The Republic of Happiness

"The Republic of Happiness" is a continuation of the sensational bestseller by Ito Ogawa "Tsubaki Stationery." However, it is not necessary to know the backstory to read this book. 

The protagonist is the same young calligrapher Hatoko, who possesses the very ancient art of composing important letters for people in particularly difficult and delicate situations. While she unravels the tangled skeins of others' passions, egos, and hidden dreams, she herself must refine her views on family, love, and destiny. Many of life's wisdoms are taught to the heroine by her hometown — the capital Kamakura, which, with its millennia-old traditions, suggests how to act correctly in order to remain in peace, harmony, and happiness with the surrounding cosmos.