Writing About Japan, Research, and Stereotypes

I am definitely not Japanese, though I often joke that I was Japanese in a former life — it's the only way to explain my strong connection to the country. I have studied Japan (and the Japanese language, on and off) since 1998, and I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable about Japanese culture. But I am not Japanese, and I never will be.

So what makes a writer like me think she can write Japanese characters?

Research. And lots of it.

Setting Goals for Each Book

Each time I sit down to write a new book in this world, I make a clear set of goals. There are my plot goals, my character arc goals, and my Japanese culture goals. When I write a new book in the series, I try to: introduce new Japanese vocabulary, highlight a period of Japanese history, tell a Japanese folktale, educate on a Japanese tradition, or celebrate a Japanese holiday. In most books, I hit all of these goals.

For example, in Ozoni and Onsens, I managed to: introduce new Japanese vocabulary, highlight Japanese New Year's traditions, talk about hot springs and their etiquette, and feature several traditional New Year's foods. I set the goal, I research it, and then I weave it into the story as naturally as I can.

How I Research

My research process involves multiple layers. First, there are all the books on Japan I own — a growing collection that now occupies two full bookshelves. Each one contains references and footnotes that pull me deeper into whatever I'm investigating.

My next stop is usually the internet. Wikipedia's cross-article linking has led me down many wonderful rabbit holes. Researching bathhouses for one book led me to paintings of Mount Fuji, which led to new thoughts about the story. YouTube has also been invaluable — I've walked the streets of Tokyo, experienced the sounds of temples, and understood regional Japanese dialects, all from my home office.

But the best research I ever did on Japan happened years before I even wrote the first book. My husband and I traveled to Japan in 2005, and it remains the single best vacation of my life. I took a million photos, went on day trips, soaked in as much as I could. I have since returned two more times and plan to go again.

On Stereotypes

Lots of people denounce stereotypes — and rightly so. But there's a reason why stereotypes exist: many people do fit them on a superficial level, and understanding them can be a useful starting point for a writer. The best part about starting with a stereotype is then blowing it apart.

What I enjoyed doing in the Miso Cozy Mysteries was introducing characters who initially appear stereotypically Japanese and then revealing how complex, contradictory, and whole they truly are. Yasahiro is introduced as this polished, perfect, traditional Japanese chef — and by the end of the book, we see his carefree side, his regrets, his messiness. He's a whole person, not a stereotype.

Knowing the stereotypes first, researching them and understanding where they came from, helped me write better Japanese characters who both fit and debunked those same stereotypes. I can't stress how important research is, especially when writing outside your own culture. If you do your research thoroughly, you won't get it wrong.