Introduction

The fourth writer of this series is one who is likely to be familiar to readers who enjoy modern literature set in Kyoto. Two books from his Kamogawa Food Detectives series have recently been translated into English by Jesse Kirkwood. You may remember that Matsuda Michio, the third author in this series, was a noted pediatrician. Interestingly, Kashiwai is also in the field of medicine as a practicing dentist. Is there something about the medical profession that encourages the art of writing? Kashiwai does not yet have an English wikipedia entry, but I’d expect one would appear soon.

Kashiwai’s fiction falls into the category of light reads and the beloved “coffee/cat/food” genre that readers around the globe are immersed in right now, judging from the number of translations coming out of Japan that fall into this category. But my initial purchases of his books were a few of his nonfiction books on Kyoto — of which there are more than you can imagine. Some are guidebooks, some are very specific guidebooks, some are essays and some are a combination of the two. They are very readable and his likes and dislikes come through clearly. If you enjoy learning about Kyoto, they are must-reads. I do not see that any of them have been translated into English. I hope that they will be.

Biography

Kashiwai Hisashi was born in Kyoto in 1952. As of this writing, he is still alive. He grew up in Kyoto and graduated from Osaka Dental University in 1976 and opened a dental clinic in the Kita Ward of Kyoto City. Biographical information about him is scarce, but a glimpse at a few websites for his dental clinics reveals that the Kashiwa family have been dentists through four generations.

He started writing a series of short stories that later were published as the Kamogawa Shokudō books in 2013. One can easily infer that he is a foodie. In 2016 NHK aired the stories from the first two books as a television series. In addition to his novels and essays, he writes mysteries under the name of Kashiwagi Keiichiro.

Books on Kyoto

Kashiwai is a prolific writer and with new books coming out in both October and November of this year (2024). I’m simply going to tell you about the books of his that grace my own bookshelf.

Fiction

Here are a few from his most popular series.

Kamogawa Shokudo 鴨川食堂 – This is the first of this series and this has been translated into English under the title “The Kamogawa Food Detectives.” The Japanese version was first published in 2013 and the English version came out in February 2024.
Kamogawa Shokudo Okawari 川食堂おかわ – An English translation titled “The Restaurant of Lost Recipes” comes out in October 2024. It is the second book in the series. For students of the Japanese language, it might be interesting to read the Japanese and English side by side. Each book contains six stories or chapters and each one can stand on its own.
Kamogawa Itsumono 鴨川食堂いつもの – This is the third in the series. Perhaps we’ll see a translation of this one as well, if the first two English translations continue to be well-received. The story themes here include: kakesoba, curry rice, yakisoba, gyōza, omuraisu and the ubiquitous korokke.
Kamogawa Omase 鴨川食堂おまかせ – This is the fourth in the series. It begins with a more Japanese or washoku feel to it. The story themes are: miso soup, onigiri, ginger pork, cold Chinese noodles, karaage chicken, and finally macaroni gratin. It might be fun to go into a bookstore and leaf through every single volume in this series to see what foods whet your appetite, either for reading or consuming.

Nonfiction

I enjoy nonfiction more than fiction and I love reading about Kyoto and filing away tidbits of information. If you are this type of reader, Kashiwai has written and continues to write about every single corner of Kyoto that you can imagine. Here’s what happens to be on my own shelf. I look forward to the day when they are translated into English and/or other languages. They are meant for the average reader and are not particularly profound.

The Secrets of Kyoto For Those Traveling Alone – おひとりからのひみつの京都(2021) – Kashiwai details 48 different areas to explore. Food is mentioned. Available in Japanese.
Quiet Kyoto for the Lone Traveller – おひとりからのしずかな京都(2022) – In this book Kashiwai mentions temples and shrines that are appreciated for solitude. He also includes chapters on the Kyoto dialect and customs and naturally, restaurants. Available in Japanese.
Happy Popular Restaurants in Kyoto – 京都しあわせ食堂(2016) – As the name appears in English on the cover I’m giving it to you verbatim. As you can tell from the Japanese title, this book seems like a companion guide to the Kamogawa Shokudo series and the cover illustration also adds to that impression. It’s a guide to restaurants that won’t have lines in front of them. Restaurants that he calls cheap and delicious and not meant to be tourist attractions. Not all of them are shokudō; coffee shops are also included. Available in Japanese.
Kyoto Power – 京都力(2021) – In this volume, Kashiwai explores the power of Kyoto to attract tourists over and over again. Why is Kyoto so popular amongst both native Japanese and foreign tourists? There is some amount of reflection and, frankly, grumbling. Available in Japanese.
The Backstreets of Kyoto – 京都の路地裏(2014) – I was interested in reading some of his older books. This one is indeed more content heavy than his newer books, but he sticks to his favorite topic of lamenting the tourist influx, but also introducing the places that the locals go. Available in Japanese.
24 Solar Terms in Kyoto – 二十四節気の京都(2017) (Again, the title is given in English on the cover.) Kashiwai uses the solar calendar to introduce places that relate to each season or to the solar term itself. It’s an interesting and possibly unsuccessful way to structure a guidebook. Available in Japanese.

Resources

Kamogawa Shokudo – the Japanese wikipedia entry on the series. A very complete list of the books and stories and a listing of the particular dish that each story features.

Discover Japan articles – This is a link to the articles tagged with his name that he wrote on Kyoto for this journal. They include articles on travel, food, hotels, and traditions of Kyoto.

Entry point for the NHK dramatization – This is a Daily Motion link where I found the aforementioned series, subtitled in Chinese. Access may be limited by location, but I was able to view them from the USA. They are visually quite beautiful. They have that NHK feel to them.

The Kashiwai Dental Clinic – It looks like his son is currently in charge and he would be the fourth generation of dentists in this family. If you need a good dentist.…