SAN FRANCISCO -- A foreigner in Japan is an outsider by default, a fact foreign residents have lamented for centuries in what is now a ritualized barstool grievance: "I've lived here for so long, learned the language, love my natto, but still . . . "
But foreign writers are apt to remain silent on this point -- mostly because writers tend to seek outsider status.
Western essayists and novelists, such as Nara's Pico Iyer and Hiroshima's David Mitchell, find in Japan a safe and cozy retreat with relatively few distractions. As James Joyce famously declared, self-exile is a writer's chosen defense. There's less noise on the outer edges. And it's a lot easier to see the game from the sidelines.