Susan Karen Burton

Foreword by Lord Gregory Mostyn. Since the first 'Welch' sailor set foot on Japanese shores in the seventeenth century to the present-day presence of high-tech Japanese companies in the Valleys, Wales and Japan are two nations with deeply entwined roots. Captured in this groundbreaking book is a chorus of modern-day Welsh migrants to Japan. There is Catharine who, in 1965, followed her Japanese husband to an 'out of kilter' house in the seaside town of Zushi; Jac, the 'capitalist ski bum', who guides tourists through the bear-infested wilds of snowy Hokkaido, while on a volcanic island in the Seto Inland Sea, Simon clears jungle vines to develop his vegan farm. There are also actors, writers, teachers, an ex-bouncer turned martial artist, a filmmaker, a games localiser, and many more. There are even Japanese fans who promote Welsh culture in their homeland. Together they form a polyphonic group portrait based on oral-history techniques, mixing travel writing, character study and reportage, while proving an ear for natural speech.

We have dubbed Hinterland Issue 6 our ‘non-fiction fiction special’, in which we explore the curious space where fiction and non-fiction intersect and interact. To that end Heather Martin (The Reacher Guy) recalls how she came to write the biography of Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series; Nick Bradley (The Cat and The City) shares some of the photographs taken on his commute in Tokyo, an experience later tapped into for his debut novel; Ashley Hickson-Lovence (The 392) tells the true story of how Ruel Fox (nearly) led Norwich City to football greatness; we explore Tash Aw’s literary archive; and share a conversation with Helen Smith (The Uncommon Reader) about renowned editor Edward Garnett, all alongside a stand-out selection of reportage, memoir, essay and flash non-fiction.