"Owls in the Ginza is more than a volume of informative travel essays. It's a collection of thought-provoking and life-affirming tales from this prolific award-winning author." —Miho Kinnas, author of Waiting for Sunset to Bury Red Camellias
" ... a mesmerizing, unique chronicle of contrasts... " — Susan Kiyo Ito, author of National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist I Would Meet You Anywhere
"Suzanne Kamata is a brilliant observer of people ..." —Iain Maloney, author of The Japan Lights
Owls in the Ginza
by Suzanne Kamata
Thinking of leaving the country? Does the life of a digital nomad beckon to you? Suzanne Kamata has been there, done that, and is still doing it. Living in Japan for most of her adult life, she has a husband, two children, and a string of books to her credit.
Her latest, Owls in the Ginza, is as close to a memoir as this private lady will probably ever write—and it makes for enthralling reading. Essays about her travels in her chosen country, often alone, occasionally with her daughter, give insights into Japanese culture, its island countryside, and its domestic landscape. With humor and the observation skills of an artist, Kamata hints at the challenges and the deep joy that comes with the expat life.
Suzanne Kamata
Most recently from South Carolina, American Suzanne Kamata is a permanent resident of Japan. She is the author or editor of many books including the anthology Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press, 2008), the novel Cinnamon Beach (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2024), and the short fiction collection River of Dolls and Other Stories (Penguin Random House SEA, 2025). Her work has also appeared in numerous journals, magazines, newspapers, and anthologies including Real Simple, The Japan Times and Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Motown Revue (Madville Publishing, 2025). She has been awarded grants by the Sustainable Arts Foundation and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She currently lives in Tokushima Prefecture with her husband, and two cats, and works as an associate professor at Naruto University of Education.
5 1/2 x 8.5 inches; 162 pages; paperback; color images
ISBN-13: 978-1-934159-72-9