Cyberpunk set in Japan (again)

Or "Oh great, another White Dude with a Japan Fetish starts writing science fiction."

The Maku series of short stories takes place in Japan. Specifically they take place in Kobe, about 10 minutes into the future and in a universe one stop over.

At this point someone's eyes have rolled so hard they've popped out and bobbled across the floor. If you see them, please hand them into your local police box.

See, I love Japan. Not the bright light chaos of Tokyo - frankly if I never had to go there again I wouldn't notice. Same with central Osaka. There's only so many Running Man poses someone can do.

No, I love Kobe. So much so that in the middle of a pandemic I moved here.

If you read a travel guide it'll tell you the city's hemmed in by mountains on one side and sea on the other. Which is half-true. The city goes over the mountains and when I see mention of a certain spa town (Arima) being "outside Kobe" it gets a firm "that's like saying Brick Lane is a town outside London."

I digress.

Kobe isn't all bright lights and noise. It's a more subdued city. Yes there are famous views (Mayasan is one of the three best night views in Japan) and a massive Buddha no one talks about (Actually there are two, come to think of it). Jazz started here, still goes on here, and there's a vibrant Samba scene. Anyway, the point is Kobe has a "vibe". It's chilled in many ways, comfortable in its own skin and is way ahead of many of its contemporaries in a laid back kind of way. I'll often say it's a lot like Bristol - just less shouty about it.

Aside from the chilled, anti-Tokyo vibe, there's a more practical reason for placing Maku in Kobe.

The first Maku story - Honmachi Kid, which got torn apart in editing - was set in Nagata, a ward in the city. It was set there because, frankly, when I got stuck for a description I could wander down and have a look. Get back in the vibe, as it were. It has its own Yakuza clan, a sad history of slums and race riots and some cool shopping streets that modernity occasionally takes a look at, shrugs and moves on.

There are places in the novelettes that, if you're familiar with Kobe, you might recognise. Of course I take liberties with them, adding details or putting them to new purposes. You might also notice some behaviours from the citizenry that inhabit this space: speed limits are optional, amber lights are a sign to "go faster" and never look up from your smaho.

I've made Kobe a quasi character in the stories. She has an arc that she'll follow, though you might not notice it now. Maybe, once I've transitioned Maku to full novellas you'll see it more.

So yes, I understand why a dear reader might assume I'm just another Weeb shoving a cyberpunk story in Japan because bright-lights-and-anime.

They're also entirely wrong.