The Guess that Turned Out to be True

When I wrote Choosing Fortune, I had already planned a skiing scene. I just had to pick a ski location in Japan out of several options, no problem.

Then I got it in my head that I wanted to do something with lavender. It’s a distinct and soothing smell, which would be a fun way to connect otherwise seemingly unconnected scenes. But then I wondered, does Japan even grow lavender?

Sure enough, Japan has lavender fields. In the same area as some of the best skiing!

And lo, I stumbled into the connection!  The ski lodge that grows lavender in the off seasons would be in Furano, Hokkaido (northern Japan).

 

A different location I needed was where the Ohashi family lived.

I ran across an article that reported a rural area selling houses cheap. Abandoned, as families moved to the cities chasing money and remained empty due to a cultural distaste for living in someone else’s family home.

I moved Ohashi to rural, southern Japan (Wakayama) and percolated in a ghost story.