Domo Arigatou, Chutney Yamato

After the death of her mother, protagonist Chutney Yamato leaves her native Hawaii to teach English in her mother's homeland, Okinawa.In a country known for its social decorum, Chutney manages to say and do the wrong thing at almost every turn, as she courts both disaster and the man of her dreams, a fellow Hawaii transplant. With only a limited Japanese vocabulary and an unforgiving guide, Chutney faces the challenges of meeting her grandparents for the first time, managing a chaotic life in an unfamiliar place and coping with the loss of her mother.