"The Kamogawa Food Detectives" by Hisashi Kashiwai is a delightful and heartwarming novel that celebrates the power of food, memories, and human connection.

Set in Kyoto, the story revolves around the Kamogawa Diner, a special restaurant run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare. This unique eatery is not just known for its delicious meals but also for its role as a place where food detectives work their magic. Koishi and Nagare have a special talent for recreating dishes from people's cherished memories. These dishes often hold the key to forgotten pasts and the potential for future happiness.

One of the strengths of this novel is its ability to evoke the sensory pleasures of food. The descriptions of the dishes are mouthwatering and evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. Readers will find themselves craving the flavors and aromas described in the book.

The characters in the story are endearing and well-developed. Koishi and Nagare's father-daughter relationship is heartwarming, and their dedication to helping people reconnect with their pasts through food is touching. The book also introduces a cast of diverse and interesting customers, each with their own unique story and connection to the Kamogawa Diner.

The narrative is structured in a way that weaves together various stories of the diner's patrons. Each chapter focuses on a different customer and the dish that holds significance in their lives. This format allows for a rich exploration of human emotions, memories, and the role that food plays in our lives.

"The Kamogawa Food Detectives" is not just a story about food; it's a celebration of the universal human experiences of loss, nostalgia, and the enduring power of cherished memories. It beautifully illustrates how a single dish can transport us back in time and help us reconnect with our pasts.

In summary, "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" is a heartwarming and beautifully written novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories about food, memory, and the profound connections we can make with others through shared experiences. It's a book that will leave you not only craving delicious dishes but also appreciating the richness of life's flavors and the importance of preserving cherished memories.

I enjoyed this short novel. The food descriptions are expectedly stellar! I liked the format, although I don't think it's the kind of book to read straight through; each chapter corresponds to a client, it's very formulaic and repetitive. But there human stories are moving.

Father and daughter Nagare and Koishi Kamogawa run a small-time "food detectives" agency in Kyoto in the back of their almost obscure restaurant. Nagare is a retired police detective and now an enthusiastic chef and Koishi is his assistant. Clients find the Kamogawa Diner after seeing a small ad in "Gourmet Monthly" magazine that doesn't even list an address. All of the clients are longing to taste a dish from long ago that is recessed into their memory, but the details of which are hazy. All of these dishes evoke strong feelings of nostalgia.

There are basically six short stories in this book and while I thought the theme was rather cute, I found all of the stories to be pretty similar and repetitive. It would have been more interesting to me to find out more about Nagare and Koishi in each subsequent chapter, but all we really know is that Nagare is widowed and that Koishi is single and in her 30s. There just wasn't enough in here to make me recommend it to others.

I read "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" as an ARC off NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the book. Due to the conversation and description of food, the book made me hungry. It is comprised of cute tales of people looking for food that they find nostalgic. Food is memories. The little details littered throughout the book were nice too. For example, there is a cat mentioned throughout the book, the photo wall, and some commentary on Japan's cultural aspects. However, the things I had issues with were some technical aspects: incorrect use of quotation marks, repetitive dialogue tags, spelling discrepancies, and how the story started out kind of slow. These are all very small potatoes and did not bother me too much though. All in all, I thought this was an enjoyable quick read if you want something cozy.

This book is part a Japanese series described as a bestseller and mouth-watering. It was translated quite well from Japanese, however, there are still many Japanese words interspersed throughout the story. The Japanese names for the characters remained the same as in the Japanese version. I often did not know if a character was a male or female since the names are not familiar.
Much of the story takes place in the unique Kamogawa Diner, known for their exorbitant, and delicious meals. A father-daughter team specialize in recreating dishes whose recipes are long lost, but the memory of them is not. This restaurant of “lost recipes” provides many with a link to their past.
The story for me moved along rather slowly, and despite loving to cook and bake myself, I did not really relate to any of the characters, who spent most of the time experimenting with various combinations of ingredients to produce the treasured recipe in someone’s memory.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

This book was charming and heartwarming and it made me so, so hungry. Food is so much a part of our lives, and tied intricately to our celebrations and relationships. Thinking of a beloved dish that you can no longer eat is a particular type of nostalgia—one that this book exploits in the best way. I could have read about Koishi, Nagare, and their diner patrons for far longer than this book lasted. While its rhythms and references are particularly (wonderfully) Japanese, it appeals to the human in everyone.

**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4-4.5 stars. Enchanting, magical, and heartwarming (like a bowl of steaming hot ramen). Highly recommended for foodies looking for a cozy read. This collection of short stories revolves around customers' requests to find meals that evoke special and personal memories. If this cozy restaurant existed in real life, you can be sure I'd be there every week!

This was such a great start to this series, it had a great mystery going on and thought it worked overall. I enjoyed how well Hisashi Kashiwai wrote this and was invested in the mystery going on, the characters felt like they were suppose to and left me wanting to read more.

While this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it was a quick and easy read with some interesting and (Avery) shirt stories. It wasn’t neigh for me to say whether or not I’d like a full book from the author, but it certainly introduced me to them.

I fell in love with this idea: having detectives to recreate the dish that you thought you would never ever have again. Finding the same flavors, reliving same memories, remembering the people associated with those dishes - it would only be a dream

It looks like this book can blossom into another series like "Before Coffee Gets Cold". You will have your set menu like your cup of coffee, and you would be transported into another dimension. Because there is no denying that senses of taste and smell are closely aligned with memories. You can be the your 5 year-old self remembering that dish your mom cooked or go back to your 20s, to a moment when your life was about to change.

Now I want to find a place like this. I want to go back to specific moments of my life where I was happy as I could ever be and also to the moments when I didn't know was the last with certain people. This book is opening so many doors to forgotten times; hope there will be more of it.

Do I want to go to Japan and ask for a detective to hunt down a long lost recipe from my memory? After reading this short and sweet novella of sorts, the answer is YES!

This is a book in translation - originally published in 2013- starring a father daughter detective pair who can locate and recreate a favorite dish from a delicate eel to spaghetti with hot dogs. They set up in a non descript location, relying on the customers to find them- ensuring indeed a certain type of clientele. The reader is led through a series of cases, featuring wonderful food descriptions and charming journies through the seasons in Japan. There isn’t an overarching plot of grand theme, but it is enjoyable all the same.
This would be a great gift book for the gourmand in your life. To me the translation is a little, unusual, giving the characters a bit of a British tone, but, I’m not an expert in Japanese so perhaps the translation is more real to life than I would know.

I just finished and I’m already hoping for a sequel! I was a bit skeptical going into this, but I ended up really loving it. This manages to be sweet and heartwarming without feeling treacly, an issue I often find with cozy books. It did have a bit of a sad feeling as well and had so many poignant moments of nostalgia. It’s compared to the Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but I actually prefer this one, something about the father-daughter relationship and the aspect of food made me want to read more. Definitely don’t read this while hungry, the descriptions of food are so good I found myself *actually* salivating.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

THIS BOOK IS JUST SO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Heartwarming and sweet! as J-lit 'lovers' you should give this book a TRY!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc

I hope you have a delicious, gourmet Japanese restaurant nearby if you decide to venture into this sweet, cozy and delicious read. I am a foodie and was completely engrossed in each meal that was described in every chapter of this book.

The Kamigawa Food Detectives is a heart-warming series of stories about a father and daughter, Nagare and Koishi Kamigawa, who have a unique restaurant in a side street of Kyoto, Japan. Their restaurant and food detective agency helps recreate a person’s long lost meal that triggers an important memory in their life. Each chapter introduces you to a new character seeking out this one-of-a-kind gourmet retreat to recreate their most memorable meal from their past.

This little book was so thought provoking that it brought to light how important food and memories are to a person and how emotions and relationships are tied to food in your life. I found myself asking others, “What meal in your life brings back your fondest or worst memories?”

Thank you Putnam Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this Advanced Readers Copy! @PutnamBooks

Delightful stories of the memories attached to food and a girl and her father who help track down the recipes and help their customers relive those magical moments. I love the writing, I loved the concept, and I loved the memories this brought up about food. A lovely book. I recommend it.

This book was cozy, comfortable, sweet, and full of a calm kindness. I loved every moment (and now I’m REALLY hungry!!!!) I believe this is the first translation of a series and I’m excited for the rest.


Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Delicious book about the power of food and it’s connection to memory.

On the surface, this is a fairly straightforward book. Father-daughter duo of Nagare and Koishi Kamogawa run a dinner - and a food detective agency with each ‘case’ being contained within a chapter. When someone shows up looking for a dish from their past, Koishi interviews them, then Nagare gets to work recreating the dish. The individual arrives, Nagare explains how he ‘researched’ and recreated the dish, and the individual goes on their way. But like a Haiku poem, there’s more to it than that.

For example, the first customer is an old friend of Nagare. His wife died 15 years ago, and he’s considering getting remarried, but has a few concerns. It’d be a new location, new family (they would be living with his elderly father-in-law, whom his new wife is taking care of) - lots of changes. He’s requesting that Nagare recreate a special dish of his first wife, Nabeyaki-udon - chicken and vegetables simmered with udon noodles. The new wife makes it, of course, but it’s not as good as the first wife. Nagare recreates it, and in doing so, explains how the second wife won’t be able to recreate it exactly the first - the water is different, the veggies at the local market are different, and so forth. It will still be good, just different. It’s almost like he’s telling the friend yes there are will differences, but it will still be good. Just different.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m a bit of a foodie though, so I may be biased. It is a little slow moving - we never get to see Nagare researching the recipe, going to other locations, interviewing people, making the dish, etc, only him describing the process to their client; almost all the action takes place in the dinner. But it’s like a good meal - it’s meant to take a while, not be quickly devoured. There were some quirks; it was translated from Japanese into English so phrasing was a little unusual. I think I googled what two dozen dishes to figure out what they were, and I’m unfamiliar with the geography of Japan, so I checked google maps several times. With some books, outside research like that becomes a distraction, but with this book, it was almost like it was simmering.

Highly recommend - if you enjoy books that are meant to be savored.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

"The Kamogawa Food Detectives" by Nisashi Kashiwal is a heartwarming exploration of culinary nostalgia. Set in a charming Kyoto restaurant run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, this novel unveils their unique talent as 'food detectives.' They recreate dishes from cherished memories, offering a glimpse into the past and future happiness. Through delightful short stories, it showcases the powerful connection between food and emotions. This cozy read is a captivating journey into the heartwarming world of culinary magic and human connections.

short, heartwarming story about a father/daughter duo who recreate meals from their customers past. themes of loss and grief. overall, really reminiscent of the before the coffee gets cold series. i would rate it 3.5/5, and would recommend it if you like this type of book!

A short and sweet story about food and nostalgia. I think if you like low-stakes books, this will be a good for for you: this is a very cozy and warm book with very little plot. Perfect for a cold winter evening, ideally.

The descriptions of the food were fantastic and made me want to try so many of them. The daughter and father who work the store weren’t the most interesting, but their relationship with each other was very cute. This is very dialogue heavy to explain what’s going on, and I actually prefer more inner musings than dialogue. I felt like I was being told, for straightforward and simply, what was happening. It also did tend to get repetitive towards the end and some of the translations were a bit odd, but that’s to be expected sometimes.

I think there is definitely a niche group for this type of book, just not sure if I am part of that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc. Opinions are my own.