The Kamogawa Food Detectives: The Heartwarming Japanese Bestseller

A former detective is now a chef who runs a restaurant he recreates the dishes which people request for, but wait it’s not just about food but the stories involved making each dish and why this dish is so special to them, the backstory of these dishes and how they see it, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and now I’m asking myself which is the one dish I would love to recreate which brings me nostalgic memories, just go ahead and buy this book

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is an easy read. It tells the stories of 6 cases handled by a food detective agency, recreating the exact dishes their clients are seeking from their past. In initial chapters, the book appears to be a simple story of a father daughter duo helping people relive their culinary memory. With each new case, somehow, it starts touching the reader in a way that makes them reflect how they live their lives, handle their relations etc. The writing style is extremely simple and consists of day-to-day conversations among the simple characters of the story. There is an element of repetition, which has been used by the author to make the reader intimate with the setting of the novel as if they have actually visited the place and met the characters. All in all, an easy to read book which may help the readers to take a journey within and do some self reflection.

One of the coziest books I’ve read so far. The concept itself is interesting- detectives finding and recreating the dish one likes! I’m sure it’ll be a booming business in reality. Every story has an emotion attached to a recipe. Each such story is beautifully brewed in this book. It’s a short read and it brings some form of nostalgia even though we’re not from Japan. A must read!

I'm so glad I read this book, which I happened to find by chance. I feel I was destined to read it, just like the characters who find their way to the restaurant. I think I have changed a lot after reading this book, it's difficult to say how. If I ever meet the detective father-daughter, I would like for them to find a dish for me, something from my childhood, too! :) This has to be one of my favourite books ever. I can't say enough how much I loved reading it, and how many times my eyes filled up with tears reading about the emotional journeys of the characters. ❤

“The Kamogawa Food Detectives” by Hisashi Kashiwai is a nice book, but I will not go beyond the word, ‘nice,’ and term the book terrific. Deep in the lanes of Kyoto is the Kamogawa Diner, run by a father and daughter duo. The father is a widower, an ex-cop, and the main chef and detective. People visiting the diner for the first time get served a set menu and can choose what they want once they become regular patrons. Most first-timers – at least the first-timers in the book – come searching because they want the detectives to recreate a dish that reminds them of the past, someone they used to know, or a memory they wish to recreate. Many cannot give proper details of the dish they wish to recreate, having only dim memories or recollections of past events and dishes they want to relive. Once the daughter completes the interview, the father sets out to investigate. He is successful in all the stories the book contains. They need two weeks, on average, to complete the case. The stories speak of memories and nostalgia, and the father’s investigations sometimes result in the patrons reassessing their past relationships and attitudes toward those they left behind. In some cases, the father gives the patron the recipe so that they can cook the dish for the ones they love. The stories are interesting, but I felt that the author did not go deep enough to explore the human aspect of the stories behind the remembered dishes. Hisashi Kashiwai focused on the investigative aspects without going too deep yet missed the emotive elements. While the book is good, I believe there is an opportunity to elevate the following books in the series to greatness.

I somehow thought this was a crime / thriller book … this one is a book of and for life! I haven’t been to Japan or tried Japanese food but am I likely to do it now? Certainly

A beautiful collection of mouth watering dishes and nostalgia.

Such a cool book - the way people have such deep memories / emotions associated with food is profound. Very innovative book premise!