Short version: 110 Small Joys I Would Miss is not a book for finding happiness — it is a book for noticing what you already have. Nothing in it is about acquiring anything new.
It is not a book with a narrative to follow, yet each page quietly lit up something about my own habits and reactions. I stopped repeatedly to ask, “is this actually something I would miss?”
The criteria I read it against:
- Voice and prose
- How it handles its theme
- The aftertaste, and its effect on daily life
Everything below follows those three.
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What kind of book is it?
An essay collection of 110 short pieces about small forms of happiness.
| Title | Nakunattara Komaru 110 no Shiawase (110 Small Joys I Would Miss) |
|---|---|
| Author | Yataro Matsuura |
| Published | July 2025, Mikasa Shobo, Chiteki Ikikata Bunko |
| Length / Price | 288 pages / 891 yen incl. tax |
| ISBN | 978-4-8379-8931-8 |
Matsuura was born in Tokyo in 1965. He founded the select bookshop COW BOOKS and spent nine years as editor-in-chief of the magazine Kurashi no Techo before moving into the IT industry, where he now advises several companies.
Entries like “knowing which flowers are in bloom” and “a promise to someone who matters” are small enough to act on immediately. At 288 pages for 110 items, each runs two or three pages, and it works opened at any point.
Voice: the distance that comes from not asserting
What stands out is that none of the pieces are written as “you should”.
Even when a habit worth keeping or a feeling worth protecting is described, there is no pressure on the reader to adopt it. The prose is very spare, and everyday scenes — morning air, the objects around you, the right distance from other people — are simply set down.
Even so, while reading I naturally sorted the entries into “that does not apply to me” and “that one, I really would miss”.
That room to sort is what makes the book work. Because no values are pushed onto you, there is space to compare against your own.
You do not have to agree with all 110. Reading with roughly half of them landing as “not that one” is what gives the rest their weight.
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Theme: keeping happiness small
The happiness here is not achievement or success. It is the small stability you only notice once it is gone.
Repeated daily actions, environments you rely on without thinking, a comfortable distance from other people — each is put into words as a form of happiness.
Which is where I concluded that this is not a book for finding happiness but for noticing what is already there. Without acquiring anything new, there are things in your current life worth reassessing. That view holds throughout.
Some readers will find that thin. Anyone wanting dramatic change or a strong message will find it too quiet.
Aftertaste: it works slowly
Nothing hits hard on finishing. But a few days later, particular lines surfaced unprompted.
About to abandon a habit I had kept without thinking, or letting things get sloppy under pressure, I would stop and think “that might be one of the things I would miss”.
This book acts very slowly. Rather than changing anything immediately, it keeps nudging small daily decisions. I found that pleasant, but expecting fast results will disappoint.
Being a bunko paperback it travels well, and reading a few entries at a time on a commute suited it. This is not a book to consume in one sitting.
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Who it suits
| A good fit | Possibly not for you |
|---|---|
| Anyone who suspects they are treating their own life carelessly | Anyone wanting concrete methods or rules |
| Anyone tired of the insistence of self-help | Anyone expecting a dramatic shift in outlook |
| Anyone who wants to think quietly, without being pushed | Anyone wanting a sustained argument across a whole book |
In its resistance to declaring things, it runs close to Hideki Wada’s Kanjo ni Furimawasarenai. The difference is the vantage point: Wada organizes things as a psychiatrist, while this is written from the daily sense of an editor and essayist.
Verdict: recommended, but the timing matters
Not a book to recommend unconditionally. But for anyone at a point where they want to stop and look at their own life, it sits alongside you quietly.
What it left me with was the importance of “not being careless with what I already have” rather than adding more happiness.
If any of that sounds familiar right now, picking it up is unlikely to be a waste.
Summary
- Yataro Matsuura, Nakunattara Komaru 110 no Shiawase (July 2025, Mikasa Shobo; 288 pages; 891 yen)
- The author founded COW BOOKS and edited Kurashi no Techo
- Not about finding happiness, but noticing what you already have
- None of it is written as “you should”, which leaves room to sort
- You do not need to agree with all 110. Half landing as “not that” is fine
- It works slowly — days later, in small decisions
- Better a few entries at a time than in one sitting. Easy to carry
