It remains, as in “Lot,” an incredible hotbed of diversity. The Houston in the novel is also a warmer place. Osaka features prominently in “Memorial,” but that’s not the only thing that distinguishes its settings from those in the stories. In the novel, I wanted to try and capture some of that.” The closest place I know to compare it to is New Orleans.” What links them, he says, is “acceptance and generosity and community. “It's rare for folks to give you their time, let alone treat you with compassion just for the sake of it, and I've been privy to a lot of warmth in the time I've spent in Osaka. “The people there were just so warm and welcoming,” Washington says. He was most taken with Osaka, the country’s second largest (and still massive) city. “I discovered that if I didn’t mind a 48-hour layover, plane tickets were pretty cheap.” “I had a friend who moved back to Japan, who told me I had a place to stay whenever I liked,” he says.

Washington may one day be known as Houston’s bard, but as you might guess from his new novel and his dog, he also has a thing for Japan, which he first visited in 2015. Mike’s mother, Mitsuko, arrives unexpectedly with news that his father, Eiji, is dying of cancer in Osaka, where he is the proprietor of a bar. Benson is a Black day care teacher, Mike a Japanese American chef. “Memorial” zeroes in on a couple, Benson and Mike, whose relationship is on shaky ground. “Lot,” which made many best-of-year lists (including Barack Obama’s), focused almost entirely on underrepresented characters from Houston’s margins: poor, queer, disenfranchised, neurodiverse.

Houston osaka bryan washington