JAPAN – Land of the Rising Sun. Home of The Chrysanthemum Throne. Where tradition meets the future. I’ve been living here for four years now, and sometimes I still can’t believe just how freakin’ awesome it is. There’s sushi and shrines, samurai and sumo, kimonos and kawaii culture. ALL OUTSIDE MY FRONT DOOR (okay, not literally outside my front door – it would be weird to have a sumo wrestler chilling on my porch – but you get what I mean). Not to mention the fact that I can eat authentic ramen whenever I want.
📖 RELATED POST: 9 Japanese American Authors Whose Books You ABSOLUTELY NEED to Read
So, when I come across a book (my other great love besides Japan, food, oh and my husband…I have a lot of great loves, apparently ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) that is set in Japan, is Japanese-inspired, or mentions Japan for one brief moment on page 345, I get excited. Like, really excited. There is something utterly magical about books that spotlight a culture I know, love, and get to experience everyday. And because I want I to share this magic with you, you, you, AND EVERYONE, I put together this amazing list of YA books set in Japan. (Originally, I was only going to list ten, but I couldn’t stop….so here we are).
YA Books Set in Japan
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
- An MC who knows her mind and takes her fate into her own hands = ✅
- A girl who has to dress as a boy in order to infiltrate a deadly clan of assassins = ✅
- Forbidden love = ✅
- Do you want to read this? = ✅
Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott
“This Cinderella doesn’t crave love. She only wants revenge…” Okay, if that blurb on the cover doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. But, seriously, it’s a Japanese-inspired Cinderella retelling. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?
Barefoot on the Wind by Zoë Marriott
A companion novel to Shadows on the Moon, this book is described as “a darkly magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in fairytale Japan.” UMMMMMM YES PLEASE. Excuse me while I go throw myself a party because my life is now complete.
Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean
In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems. (Of course not, because that would be boring.) In most fairy tales, the knight must win the hand of the princess by completing some herculean task. Slaying a dragon. Procuring a golden apple. Solving an impossible riddle. You get the idea. However, in Empress of All Seasons, Mari must capture the heart of the prince and this feminist gender reversal is = 🔥🔥🔥🔥
📖RELATED POST: Read my full review of Empress of All Seasons
Red Winter by Annette Marie
Emi is a kamigakari, the human host of an immortal goddess called Amaterasu. She has spent the last ten years of her life preparing to become the goddess’ pure vessel, but all of that goes up in smoke when Shiro – a flirty yokai and an enemy to Amaterasu – stumbles onto the scene.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
This book was one of the first Japanese-inspired fantasy books I ever read, and it holds a dear place in my heart. Plus, it features a nightingale floor, which is actually a real thing. The most famous example is at Nijō Castle in Kyoto AND I’VE ACTUALLY BEEN THERE SO YEAH THAT’S PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME !!!
Ink by Amanda Sun
When Katie’s mother dies suddenly, she finds herself being shipped off to Shizuoka, Japan to live with her aunt. There, she meets resident Bad Boy™, Tomohiro, who is the star of the school’s kendo team and has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan. Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
This book. I love everything about this book. I just finished buddy reading it with the wonderfully lovely May @ My 1st Chapter AND I COULD COMPOSE A WHOLE SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS. Seriously, 10/10 would recommend.
📖RELATED POST: All the reasons why Shadow of the Fox was my favorite read of 2018
Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi
“Go to Japan in my place. Find the Gate. My camera will show you the way.” These are the last words Keiko Yamada’s father shares with her before he dies unexpectedly. Determined to understand what they mean, Keiko travels to Tokyo, only to discover a secret world of ancient spirits that needs her help.
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
A book written originally in Japanese and translated into English, I cannot NOT include this on my list. It’s about “a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.” Also, THAT COVER THO.
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Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
This book’s got it all: first there’s Kira, our resident unflinching heroine. By day, she’s your ordinary high school student, and by night, she’s a noble yokai-fighting shrine maiden. Next comes Shiro, Kira’s loyal kitsune shrine-guardian-slash-love-interest (who should probably be in a J-Pop band or something because he’s just that ridiculously good looking). And I can’t forget to mention the shinigami, a ragtag group of death god rejects who dress like old-time samurai and cook mouth-watering ramen in their free time. I’m down.
📖RELATED POST: Check out my full review of Seven Deadly Shadows
Warcross by Marie Lu
Set in a futuristic Japan, Warcross is all about bounty hunters, virtual reality games, hackers, and a giant Esports competition that the whole world tunes in to watch. Another reason to read this book: the main character has rainbow hair. RAINBOW, I SAY.
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
Okay, so the title of this book is a pun. Do you need any other reason to read this book? Not really. But in case that adorable title didn’t convince you, let me just say that this book is utter perfection with a capital P and your life will improve about 10000% after reading it. It’s just that good, I promise.
📖 RELATED POST: Why I Love You So Mochi is my favorite book of all time
My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn
That cover though. It’s definitely channeling some kawaii cuteness. Here, have a cute rabbit-thingy and a rainbow:
A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe
Sora’s life was full of magic–until she discovered it was all a lie. Sora has spent her entire life thinking that she was the heir to Mt. Fuji’s spirit kingdom, only to uncover a devastating truth: she is actually a human changeling. Raised as a decoy in order to protect her fake parents’ true daughter, Sora must now find the real princess and help her ascend to the throne.
Orchards by Holly Thompson
I’ve been wanting to read more poetry, and what better choice to start with than with a book starring a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American? HERE, HAVE ALL THE DIVERSITY POINTS.
Tanabata Wish by Sara Fujimura
Skyler’s perfect summer is ruined when her parents decide to move their family to Nagoya, Japan…but when she meets David Takamatsu, Skylar begins to wonder if maybe things aren’t all that bad afterall.
Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse
Sometimes you just need a bit of fluffy romance in your life. This would be one of those times.
The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco
I’m not a person who does horror. I’m like the biggest scaredy-Kat (hahahaha get it? See what I did there???? Wait, why are you face-palming like that?) ever, but I very well might break my no-horror policy for this book. The story’s main star is Okiku, a ghost who murders child rapists and abusers. Plus, it is all about Japanese ghost stories.
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Okay, I know that cover looks horrible, but bear with me on this. I’ve seen this book described as, “the Japanese Sherlock Holmes” and it’s part of a series called, “The Samurai Detective.” So, yeah, I’m sold.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elise Chapman
Though not all of these stories are based on Japanese folklore, there is one entry called, Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa (in case you couldn’t get enough of The Shadow of the Fox). Plus, this anthology is just spectacular and is full of wonderful stories from all over Asia. You should read it – you won’t regret it.
Have you read any of these YA books set in Japan? What did you think about them?
Do you know of any other YA books set in Japan that aren’t on this list?
Let me know in the comments!
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Thank you so much for this Kat!!! I love YA books set in Japan, especially fantasy, and I have just added a billion new books into my TBR thanks to this post 😍 I have been dying to read Shadow of the Fox and Best Player for a long time now and now I can’t wait to find a copy of Shadows on the Moon somewhere.
It’s really amazing that you live in Japan! I was there 4 years ago for 3-weeks and I explored as much as possible from Tokyo to Sendai to Kyoto. I’m craving to visit Japan again soon but meanwhile I’ll read through this list 😄
Thanks so much for this awesome comment! It made my day! I’m so glad that you were able to find so many new books that you want to read :) I hope that you are about to get a copy of Shadows on the Moon. And wow, you really did see a lot of Japan! That must have been a lot of traveling! Did you use the JR Pass?
No I didn’t actually 😄 We just travelled around via night buses which definitely wasn’t the comfiest option haha. I’m really excited for Shadows on the Moon!
Wow, I’ve never been on a night bus before! It’s like Harry Potter haha
Love this post, Kat!! Omg I need to read I Love You So Mochi purely because of the title! 😂 I love Shadow of the Fox and Warcross, and am hoping to read Flame in the Mist soon! I adore Renee Ahdieh’s Wrath and the Dawn duology, so I’m sure I’ll love it too! ❤️
Thanks for the comment, Kelly! AND I know, right? That punny title is so cute and plus Mochi is delicious so, how can I NOT read it? I hope that you like the Flame in the Mist series :) I’ll be excited to see what you have to say about them :)
Great list! Out of all of those, I’ve read Warcross, Empress Of All Seasons & A Thousand Beginnings/Endings & I’ve heard of The Beast Player & am really looking forward to reading it!! It sounds great! 😍💕✨
Thank you so much for the comment! I’m looking forward to reading The Beast Player too :) What did you think of Empress of All Seasons? I just read that one recently :)
I thought it was really good! I loved the setting, unique story, characters, etc.! From what I remember, one thing that lowered my rating a little was uneven pacing for me in some parts! But overall, it was a really great fantasy book! ^_^
I totally utterly adored Flame in the Mist and The girl from the well! Have you read book two of The girl from the well!??? is SO AWESOME! I hope to get to book two of Flame in the Mist in December and to Empress of all seasons next week. LOVE THIS POST TO PIECES!
Thanks so much, Daniela! :) I’m excited to hear what you have to say about Empress of All Seasons!
literally everytime i come to your blog and read your posts i get so enchanted by your ADORABLE graphics, seriously theyre so cute i cannot 😭😭 BUT THIS POST IS SO DEAR AND SWEET AND GAHH I LOVE IT
and man those recs! you pretty much covered every genre possible and THEYRE ALL (and sound like) SUCH GREAT BOOKS! (especially that one that we got to buddy read 😉)
warcross and flame in the mist were some of my all time favourite fantasy books and I LOVED THE ATMOSPHERE so much. ‘i love you so mochi’ SOUNDS SO CUTE and the cover is adorbs and i want it now! also i didnt know seven days of you took place in japan, brb adding it up higher on my tbr
anyways, great post and always, i always look forward to when you post!! <3
GYAHHHH MAY YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST. Like, seriously. You are better than a plate full of waffles and all of your support and love means the world :) We should buddy read again sometime because I NEED MORE MAY IN MY LIFE. hahaha
I somehow totally missed that you live in Japan, Kat! How absolutely amazing that must be – I have a friend that studied abroad in Japan one summer and she loved it. I’d love to go one day and eat all the sushi & ramen.
This list is wonderful! Many of these were already on my radar but I am totally adding that horror one to my TBR right now. I love Japanese and Korean horror movies and am interested to read this one.
Japan is pretty great! My only complaint is that the flight to and from America is WAYYYYYY too expensive and WAYYYYY too long. So I don’t get to visit the fam as much as I would like. But I hope one day you get to visit. There is so much fun stuff to see here :)
I hope that you end up reading and liking The Girl From the Well. I haven’t read it yet either, but I’ve seen some raving reviews about it :) Let me know what you think of it if you ever get the chance to read it!
Warcross is literally the only book I’ve read on this list and I loved that series so much. If I ever feel like a book set in Japan, you’re my saviour with this awesome post <3
Thanks so much! Warcross was like the only Sci-Fi book I could think of set in Japan, and it’s pretty popular right now. Have you read the sequel yet?
It is! and I have read the sequel and honestly, I love that duology to bits. Marie Lu is a queen and I loved it all so much! I reviewed them both :)
I’m so glad you liked them! Marie Lu really is so good at writing morally-gray characters. I also have read the Young Elites by her AND LOVED IT.
Great list! Saving this! 😃
This is such a great post and I love your list, Kat! I have read Flame In The Mist and enjoyed it, I’m looking forward to reading the sequel at some point because it sounds really great :D
I have I love you so mochi on my TBR, that cover is ADORABLE, I love it and it seems to be a really marshmallowy kind of read and you know me, I’m all for these kind of reads :D
Thank you so much, Marie! I’m glad you liked Flame in the Mist, and I hope you enjoy the sequel when you get around to it :) Also, I immediately thought of you when I saw I Love You so Mochi because it seems just the sort of book you would like :) :)
Awww, you know me well already haha :)
Ok this post is freaking everything. Thank you so much for putting out this list. I’ve added a few really cool looking titles to my TBR.
Also, best intro – the struggling is all too real LOL
http://www.tbrandbeyond.com
Thank you so much, Melanie! I hope that you are able to find some new favorites :)
Japan sounds like an amazing place to live.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
I’ve read a couple of the books from this list, and I’m going to read the second book to Girl From the Well really soon! I’m adding Shadows of the Moon to my TBR now, and I love Across the Nightingale Floor! It’s really awesome that you live in Japan, that country is full of adventure!
Thank you so much, Tasya! Japan is really such an exciting place to live – I think I’ve been to about 100 different shrines or temples in my time here haha. There is just so much to see and do :)
Ahh that’s so amazing that you live in Japan – I really want to go there! *_*
Barefoot on the Wind was really good. Stormdancer and Warcross are on my bookshelf; I must get around to reading them soon!
I Love You So Mochi sounds super cute.
My TTT post!
I hope you are able to go there someday! And thank you so much for your wonderful comment :)
I really needed this list! I love the Japanese culture so much and books exploring it never disappoint. I plan to read many of the books listed here! :)
I am so glad you were able to find some books you are interested in! I hope you end up liking them :)
I hope so too! :)
I love love love books set in Japan! Especially ones that are based on Japanese mythology!! Have you read Ink by Amanda Sun? It’s about an American teenager who moves to Japan to live with her aunt and ends up getting swept up into a world of the Kami – and starts to develop feelings for a boy who has their powers ( or is descended from them? I don’t remember whoops 😬 ) Anyway, it was super amazing!
Great post as always Kat 💕💕
I have not read Ink, but I have heart of it! I’ll have to add it to my TBR list! Thanks for the recommendation! I’m always on the hunt for more books set in Japan :) Thanks for always being so awesome, Shannon :)
No problem Kat! You’ve given me heaps of recommendations from this post too! 😊 I hope you enjoy Ink!
First of all, it is SO COOL that you live in Japan!! My fiancé realllly want to visit and it’s on our bucket list to accomplish within the next few years! Secondly, I love this list, and am sad I’ve only read two of the titles (Empress of All Seasons and Warcross). Japan is so rich in culture, I’d love to read more books set there or inspired by it!
Thank you so much, Cristina! I hope that you and your fiancé are able to visit sometime soon! It is totally worth the trip :)
I’m so glad that you like this list! I hope you were able to find some more books that look interesting to you :)
You live in Japan! Whaaat? You’re close by haha or in the Asian continent anyways! *waves all the way from the Philippines* I’ve had a great fondness for Japanese culture since I was very young. I think it had so much to do with anime, and Japanese food. Haha anyways, do you have any Japanese movies you’d recommend?
The Beast Player sounds amazing! I’ll add that to my list. A Thousand Beginnings & Endings was on sale recently, so I was able to buy myself a copy! Yay! Mmmm I’ve heard a lot about Rin Chupeco! Definitely want to try her works.
In short, this list is amazing, Kat!!
HEY ASIAN CONTINENT BUDDY!!! Haha, and yeah, anime and manga is what initially sparked my interest in Japan too (WOOT SAILOR MOON) haha.
As for Japanese movies – GYAHHH. There are so many really great ones. Some of my favorites are:
– Anything by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away & Howl’s Moving Castle)
-Anything by Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast)
-Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name)
-Koe No Katachi (A Silent Voice)
-Mary and The Witch’s Flower
Honestly, I could go on, but these ones are what came to me off the top of my head!
Awesome books Kat! No wonder you love all Japanese, living there and experiencing the culture. My love for Japan and all Asian culture comes from my Japanese grandmother. One of the first series I read was the Samurai Detective by the Hooblers. Another is the Shinobi Mystery series by Susan Spann. This spread to k-dramas, anime and manga. ❤️❤️
Dani, thanks so much for the comment! And K-Dramas are pretty great, aren’t they? I don’t watch them too much anymore because they like TAKE OVER MY LIFE once I start watching a series. Haha, my favorites are My Love from the Star and Princess Hours :)
Thank you so much for this list. I love Japan and I am always on the look out to read more books set in that amazing country, all these books are getting added to my TBR
This list is golden! I love Japan so much and never miss a chance to read a book set on it. I’ll give these a try for sure, and add my own contribution in case you’d like to pick it up: Ink by Amanda Sun (is the first book, though there are 3/4 in total I think).
It’s about Japanese mythology and art, and is kind of romance-heavy, though I didn’t care much for the relationship and preferred to focus on the story instead. It was quite interesting, I recommend it! :)
I’m so glad that you liked the list, Sophie! Thank you for the book rec – another blogger friend of mine also recommended this book, so I’ll definitely have to add it to my TBR list now :) And isn’t it just the worst when a great story/plot is wasted on some strained romance? I’m like, “COME ON! I’m here for the DRAGONS not the roll-your-eyes romance!”
Ah that’s awesome :D I hope you enjoy it then ^^
Hahaha exactly! I mean, I love a good romance but a good romance WON’T take over the plot, for heaven’s sake… Learn authors, learn! xD
Loving this list! Those contemporaries are really tickling my fancy.
I’ve actually had Shadows on the Moon for a few years now, but I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. I should change that soon…
Thank you so much, Jackie! I hope that you end up reading Shadows of the Moon :) If you do, I would love to hear your thoughts.
[…] things around for me – but the result was about the same as the first installment. HOWEVER!!!!! IT IS SET IN JAPAN, SO BONUS POINTS FOR […]
The one thing I really liked about Seven Days of You was getting to “see” Tokyo. It was definitely a love letter to the city.
I’m glad to hear that you liked it! It’s always fun to read about our favorite cities :)
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I’ve been wanting a post like this for such a long time, so thank you for compiling this list! I relate so much with what you said about feeling excited when a book mentions something about your home — or any place I’ve been to and know well, honestly. It’s so fulfilling when your knowledge of a location, language, or culture gets unexpectedly put to use by a book (and it makes the book more memorable, too! 😋). I’m definitely bookmarking this post for future reference, and I can’t wait to make my way down this list of Japanese-inspired books! 😆
This comment made my day – possibly my entire week. Thank you, Zoie, for your wonderfully kind words! If you end up reading any of these books, please let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts :)
[…] case there are any newcomers here who have yet to get the memo – SURPRISE! I live in Japan and I love reading books that are set there. But just because I live in Japan, I’m in no way an expert when it comes to the language or the […]
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[…] can make one hungry real quick). If I had to chose my favourite post on her blog I’d go with Top Ten Ya Books Set in Japan because while I do not live in Japan (unlike Kat) I share her interest for Japanese culture and I […]
Thanks for the list! I just added a bunch of these to my want to read list. 😊
The Young Samurai series.
I may look into some of these. I’d really love to see a gothic historical (romance or not, doesn’t matter) set in Japan. I am putting that on my story idea list, and that is all!
My cousin is studying Japanese, and he showed me that Kyoto is Tokyo spelled backwards! (In Japanese alphabet, not English.)