On the one-year anniversary of her son’s death, Sayuri finds herself on a subway station platform, and she doesn’t know how she got there. Neither does Miwa, the station employee who has one eye on the lost and weary woman the moment their paths cross. All it takes is one precarious step, and both Sayuri and…
My name is Fumika Oita. Japanese, lesbian, only child, blue-collar worker… Married to a man. You know. As you do. When my gay best friend Jiro Oita said he needed a wife to get his inheritance, I was the first one to sign up. But what I discovered is that life changes when you enter…
THE SEQUEL TO “LOVE, YUMI” “The only person who should be reading this diary is me. My future self.” Yumi Nishikawa has been through hell and back, all while watching her childhood dreams come true. Although she’s achieved the title of Queen of Japanese Pop Music, it came at a price. Her youth, her…
High in the mountains of central Japan, there’s a town that makes it official business to invite in a host of spirits every summer… Helen’s twin sister has drowned. After sixty years of relying on each other, Helen must now learn to not only work through her grief, but to embrace a life without the…
HEY EVERYONE! I’m back and excited to announce my new standalone novel, THE LONGEST RIVER. It’s a sweet romance about grief, travel, and mu. Because why not? Check out the blurb below! High in the mountains of central Japan, there’s a town that makes it official business to invite in a host of spirits every summer… Helen’s twin…
In honor of the release of “Love, Yumi” I have taken both classic and modern J-pop songs that relate to the themes and feelings of the novel. “HANABI ~episode II~” was initially chosen for its powerful and sad mood, but ultimately included because of the duality of the lyrics. What I mean is that they read…
Maki Ohguro is one of those artists that you never really hear about, and yet left a huge impact on Japanese music in the 90s. Undoubetedly you’ve heard one of her songs before, even if you don’t really remember it. Indeed, she used to be a pretty big thing in the mid-90s with her heavy…
I consider myself somewhat of an expert on Japanese pop ‘n rock (colloquially referred to over there and abroad as “J-pop”) and writing an extensive series that takes place through the decades in Japan and NOT expecting me to insert Japanese pop songs into every scene is next to impossible. At the REN’AI RENSAI website…
Hey all! Thanks for all the kind messages I’ve received from all over the web regarding my trip. For those of you who don’t follow me on social media, I made it to Japan a week ago and am doing fine! More than fine, if you count that the photobook is coming along nicely! Check…
Crazy thing? This makes total sense to me. It’s October, which means I am about twenty days away from leaving for Japan for my one month excursion! In case you’re new or haven’t been paying attention these past few months, the main purpose of this trip is to create a fun photo guide for the…