The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase

In the wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a stray German Shepherd mix named Tamon is found wandering outside a convenience store. Intelligent, fiercely loyal, and guided by an uncanny sense of purpose, Tamon begins a monumental journey southward.

Over the course of five years, he travels across the country, temporarily moving through the lives of various broken, lonely, and struggling people who take him in. For each new owner, Tamon becomes a quiet source of comfort and a catalyst for healing—yet he never stops pushing forward, driven by a profound instinct to reunite with the young boy he lost in the disaster.

It is a beautiful, episodic, and emotional story about survival, connection, and the indestructible bond between humans and animals.