Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba | Book Review

Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba isn’t your average ghost story, because it treats the dead not as specters to fear, but as stories waiting to be remembered. It starts with Kazu, a regular boy who suddenly sees a girl in a white kimono leaving his house late at night. He knows she wasn’t there before, but the next day, everyone at school acts like she’s always been in their class. Something doesn’t add up, and Kazu can’t ignore it. As he starts digging for answers, he uncovers hidden parts of his town’s past, a temple that might be able to bring the dead back, and an old short story that might explain everything.

(Temple Alley Summer oleh Sachiko Kashiwaba bukan cerita hantu biasa karena buku ini menceritakan hantu bukan sebagai sesuatu yang ditakuti tapi sebagai kisah yang ingin selalu diingat. Ceritanya dimulai saat Kazu, anak laki-laki yang biasa-biasa saja, tiba-tiba melihat ada anak perempuan mengenakan kimono putih keluar dari rumahnya di malam hari. Padahal, dia yakin sekali tidak ada anak perempuan itu sebelumnya. Besoknya, semua orang di sekolahnya malah menganggap anak perempuan itu sudah ada di kelas mereka dari dulu. Kazu merasa ada yang nggak beres, dan dia penasaran banget. Akhirnya, dia mulai mencari tahu, dan menemukan bagian-bagian tersembunyi dari kota tempat tinggalnya, ada kuil yang mungkin aja bisa membuat orang hidup lagi, lalu ada cerita pendek jaman dulu yang mungkin bisa menjawab semua misteri ini.)

⚠️ WARNING/SIDE EFFECTS

• May cause sudden urges to investigate your neighborhood’s sketchiest alley

• Side effects include existential dread masked as "wholesome life lessons"

• 73% chance you’ll side-eye your grandparents’ old photo albums afterward

• Could ruin basic ghost stories for you forever

• Do not read at night if prone to overthinking mortality

📜 TL;DR

Boy meets ghost. Ghost attends history class. Local legends go brrr. A+ for:

✔️ Found family

✔️ Japanese folklore that slaps

✔️ Feels that hit like a Ghibli movie’s third act

🚫 Minus points for: Uncle Google and that one fairy tale placement 

🎯 PERFECT FOR PEOPLE WHO:

• Stan Spirited Away but wish it had more email chains

• Low-key believe their childhood bestie was a ghost

• Want existential crisis and beach scenes in one book

• Think "rules of resurrection" should come with a FAQ section

• Appreciate the consequences of peeing out the window 

BOOK REVIEW 

One night, an ordinary fifth-grader named Kazu spots a girl in a white kimono casually ghosting out of his family’s altar room, even though she wasn’t there before. But the next day, everyone at school acts like that girl always been in their class, everyone’s like, "Akari? Oh yeah, we’ve known her forever." Cue the existential crisis. Temple Alley Summer is a wild ride through forgotten legends, an old mysterious map of a street called "Resurrection Alley," and a friendship that blurs the line between the living and the dead. Think Scooby-Doo meets Spirited Away, with a side of existential dread (but make it cute).

The author doesn’t just give us one story, but she drops a whole other fairy tale inside this one, about a girl enslaved by a witch who’s obsessed with bringing back the dead, which Akari longs to finish reading. As Kazu digs deeper into Akari’s past, he found quiet resistance from adults who seem determined to bury the past. This book shows us how stories shape our lives, and how some endings are meant to stay unfinished. And, there’s humor to balance the heaviness: Kazu’s internal monologue is a mood (example: his very valid fear of zombies eating his brain). And Akari? She’s out here teaching him to appreciate the little things like beach days, friendship, and good books, because when you’re literally living on borrowed time, every moment feels different.

This book doesn't only give us ghost, because it gives us a peek into Japanese spiritual traditions as well, where the author explores Shinto and Buddhist ideas without preachiness with shrines hidden in back alleys, ancestors who aren’t really "gone," and a town that has to decide whether to remember or erase its past. Kazu’s journey is a love letter to curiosity, by asking the big questions (like "What does it mean to exist?") while still being a kid who’s scared of the zombies. By the end, you’ll be left with that bittersweet Ghibli feeling: Life’s magic is in its fleetingness, whether it’s a summer with a ghost or a story that ends too soon.

What starts as a "WTF is that ghost doing in my house?!" mystery turns into the exploration of acceptance. Akari isn’t some jump-scare horror ghost, because she’s a girl savoring a second chance at childhood, hungry for stories and sunsets. Kazu’s journey from "NOPE" to fiercely protective best friend is chef’s kiss, especially when he notices unsettling gaps in others’ perceptions (like Akari’s eerily perfect but fabricated "mother"). Their friendship is a quiet rebellion against small-mindedness like when Kazu shields Akari from a suspicious shopkeeper, which is a proof that prejudice melts faster than an ice cream cone in August.

Spoiler alert: This isn’t one of those "ghost gets resurrected, happily ever after" clichés. The author keeps it painfully real, Akari’s on borrowed time, and every beach trip, every laugh, every page of that unfinished fairy tale they’re obsessed with hits like a truck. Even the story inside this book (about a witch’s resurrection spell attempt) whispers the truth we all need to learn: holding onto the past too tight just ruins the present. But Akari’s existence isn’t a tragedy. It’s a lesson in living with your whole heart, even when the clock’s ticking.

It is that rare book that’s equal parts cozy and existential. Kashiwaba turns dusty maps, a child’s laughter echoing down an alley, and old houses into portals to wonder, while the translation (shoutout to Avery Fischer Udagawa) keeps every joke, silence, and gut-punch feeling fresh. It’s got the nostalgia of When Marnie Was There, the quirky heart of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and a message that life is short, but the mark we leave is eternal. More than a ghost story, this is a meditation on memory, legacy, and living without regrets. By the last page, you’ll be side-eyeing your hometown alleyways, wondering what (or who) might be lingering just out of sight. 

(Suatu malam, Kazu, bocah kelas lima SD yang biasa-biasa aja, tiba-tiba melihat anak perempuan berkimono putih keluar dari ruang altar keluarganya, padahal tadi nggak ada siapa-siapa di situ! Tapi besoknya, semua orang di sekolah bersikap kayak anak perempuan itu (Akari namanya) emang dari dulu sekelas sama mereka. "Akari? Ya iya lah, kita kenal dari TK!" Cue existential crisis ala Kazu. Temple Alley Summer ini kayak rollercoaster misteri yang menggabungkan legenda kota yang sudah dilupakan, peta kuno dengan "Gang Kebangkitan," dan persahabatan yang mengaburkan batas antara yang hidup dan yang mati. Bayangin Scooby-Doo ketemu Spirited Away, dikasih sentuhan existential dread tapi tetap wholesome.

Nggak cuma satu alur, penulisnya menyelipkan dongeng lain di tengah cerita, tentang gadis yang dijebak penyihir obsesif yang pengen menghidupkan orang mati. Dongeng inilah yang Akari pengen banget tamatin. Pas Kazu menyelam lebih dalem tentang misteri Akari, dia menemukan penolakan halus dari para orang dewasa yang kayak pengen banget menutupi masa lalu. Buku ini menunjukkan gimana cerita bisa membentuk hidup kita, dan kenapa beberapa akhir cerita emang seharusnya tetep nggak terselesaikan. Tapi jangan khawatir, ada humor juga buat menyeimbangkan beratnya tema ini, kayak monolog dalam Kazu yang relate banget (contoh: ketakutannya yang valid soal zombie yang mau makan otaknya). Akari? Dia tuh kayak reminder buat nikmatin hal-hal kecil: main di pantai, pertemanan, buku bagus, karena ketika kita cuma punya waktu yang dipinjamkan ke kita, setiap detik jadi berasa spesial.

Buku ini nggak cuma menyajikan cerita hantu, tapi juga mengajak kita mengintip tradisi spiritual Jepang. Penulisnya mengeksplor konsep Shinto dan Buddha dengan smooth mulai dari kuil tersembunyi di gang-gang, leluhur yang "nggak benar-benar pergi," sampai kota yang harus memilih antara mengingat atau menghapus masa lalunya. Petualangan Kazu ini berasa kayak surat cinta buat rasa penasaran, dia nanya pertanyaan berat kayak "Apa artinya 'ada'?" tapi tetep aja takut sama zombie. Pas selesai baca, kita bakal merasakan feels ala film Ghibli: pesona hidup itu justru ada di sifatnya yang sementara, entah itu persahabatan sama hantu atau cerita yang endingnya nggak sempurna.

Awalnya Kazu mikir, "WTF ada hantu di rumah gue?!", tapi lama-lama buku ini malah jadi cerita tentang penerimaan. Akari nggak kayak hantu horor yang cuma bisa bikin kaget, dia anak perempuan yang lagi menikmati kesempatan kedua buat merasakan masa kecilnya, suka banget sama buku dan senja. Perjalanan Kazu dari "NGGAK MAU DEKET-DEKET" jadi bestie yang protektif itu bikin senyum-senyum sendiri, apalagi pas dia sadar ada yang aneh dari persepsi orang lain (kayak "ibu" Akari yang terlalu sempurna sampai nggak nyata). Persahabatan mereka kayak bentuk perlawanan halus terhadap pikiran sempit, contohnya waktu Kazu belain Akari dari orang warung yang curiga. Buktinya prasangka itu lebih cepet lumer daripada es krim di bulan Agustus.

Spoiler alert: Ini bukan cerita klise "hantu yang dibangkitkan terus happy ending". Penulisnya memberikan realita pahit kalau Akari cuma punya waktu pinjaman, jadi setiap jalan-jalan ke pantai, setiap ketawa, setiap halaman dongeng yang belum kelar, rasanya kayak ditabrak truk. Bahkan cerita dalam cerita (soal penyihir yang gagal bangkitin orang mati) memberikqn pesan kalau kita terlalu mengejar masa lalu, malah merusak masa sekarang. Tapi eksistensi Akari bukanlah tragedi, itu pelajaran buat hidup sepenuh hati, meski waktu tinggal sedikit.

Penulisnya bikin peta kuno, tawa anak-anak di gang, dan rumah tua jadi portal ke dunia yang ajaib. Terjemahannya (shoutout buat Avery Fischer Udagawa) juga menjaga joke, keheningan, dan momen sedihnya tetap fresh. Vibes-nya kayak nostalgia When Marnie Was There dan pesan bahwa hidup memang pendek, tapi bekas yang kita tinggalkan bisa abadi. Lebih dari sekadar cerita hantu, ini adalah renungan tentang kenangan, warisan, dan hidup tanpa penyesalan. Setelah baca buku ini, kamu bakal sering melirik gang-gang dekat rumah sambil mikir: "Apa ada 'sesuatu' (atau 'seseorang') yang masih nongkrong di situ tapi gak kelihatan?")

THINGS I LOVE 

■ Magic in the mundane. Kashiwaba said "normalize ghosts" and we’re here for it. Imagine your classmate just happens to be a centuries-old spirit vibing in a school uniform, or that sketchy alley is low-key a portal for the undead. The way this book makes the supernatural feel as casual as a 7-Eleven run is chef’s kiss, it’s like finding out your boring hometown has secret lore. (And honestly? We’d all side-eye a resurrected kid too.)

■Kazu: The anti-hero we deserve. Kazu is out here thinking his own head like "am I hallucinating??" while debating zombie survival tactics. He’s not some brave protagonist because he’s us: skeptical, messy, and occasionally convinced the undead might crave his brain. Watching him go from "NOPE" to ride-or-die for his ghost BFF is the arc we needed.

■Grief, but make it gentle. This isn’t your trauma-porn ghost story. Kashiwaba treats loss like that one auntie who hands you tea after a cry, acknowledging the ache but reminding you it’s part of the cycle. Even the "villains" are just scared normies who hate anything that breaks their worldview. The result? A story that sits with sorrow but doesn’t drown in it.

■ The vibe: quietly unsettling. The mystery here isn’t some explosive thriller, it’s the kind where something’s off but you can’t pin it down. Like why does everyone remember Akari? Why does her "mom" look like nothing? The temple’s resurrection game isn’t some epic blessing, it’s bittersweet, complicated, and kinda creepy (in the best way). Perfect for readers who want chills without jumpscares.

(■ Keajaiban dalam hal biasa. Kashiwaba kayak bilang, "Biasain aja ada hantu," dan kita semua SETUJU. Bayangin temen sekelasmu ternyata arwah berumur ratusan tahun yang santai pakai seragam sekolah, atau gang gelap dekat rumahmu sebenernya portal buat orang mati. Cara buku ini bikin hal supranatural terasa biasa aja (kayak belanja di Indomaret) itu chef's kiss, rasanya kayak nemu cerita rahasia di kota yang kelihatannya boring. (Jujur aja, kita juga bakal side-eye anak yang tiba-tiba hidup lagi sih.)

■Kazu: Si anti-hero yang kita butuhin. Kazu adalah karakter utama yang sibuk ngetok-ngetok kepalanya sendiri sambil mikir, "Gue berhalusinasi nih?", sambil ngira-ngira gimana caranya selamat dari zombie. Dia bukan protagonist pemberani, dia literally adalah kita: skeptis, berantakan, dan kadang yakin arwah gentayangan pengen makan otaknya. Melihat dia berubah dari "NGGAK MAU!" jadi bestie yang rela bantu hantu BFF-nya? That's the character development we deserve.

■Tentang kehilangan yang nggak bikin trauma. Ini bukan cerita hantu yang pakai drama berlebihan. Kashiwaba mengobati kesedihan kita kayak tante bijak yang memberi teh hangat habis kita nangis, mengakui rasa sakitnya tapi mengingatkan bahwa itu bagian dari kehidupan. Bahkan "penjahat" di sini cuma orang biasa yang takut sama hal-hal aneh. Hasilnya? Cerita yang bisa sedih tanpa bikin kita tenggelam dalam depresi.

■ Vibes: Ngeri yang low-key. Misterinya bukan tipe thriller heboh, tapi lebih ke ada yang nggak beres tapi kita nggak tau apa itu. Kenapa semua orang inget Akari? Kok "ibunya" kayak ilusi doang? Proses kebangkitannya juga nggak sempurna, lebih bittersweet, rumit, dan agak creepy (tapi dalam cara yang keren). Cocok banget buat yang mau merinding tanpa jumpscare!)

THINGS I DON'T LIKE 

■I assumed Kazu was a girl because of the cover, and his name is also gender-neutral. Nothing in the beginning clearly says he’s a boy, so I didn’t realize it until someone mentioned he was Mr. Genji’s grandson. The only part that didn’t fit was a weird scene where Kazu peed from his window which obviously wouldn’t make sense for a girl.  

■Kazu’s uncle is basically there just to explain everything about Akari and the neighborhood’s history. He’s always online and somehow replies to Kazu’s emails super fast, even though he lives in China. Convenient? Absolutely. Believable? Not even a little. Could’ve at least given him a personality beyond "Google but with a family tree."

■ That random fairy tale in the middle? Cool story, horrible timing. We’re knee-deep in ghost drama, hearts racing, and then record scratch, here’s 20 pages about a witch and a kidnapped girl. It’s like getting a TikTok ad right before the plot twist. Symbolic? Sure. Disruptive? Absolutely.

■This book explains that people can come back to life and that their existence gets rewritten into the world which is fascinating, but it doesn’t fully explain how it all works. How does the memory-rewriting work? Is there a limit to these resurrections? Some rules are hinted at, but a lot is left vague, which made it hard to completely understand. 

■After slowly building up the mystery, the ending happens too fast. A key character suddenly makes a big decision without enough setup, so it feels out of nowhere. The Moon is on the Left gets so much attention, while the actual main story wraps up too quickly.

(■Awalnya aku kira Kazu itu perempuan karena lihat cover bukunya, dan namanya juga netral, bukan spesifik nama laki-laki atau perempuan. Di awal-awal cerita juga nggak ada yang menunjukkan kalau dia laki-laki, jadi aku baru sadar saat ada yang bilang dia itu cucu laki-lakinya Pak Genji. Satu-satunya bagian yang kurang nyambung kalau Kazu perempuan adalah adegan aneh di mana dia pipis dari jendela, yang jelas-jelas nggak mungkin dilakukan anak perempuan.  

■Omnya Kazu terasa kayak tokoh yang cuma ada untuk menjelaskan semua hal tentang Akari dan sejarah lingkungan mereka. Dia selalu online dan somehow bisa membalas email Kazu dengan sangat cepat, padahal tinggal di Cina. Emang sih ini bikin ceritanya lebih gampang, tapi jadinya kurang believable, terus omnya Kazu terasa kurang kayak orang beneran dan lebih kayak Google yang jadi anggota keluarganya.  

■ Terus dongeng yang ada di dalam buku ini? Keren tapi timingnya gak pas. Lagi enak menikmati kisah misteri hantu dan investigasi Kazu, eh tiba-tiba kita dikasih 20 halaman cerita pendek tentang penyihir dan anak kecil. Berasa dapet iklan di tengah-tengah nonton video YouTube. Mungkin aja simbolik, tapi yang jelas cukup disruptif.

■Buku ini memang menjelaskan bahwa orang bisa hidup lagi dan keberadaan mereka bakal disesuaikan ulang ke dunia, tapi nggak memberikan penjelasan lengkap gimana cara kerjanya. Gimana caranya mereka disesuaikan? Apa ada limit buat kebangkitan orang mati? Ada beberapa aturan yang dijelaskan, tapi banyak juga yang dibiarkan samar-samar, jadi bikin agak bingung buat memahaminya.  

■Setelah misterinya dibangun pelan-pelan, endingnya malah terlalu cepat. Ada karakter kunci yang tiba-tiba bikin keputusan besar tanpa ada persiapan yang cukup, jadi rasanya kayak tiba-tiba. Cerita The Moon is on the Left mendapat banyak perhatian, sementara alur utamanya malah selesai terlalu cepat.)

WHICH TEMPLE ALLEY SUMMER CHARACTER ARE YOU?

If you…

🔺Panic first, overthink later → You’re Kazu (Welcome to the "I Saw A Ghost And Now My Brain Is Buffering" club.)

🔺Vibe check: "Is anyone else seeing this ghost in reality??" → You’re Akari (Literal sunshine, but also maybe dead.)

🔺"I have 37 tabs open about local urban legends" → You’re Kazu’s Uncle (Please go outside.)

🔺"I sell kimonos and know things" → You’re Yusuke (The only emotionally stable one here.)

🔺"I could fix this ghost problem, but I won’t" → You’re Ms. Minakami (Cryptic queen.)

🔺"I’ve seen every horror movie and lived" → You’re Kazu’s Sister (Icon.)

RATING

👻 Spook Factor → 👻👻/5 (More wistful than scary, but Akari's mom glitches are low-key unsettling)

💔 Feels Damage → 💔💔💔/5

🤣 Relatable Chaos → 🤣🤣🤣🤣/5 (We ARE Kazu.)

🍵 Auntie Wisdom → 🍵🍵🍵🍵/5 (Elders in this book = MOOD)

🌌 Existential Dread → 🌌🌌🌌/5

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT TEMPLE ALLEY SUMMER

🔺Sophie Hatter (Howl’s Moving Castle): "Oh, a ghost girl whom everyone doesn’t know she’s dead? That’s almost as tragic as Howl’s skincare routine."

• Would 100% adopt Akari and teach her to haunt people politely

• Suspects the temple alley is just Howl’s latest portal mishap

• Writes a strongly worded letter to the witch from the nested fairy tale

🔺Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia): "Aslan’s mane! This is like that time I met Mr. Tumnus, but with more existential dread!"

• Immediately tries to befriend Akari (ghosts are just winter spirits in summer clothes)

• Low-key disappointed the temple doesn’t lead to Narnia

• Sends Edmund to investigate then regrets it when he starts debating resurrection logistics with Kazu

🔺Lucy Carlyle (Lockwood & Co.): "A ghost attending school? That’s either genius or a Level 4 haunting waiting to happen."

• Brings her rapier to Kazu’s house "just in case"

• Side-eyes Uncle’s emails ("This is clearly ghost-written, literally")

• Starts a side hustle charging neighbors for spiritual consultations

CONCLUSION 

Temple Alley Summer is a love letter to the moments that flicker too fast, the friends who leave traces even when they’re gone, and the magic hiding in your neighborhood. Does it have flaws? Sure (looking at you, Kazu's Uncle). But like Akari’s second chance at life, this book leaves us side-eyeing old family photos and wondering: What if the past isn’t really past? Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli’s bittersweet whimsy or anyone who’s ever whispered "I see dead people coming back to life" as a joke, but low-key meant it.

(Temple Alley Summer adalah surat cinta buat detik-detik yang terlalu cepat berlalu, buat temen yang meninggalkan jejak meski sudah tiada, dan buat keajaiban-keajaiban kecil yang bersembunyi di gang deket rumah kita. Apakah buku ini sempurna? Enggak juga (uhuk Paman Kazu). Tapi kayak kesempatan kedua yang Akari dapat, buku ini bikin kita mikir: Gimana kalo masa lalu sebenernya nggak benar-benar berlalu? Cocok banget buat kamu yang suka vibe bittersweet ala Studio Ghibli atau yang pernah becanda "aku habis lihat orang mati hidup lagi" tapi dalem hati serius.)