Nokono is a self-care app about a small cactus living in the desert. You don’t write about your own worries — it is Nokono who opens up to you.

Check in twice a day

• First, answer “How was your day?” by picking one of a few feelings: happy, tired, annoyed, and so on
• Nokono then shares a small worry of its own, something close to yours. On the second visit, Nokono starts the conversation
• Reply by choosing one of three kinds of words — comfort, a new way of seeing it, or a small step forward. There is no right answer
• On a day with a similar worry, Nokono may give back the very words you once offered

Flowers that bloom, fall, and bloom again

• Nokono grows a little each time you check in, and flowers bloom at each milestone. Which flowers appear depends on how you tend to respond
• Flowers fall after seven days. Go for a walk and speak to another Nokono, and they bloom again

Walks and letters

• On a walk you meet other people’s Nokono and hear their stories
• The words you offer on a walk become a letter that reaches someone else’s Nokono, and now and then a visitor passes through your desert and leaves one for you

A real sky

• The colour of the sky, the height of the sun and moon, and the phase of the moon are calculated from the current time. The seasonal line on the home screen follows the 24 solar terms of the traditional calendar
• A home-screen widget lets you see Nokono and the desert sky without opening the app

Made to feel safe

• No ads, and nothing locked behind a paywall
• No streaks, and no blame for the days you don’t open it
• Nokono is not a medical app and does not offer diagnosis or treatment. The app lists places you can reach out to when things are hard
• You can support Nokono with an optional “cup of tea”; each cup is delivered to someone else’s Nokono

The app is available in Japanese.