This diminutive book is packed as tightly as an obento box with an array of mini-essays.

And like a good Japanese obento lunch, which always includes five colors (white for rice, green for vegetable, brown for protein, et al.), this book is composed of a little of this and a little of that, all wrapped up neatly in the philosophy that Toshimi Kayaki calls "green tea living."

While a fair amount of the advice is predictable (guess what? green tea is good for you!), she does an admirable job of tucking in a wide variety of charming household lore.