A 25-year-old celebrated Japanese novelist who travels to Taiwan on an official lecture tour. Driven by an intense, almost obsessive appetite, she actively seeks out authentic Taiwanese street food rather than attending sanitized colonial banquets. Her perspective is shaped by a well-intentioned but privileged worldview. This causes her to romanticize the culture she consumes.

A petite, highly intelligent Taiwanese interpreter and former Japanese-language schoolteacher. Raised partially by impoverished relatives after being neglected as the daughter of a concubine, she possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Taiwan's geography, regional history, local dialects, and cuisine. She manages her subordinate social position by adopting a flawless, inscrutable smile. This allows her to conceal her true thoughts from her Japanese employers.

A government staffer at Taichū City Hall who serves as Aoyama's official guide. As a wansheng, a Japanese person born in Taiwan, he occupies an ambiguous space within the colonial system. He is rigidly adherent to protocol and highly skeptical of Aoyama's desire to consume unregulated local food.

A wealthy Mainlander and representative of the Nisshinkai women's organization. She acts as a generous host to Aoyama. She provides housing and hires a local interpreter. She embodies the comfortable and unexamined privilege of the colonizing class.

A wansheng scholar born in colonial Taiwan. She occupies an unstable middle ground between Japanese and Taiwanese identity. This position allows her to offer an analytical framework that encourages readers to remain conscious of the author's colonial biases.

The adopted daughter of Aoyama Chizuko, who grows up working as a professional artist. She grows up hearing stories of Taiwan and dedicates herself to reprinting her mother's travelogue after the original copies are destroyed.

Aoyama's aunt who serves as a practical, grounding force in her life. She is cautious about Aoyama's travels and sends telegrams warning against an extended stay in Taiwan.

A literary scholar and the eldest daughter of Ōng Tshian-hòh. She works to publish her mother's translation of the travelogue and discovers an entirely different side to the deferential woman she knew.

A translator who works to recover and adapt the text. Her efforts set the modern publication in motion.

A school official who dismisses a rumor about a conflict between her students. She insists on maintaining an image of proper manners within the colonial educational system.

A broad-shouldered and candid Mainlander student at a girls' high school. She is attentive and protective of her Islander classmate. She shields her from the sun and brushes petals from her shoulder.

A slight, boyish, and quiet Islander student. She quietly subverts her unequal social environment. She adapts a derogatory slur into a private term of endearment.

A highly skilled former gentry daughter displaced by Qing-era turmoil. She serves as the exclusive chef for the Lin family matriarch. She exercises her autonomy by firmly refusing to cook for Japanese guests.

A housekeeper who works at the Yana River cottage. She serves as an observant bystander who points out the sheer volume of unpaid labor Chi-chan performs to keep Aoyama's life organized.

A university administrator who dismisses Chi-chan from an event. He views privately hired Islander interpreters as unnecessary odd-job workers. He embodies the casual, institutional prejudice of the colonizers.

A dedicated researcher who frames the complex history of the text. She works alongside her late sister and describes the preserved narrative as a piece of amber that holds both past realities and ideals.

The English translator of the novel who provides historical context and linguistic detail. She ensures that colonial-era pronunciations and tones remain intact for modern readers.