Sayonara (1954), is a novel published by American author James A. Michener about the Japanese word "sayonara." Set during the early 1950s, Sayonara tells the story of Major Gruver, a soldier stationed in Japan, who falls in love with Hana-Ogi, a Japanese woman. The novel follows their cross-cultural Japanese romance and illuminates the racism of the post-WWII time period.