Rei Shimura

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Rei Shimura is a fictional half-Japanese, half-American antiques expert who features in the novels of Sujata Massey.

[edit] Appearance

Rei Shimura is described as appearing more Japanese than American, as evidenced by the fact that she is mistaken to be of full Japanese blood in several of the books. Her spoken Japanese is fluent, but she still has has difficulty reading.

[edit] Life

Rei Shimura was born in San Francisco, California, where she lived before immigrating to Tokyo. While in Tokyo, she worked in a succession of different areas. These included a position as a columnist for the Gaijin Times, and as an antiques dealer.

[edit] Family

Her mother is a member of the influential Howard family, but in The Pearl Diver Massey indicates that only one member of this family, Kendall Howard, reaches out to Rei when she moves to Washington D.C. Most of her father's family live in Japan, and Rei has a close relationship with her cousin, Tom Shimura, and her aunt, Norie.