Interesting! I was in Kuau'i, Hawaii almost 10 years ago and among the local residents, they speak 'pigeon English', which is a conglomeration of English, Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Philipine, Portugeuse (maybe more) - you can't learn the language unless you're born there, as they won't teach it to outsiders (almost like a secret cant). It came about because of (similar to your game setup) plantation towns, each with a unique population of immigrant laborers and their own language/culture. As the union movement in the 19th century came about, revolts among the 'walled' plantation towns broke out and the separate immigrant populations mingled, united against the oppressive plantation owners. 'Pigeon English' came about due to these revolts.
I created the original hand-drawn map for the city of Kasai, capital of Minkai, in Jade Regent #6: The Empty Throne for their crossing the north pole to Japan adventure path, as a commission for Paizo Publishing. The map includes a grid of canals, like a major oriental city would. F. Wesley Schneider (managing editor of Paizo at the time, now he's more) seemed shocked to see the square grid on the early version of the city design. I sent him photos of 19th century Kyoto, links to pre-20th century maps of Japanese cities (some 15th century maps), and reliable sites justifying my intended direction. In order to please his more 'less structured design' wants, I made the roads paralleling the canals long straight ones, but the interior streets wound around terrain features - and create more interesting urban landscape. I capitulated.
I used to just make maps for my own games, but I run a graphics shop and after printing a large format campaign map, I realized that might work as a business and built a website to do that (back in 2007, about the same time I joined the CG). After having participated in many monthly challenges and winning a few, I got more interested in creating maps than printing them. Through the CG I hooked with some small publishers including Dog House Rulez and designed some 3.5 maps, and have since been commissioned for many maps, including the Paizo job.
Because I'm half Japanese, I've always been interested in Japanese history, culture, folkore and ghost story tradition. So I've since published 13 publications through Rite Publishing for PFRPG, a setting of Japanese horror called Kaidan. Although it is a fictitious setting, not Japan, it is an archipelago of islands built along the lines of imperial/shogunate Japan in the 13th to 15th century - pre-Sengoku period, with a heavy emphasis on yokai as horror aspects, plenty of yurei ghosts and oni demons. It's influenced by Ravenloft, but features a very twisted and demented form of reincarnation that sets it apart from other D&Desque settings - very esoteric in some ways. It's based on the Buddhist Wheel of Life construct (where unenlightened souls reincarnate; now considered 'states of mind') crossed with the Japanese social caste system, using a karma score that determines what caste you were born in, and which you'll be in the next life.
I just released a mapped encounter site with haunts, a ghost (in multi CR versions), and a curse for a typical Japanese bath house (and inn). It's in the News forum, but for those interested, here's a link to DrivethruRPG to all Kaidan products so far (shameless plug - sorry!). My Haiku of Horror product is in the Top 100 products right now! (Snoopy happy dance of joy!)
GP
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