ABSTRACT
This chapter explores translingual/transnational writers of Japan who have gained prominence since the 1990s: Due to the limitations of scope, my chosen focus is the sample of Japanese translingual writers: Tawada Yoko (1960–), who writes in both Japanese and German; Levy Hideo (1955–) from the U.S, and Yang Yi from China, who write in Japanese; along with zainichi (residing in Japan) Korean writers, such as Lee Yangji (1955–1992), whose parents were brought to Japan during the Japanese colonization of Korea, and who writes in Japanese. These translingual authors will be discussed according to the notion of exophony or specular border writers whose works reflect the authors’ experiences as foreigners stepping out of their original languages to enjoy writing in the space between two languages/cultures.
