Is food just a means of nourishment? To Kamogawa Nagare, the protagonist of The Kamogawa Food Detectives series, it isn’t. At the Kamogawa Diner, food is about love, care, and nostalgia. It’s about who made it, where you were and who you were with when you savoured it. And so, a dish becomes part of your identity and memory, its significance never to be forgotten.
We’ve already talked about The Kamogawa Food Detectives here but with the release of the second book of the series, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes in October, I thought we could talk about the Kamogawas in a little bit more detail.
This review is spoiler-free! Enjoy! But if you don’t have time to read it all, why don’t you pin our summary at the bottom?
What Is The Kamogawa Food Detective Series?
Set in Kyoto, The Kamogawa Food Detectives series tells the story of Kamogawa Nagare and his daughter, Koishi, who run a little diner that offers much more than just delicious Japanese cuisine. Koishi and Nagare also have a detective agency in the back, whose mission is to recreate a dish from their customersโ pasts. The Kamogawa Diner is only advertised in one food magazine, with a cryptic ad that says “Kamogawa Diner โ Kamogawa Detective Agency โ We Find Your Food.” The restaurant itself is hidden away in a building that might seem unremarkable from the outside but possesses the warmth of a familiar eatery on the inside.
Left: US cover of The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Book One). (Credit: G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Besides eating Nagare’s marvellous set menu, customers are interviewed by the head of the agency, Koishi, who later relays all the information to her father. It’s now up to Nagare to investigate the dish and cook it, exactly the way the customer remembers.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives was written by Kashiwai Hisashi, a Kyotoite himself who comes from a family of dentists. Kashiwai started his writing career with mystery novels which he published under a pen name. He’s also written several travelogues and travel guides, sharing his love for his hometown and Japanese cuisine. After the success of The Kamogawa Food Detectives, published in 2013 under his own name, Hisashi has published nine sequels, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes being the first of them.
Yes, my fellow J-lit fans, you got this right. As of today, there are 10 Kamogawa Food Detectives novels out there โ the first two have already been translated into English by Jesse Kirkwood and we just need to wait until the other eight come out * nervous laughter *
Right: US cover of The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (Book Two). (Credit: G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
I Wonder Why The Kamogawa Food Detectives Series Is So Well Loved…
It’s easy to understand why Japan fell in love with The Kamogawa Food Detectives series: the tales of the Kamogawa Diner are all enchanting, heartwarming and slightly bittersweet. Whether or not you’ve tried the food before, each customer brings a dose of nostalgia and sorrow, which Nagare balances out with joy and hope, creating an uplifting journey that you can’t help but connect with. Most importantly, Kashiwai offers a story that is light on plot, but heavy on an evocative sensorial experience.
The books are divided into six chapters, each of them dedicated to one recipe. They all follow the exact same structure: the customer arrives at the restaurant, is served Nagare’s set menu and is interviewed by Koishi. They then return a couple of weeks later to try Nagare’s recreation. Finally, Nagare shares his discoveries, tying everything up with a touching conclusion. There’s no description of Nagare’s investigative process or his cooking. The book is completely focused on the experience of eating in and of itself. And that’s where the real strength of Kashiwai’s writing lies: his detailed, mesmerising descriptions of food.
A Food Drama: Making Food Your Protagonist
Food is the real protagonist of the series, each dish symbolising an emotion, a memory, and also, a loss in that customer’s life. The people that end up at the Kamogawa Diner are looking for an answer that they lost throughout the way and that lives in the smell, flavours, and texture of the dish they would like to re-encounter.
The experience of eating gains an almost miraculous aura, as if every meal of our lives is a unique instance that might never repeat itself โ but that might forever offer us a moment of healing. The Kamogawa Food Detectives series is a tribute to the dedication that goes into cooking a good meal, to the mysterious emotions that food can evoke, and to the memories it creates.
Not only food but Japan as well…
In addition to that, Kashiwai also excels in his vivid descriptions of Kyoto in different seasons. As the customers make their way to the restaurant, Kyoto gains a magical quality. Its streets and weather become tangible and contribute to the sensorial experience that will be completed by Kamogawa’s dishes.
But Kyoto is not the only superstar in this story, as several different Japanese cities are mentioned and honoured throughout. Kashiwai’s love for Japan, the country and its cuisine, is the beating heart of the series, making The Kamogawa Food Detectives an indispensable read for anyone interested in Japanese culture.
A Quick Piece of Advice If You Haven’t Read Them Yet…
Even though the first book is adorable (and mouth-watering), I found the narration to be a bit too repetitive and that the translation sounded slightly unnatural at times. However, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (the second book) shows clear improvement in the flow of the narrative โ getting rid of some of the monotonous information that we’re already familiar with โ, the dialogue, and also the translation.
I probably noticed this repetition because I read almost the entire book in just one sitting. Looking at the overall structure, I’d say that each chapter in The Kamogawa Food Detectives and The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is better read as an independent short story. You could even go as far as to say that the chapters can be read in any order, as they don’t really have any connection to each other. I guess the book is designed to be savoured slowly, like a good, warm meal at the end of the day.
Should You Read The Kamogawa Food Detective Series?
A light mix of Sherlock Holmes and Midnight Diner, The Kamogawa Food Detectives celebrates Japanese cuisine and the beauty and blessing of food. As the Kamogawas explore the nostalgia that food evokes, we are taken back to moments of delight and comfort in our own lives. Kashiwai’s simple but meticulous prose allows us to experience this journey as if we’re the patrons of the Kamogawa Diner ourselves, relishing not only the dish introduced but also their wistfulness.
No time for the full review? Pin our summary!
The Kamogawa Food Detectives series is an easy read that will warm your heart โ and your belly.
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