#Hisashi Kashiwai

[samireads]

Japanese books with cats on the cover 🐈

[smeltsoup]

kitties

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 149

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

“We get used to things too easily. You think something's tasty the first time you eat it, but then you start taking it for granted. Never forget your first impressions.”

[elmundoestahechodefrasesyletras]

Hay quien se va para seguir su propio camino, pero otros lo hacen por el bien de aquellos a quienes aman.

[in-the-stacks]

Presenting The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and translated by James Kirkwood . Reviewed by The Next Read Detective for In the Stacks.

https://www.inthestacks.tv/2024/08/the-next-read-detective-the-kamogawa-food-detectives

[cronicasdelholoceno]

Octubre 2024

[redsamuraiii]

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

Ever crave for a certain food you miss because of nostalgia that you can’t find anywhere? Maybe you ate it on your first memorable solo trip to a foreign country? Maybe your late grandmother used to cook it for you?

Well, the father-daughter duo at Kamogawa Diner in Kyoto can cook up your desired meal just for you! The daughter will interrogate you on when and where you had that meal and the father will investigate to find the right ingredients!

It’s a healing story similar to that of the Japanese show, Midnight Diner. Every chapter covers different characters, each with their own backstories and baggages of life. Each yearning for the “good old days” when life was simpler.

It also explores the Japanese food culture, which makes you realise why certain things are that way. Like why Udon in Kyoto and Osaka taste differently? Why some diner have a fixed set menu for first timers or newcomers to the diner?

Why some diners in Japan are hidden and don’t even look like a diner from the outside? Why such diners usually focus on their regular customers rather than the new customers? Why do they not advertise their diners online for them to be found?

What’s the difference between diner food and shopping mall food? Why the difference in pricing, quality and taste even though they’re essentially the same food? All the answers can be found in this book or kitchen where it all starts!

Suddenly my dining experiences that I had in Japan finally makes sense. Every book I read, I learn something new. If you’re a foodie and you like slice of life stories, this one is for you. Disclaimer: DON’T READ IT ON EMPTY STOMACH!

[cheftulips]

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes - Hisashi Kashiwai

Book no. 2 of 2025. (Kamogawashokudo Okawari) Published in 2024 G. P. Putnam’s Son / Library

A collection of short stories with excellent food writing featuring Kyoto delicacies and unique prefectural versions of Nori-Ben, Hamburger Steak, Christmas Cake, Fried Rice, Ramen, and Ten-don. I feel like there’s a lot of books being pushed out of this genre of wholesome Japanese food writing, usually there’s a bit of time traveling, and there’s always a cat. Now this book had a cute tabby cat following along, but there were no talking cats or time traveling. The characters in this book do specific research and investigate like detectives, so I actually really preferred this book for lacking the magical-ness you often see in this genre.

[emachinescat]

A Year in (Book) Review: My 2024 Reading Journey 📚

#56 - The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

Literary / Mystery / The Kamogawa Food Detectives #1 / 208 pages / published in 2013 / Finished Jul. 7

One Sentence Review: Another cozy read, this book was equal parts emotional and delicious (and I'm not even a big fan of Japanese cuisine!) - the idea of a food detective is unique and beautiful and really drove home the idea of food being one of the biggest keys to our pasts, our emotions, and our lost loved ones.

Favorite Quotes

"I keep telling you, I'm no connoisseur - I just eat too much."

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"You're still young, aren't you? All you care about is eating the tastiest food you can. Get to my age and you'll realize that nostalgia can be just as vital an ingredient."

*

"We get used to things too easily. You think something's tasty the first time you eat it, but then you start taking it for granted. Never forget your first impressions."

*

"Fate works in mysterious ways ... I reckon we always meet the people we're supposed to meet. Which is why you ended up walking through that door."

*

"...eating good food wasn't just about enjoying it, but also being grateful for it."

My rating: 4/5

A Few More Thoughts (Spoilers):

It's a super cozy book with a very original concept. Although I was unfamiliar with pretty much all of the food described, I did understand the connection between food and memory and felt keenly the way that food can bring people together.

I loved the obvious passion for food and cooking and the theme of food as memory. The concept of a detective who tracks down dishes and recreates recipes to bring people together or reconnect them with their past is so unique and fascinating.

Food is so much more than just something to nourish and sustain our bodies. It does the same for our souls. Food is so closely linked with memory and nostalgia, and eating dishes from key moments in our lives or connected to certain people can take us back in time, even reunite us with those we've lost.

[jruthphipps]

Finally had time to visit a bookshop and use the gift cards from my birthday. Thank you to friends and family who willingly feed my book addiction.

📚 Bungo Stray Dogs by Kafka Asagiri / Sango Harukawa

📚 Moriarty the Patriot by Ryoskue Takeuchi / Hikaru Miyoshi

📚 Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

📚 Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faries by Heather Fawcett

📚 The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

📚 Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum / Shanna Tan

[bloodmaarked]

➸ reading list

just added:

the trader the owner the slave, james walvin

the dragons, the giant, the women: a memoir, wayétu moore

my lovely wife, samantha downing

vera wong's guide to dating a dead man, jesse q. sutanto

everyone in my family has killed someone, benjamin stevenson

the bell jar, sylvia plath

the manor of dreams, christina li

the kamogawa food detectives, hisashi kashiwai

[samireads]

More Japanese literature 📚🇯🇵

[blogthefiresidechats]

Latest haul....

I got to visit my local book store today. I got some books to add to some series that I have already started while others were others were standalone novels from authors that I’ve read before. A few were new to me because they were on sale or picked from the bargain section. As always, my TBR pile grows and grows all the time. I always seem to have plenty of read but I look at it as a good…

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 152

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai

“Taste is a peculiar thing. The taste of home, for example. It's different for everyone--- and I don't mean just the food. Every family has its own flavor too. The feeling of safety you get from being together, the way you look out for each other--- all that combines to create a unique sensation.”

[elmundoestahechodefrasesyletras]

Puedes estar lejos, perderte de vista, pero el vínculo con quienes amas de verdad, nunca se rompe.

[tinynavajoreads]

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Kamogawa Food Detectives

Hello and Happy New Year everyone! I hope that this year will be kind to you and any reading goals you may have. I am here with a new book review for you, and I’ll let you know about my reading goals/goals in general next week. Now, onto the review. The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by…