Sara Aoyama is a published translator and retired digital librarian who writes cozy mysteries that draw on the traditions and culture of Kyoto, Japan. Drawing on the thirteen years she spent living in Japan, Sara brings an authentic and immersive touch to her storytelling, highlighting everyday life in modern Kyoto. Murder on Teramachi Street is the first book of the four-part Kyoto Teramachi Mystery Series. She is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and if she’s up early enough, she can do her daily writing while gazing at the mist on the mountains outside of her office window.

We are indeed pleased to have a book to review that is by a prominent member of Writers in Kyoto. Though her lifestyle prevents her from experiencing modern Kyoto firsthand, it is easy to see that Sara Aoyama lives and breathes Kyoto. From her time of living there, she has crafted a novel (the first in a series) in the “cozy mystery” genre about an iconic part of the city, Teramachi Street between the City Hall (above Oike Street) and the Imperial Palace (Marutamachi Street).

She treats in this novel the impact of over-tourism on the long-term residents of Kyoto, and particularly the difference between foreign “residents” and “tourists.” This difference may not be obvious, but is an important point to remember. Long-term residents of Kyoto who are foreigners and don’t wish to be seen as “tourists,” (but who inevitably are, to their disquiet and maybe heartbreak), and whose relationship with Japan is serious and involves years of dealing with the society in realms of family and tradition, feel this to be an essential point. The author explores this from the viewpoint of several native Kyotoites who live in the neighborhood of Teramachi Street.

The novel is written in small portions of two or three pages each, which makes it easy to keep track of where one is in the story. I was grateful for the table of contents, the page listing the characters, and the glossary of Japanese words at the end, for grounding in the novel.

We will look forward to other novels in the series, for “nostalgia hits” (in the case of long-term residents) and learning about what the place used to be like (for more recent arrivals), and for the important social matters that each novel will treat (for those who are concerned about the future of the city).

Sara Aoyama kindly answered my questions about her writing, as follows.

1) Kyoto is changing all the time. When did you live there? You worked in a restaurant similar to the one that forms the background of the book. Was it in the Teramachi area? Tell us about your experiences living in the Kyoto that has now vanished.

I first went to Kyoto as a member of the Associated Kyoto Program (AKP) in August 1976. It was hot, humid, and the food was totally unfamiliar. I ended up with a case of natsubate (debilitation due to summer heat) and was hospitalized at the Baptist Hospital. I returned to Kyoto in 1978 after graduating from college, again in August. One day as I was waiting for a bus, a man stopped his car and offered me a ride home. I accepted the ride. He told me that he had a restaurant on Teramachi Street and said that if I needed a job to stop by. I became a waitress there. It was a small restaurant very similar to the one in my book. The other waitresses were mostly part-time, students from Doshisha and one of them, Keiko, became a close friend. Life in Kyoto back then meant tatami and futon and amado (storm windows covering glass windows often made of wood), daily trips to the public bath, cheap meals at student dives where you had soba, udon, or rice dishes. Lots of cheap carbohydrates. No menus in English at all. For that matter no signage in English and no forms at the local ward office in English. It was a time when many foreigners got stared at, but with my dark hair and eyes I was not bothered much in that respect.

2) Your book is based on the culture and society of Kyoto, and as a fellow long-term resident, I was glad to come across familiar things from the 1970s, such as the description of yoshoku (western food) of the Showa era which, with the advent of many ethnic and other choices, has all but disappeared. Is your book completely based on your memories of that time or did you do some other research for it?

I love doing Kyoto research. I have a large library of books on Kyoto in both Japanese and English. I watch for new books on Kyoto on Amazon.co.jp and regularly order from them. I have a few Kyoto almanacs and every day I read a number of blogs written by average people in Kyoto. They keep me up to date on the Kyoto of today, but as a few of them are my age, they also reminisce a fair amount. I have old friends in Kyoto that I often email to ask questions. On my first visit to Kyoto I connected with the counterculture crowd and they provided unique books for me to read and a different viewpoint. One of the reasons I became a member of Writers in Kyoto was to maintain that connection with the city. 

3) There are a lot of genres out there. What made you choose the format of a “cozy” murder mystery for your story of Teramachi?

I knew that I had a lot of information about Kyoto both from my own experience and from reading. I wanted to write about Kyoto and share some of that. But I couldn’t figure out how to do that. I wanted to write something that could introduce Kyoto in a way that avoided common tropes. Finally I came across the “cozy mystery” format. Cozy mysteries generally don’t include blood and guts or steamy sex which were things I didn’t care to write about — the most important aspect was the setting itself.

The mystery aspect, though, is very difficult for me. As the author, you know the outcome… and you have to leave just the right number of breadcrumbs for the reader. I found that extremely difficult to gauge. Did the reader guess right away? Or did the ending seem to be jarring and not quite right? It is impossible for me to know the answer. I can only hope! This format enabled me to write short chapters and keep the story moving, and I wanted it to be in manageable portions for the reader.

4) Is there a reason why you chose the name Keiko for your protagonist? I think people especially of our generation have several Japanese friends or acquaintances named Keiko. 

Your comment is so true. My first Keiko was the waitress I met when we worked together in the restaurant. We are still friends to this day. While still in Kyoto her father was making her do omiai (arranged marriage) meetings. He finally put his foot down and said that she had to marry the next one. She indeed married him and they are still happily married. She was a beautiful modern girl and he looked like a rumpled old guy already balding a bit. When we were all in Tokyo, he’d take me aside and say “Sara, take Keiko out to a disco. I know she likes going to them, but it really isn’t my thing.” I loved him for that. He was with the national police and eventually they were posted to embassies around the world which was nice for Keiko. There are other Keikos in my life. They are all wonderful friends.

5) This book gives an excerpt, at the back, of the next book in the series, A Death in Winter on Teramachi Street. Can you tell us about the other stories in the series and a little about your writing process?

There will be four books in the series, each seasonally themed. I imagine the winter one will be available in the autumn of this year. I am a lover of spreadsheets for planning and as ideas strike me, I make notes on places, concepts, foods, festivals, language that I might want to include. This first book had a focus on over-tourism and each book will gently address an issue that I want to highlight. 

I think that readers who are familiar with Kyoto will enjoy this series. But I also hope that readers who are curious about Kyoto or want to plan a trip to Kyoto will consider it as well. 

The book is available from amazon.com and any Amazon outlet.