felt too slight.

An interesting view on Japanese office culture and food. It didn’t grip me as much as I had hoped though.
Thank you Penguin UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

May You Have Delicious Meals by Takase Junko was a book I liked on some levels but not on others. On the plus side, it offered an intriguing 'behind-the-scenes' glimpse of office politics in the Japan, embedded deeply in the unwritten society rules of politeness and etiquette. On that front it was interesting reading and made one consider conformity and stereotypes. On the downside, though, I found the vignette-style narrative a little off putting. You had to keep re-establishing yourself with the right character in each new moment, and that gave the book a lack of overall cohesion which sometimes led to my focus and attention wandering as I was reading. If you are interested in modern Japanese culture, it's definitely worth a read, but don't go in expecting a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. I am giving it four stars.

May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko Takase (translated by Anna Wells) is a sharp, satirical novella that uses food as a lens to explore power, rebellion, and isolation within Japan’s rigid office culture. At just 144 pages, this Akutagawa Prize-winning story dissects workplace dynamics through three colleagues—each navigating societal expectations in different, and often quietly defiant, ways.

Ashikawa plays the office “good girl,” using charm and tradition to maintain harmony...or perhaps mark her territory. Nitani, her resentful boyfriend, turns to instant noodles as a passive act of rebellion (you'll have to read it for the rationale :) ). Meanwhile, Oshio, the overworked outsider, drowns her frustrations in after-work drinking, exposing the double standards of corporate life in Japan.

Takase’s prose is understated but piercing, and Wells’ translation effectively captures the novella’s biting critique. While the characters serve more as symbols of societal roles than deeply fleshed-out individuals, this approach highlights the story’s true focus—the tension between conformity, quiet resistance, and truly playing the system.

If you enjoy literary fiction that is sharp, unflinching, and socially aware, May You Have Delicious Meals is a thought-provoking read. Perfect for fans of workplace critiques, cultural commentary, and stories that make you reconsider the significance of everyday choices—like what’s on your plate. That said,, people who like to like their main characters may dislike this narrative because there isn't one truly charismatic 'nice guy' in the cast of characters and that will likely feel disconcerting.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, and the teams at Cornerstone and Hutchinson Heinemann for the advance copy.

I think this Japanese story was not for me.

When I read the synopsis I liked it because it seemed like it was really going to be in the style of Japanese and Korean books that are being translated lately AND IT IS! But no, at times I didn't know what I was reading or why I had to continue. There was a lack of attractive or endearing characters and I think this was an obstacle.

The satire of the working world is interesting, how it exposes the food culture of Japan... but it was all quite depressing.

It is a peculiar story that can be very enjoyable or very frustrating.

Thank you very much Random House UK for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed many of translations of Japanese novels that are available now. There are some great books in the genre. I don't think this slight novella fits well with the other books. Maybe something lost in the translation, though I do not feel the translation is at fault. I read this on a train journey and found staring out of the window more fun.

I struggled to get into this one a little and I can't quite put my finger on why. I didn't really find the characters likable or engaging, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing in every book it just didn't really work here for me.

A slice of life book lending insight into office life and culture in Japan. The story revolves around three characters Nitani and his two female colleagues, Ashikawa and Osiho.

Nitani and Osiho are particularly unlikeable. Despite secretly seeing Ashikawa, he lets Osiho rant about her and conspire to bully her in the office. Ashikawa is of a delicate disposition and seems to get away getting little work done and avoiding confrontational situations. She does however, like to bake and likes to feed people.

I found Nitani to be despicable. The fact that he preferred cup noodles to Ashikawa's cooking highlighted the need for convenience in his life and that the relationships in his life were disposable.

May You Have Delicious Meals is a heartwarming and delightful read. Through its vibrant storytelling and charming characters, Takase captures the essence of food as not just sustenance but a source of connection and joy. The book beautifully explores themes of love, friendship, and the comfort of a shared meal, making it both relatable and uplifting.

I had high hopes for this but it wasn’t for me.

It had some amusing and relatable observations of office life and the associated food culture but was also kind of a bummer.

All of the characters were the worst and it was incredibly misogynistic and a little ableist. I was very surprised to see it was written by a female author!

This is an odd one, and I really liked it!

I love novels about food, and I am a huge fan of Japanese literature, so I knew I had to read this book as soon as I first heard of it!

May You Have Delicious Meals is a short novel about Japanese office culture, especially when it comes to food. It pointedly begins with our main character Nitani refusing to go out for lunch with his boss, which marks the beginning of this unhinged ride. The book is centred around a quartet of characters: Nitani, two women he works with—Ashikawa and Oshio—and food, intertwined with the politics of working in an office.

Ashikawa is described as being archetypically a "good" person and, more than that, makes an effort to be perceived that way (e.g. bringing treats for everyone at work), but also acts as this really fragile individual who just can't handle the same workload as everyone else, which makes some people quite annoyed with her (i.e. Nitani and Oshio), even if secretly. Nitani feels very much bothered by her way of thinking about food and overall attitude (which always seem to be linked in this book); he is, in many ways, her opposite, which is evident by his favourite food: Pot Noodles, showing his different outlook on life. Oshio, in a way, gives voice to this other side of Nitani, his toxic side, and they become kind of friends, meeting up to drink and talk badly of Ashikawa.

May You Have Delicious Meals, then, seems to link the characters' attitude to food with their attitude towards life and work in a very unhinged way, which I found really intriguing (and I don't know what that says about me). The book touches on gender dynamics and expectations in Japanese society and seems intent on deliberately unsettling readers with its flawed, judgmental and, sometimes, misogynistic and ableist characters, using food as a way to get the core of who they are and how they go about life.

Thank you so much to Hutchinson Heinemann for the proof and NetGalley for the e-ARC!