Describing Racial Differences

Yeah, I think it's because I am as much of an artist as I am a writer, and I always like drawing my OCs any chance I can get. So I naturally have a clear image of how my characters look.

 

I'm Chinese and it's honestly not something I've been bothered about. I don't get offended over olive skins and almond eyes. Why don't you just describe how your character looks? Why does it matter she looks Asian if Asia isn't even a place in your novel? Does it have a part in the plot?

Personally, I'd be describing cultural traits rather than physical traits. She kneels rather than crosses her legs, she sips on green tea and eat sweetened rice dumplings, she celebrates the doll festival and dusts off the little dolls in their opulent dresses before placing it in the place of pride in her home. She has a bamboo comb and makes delicate art out of paper. Her rooms are divided by sliding doors and she lays on the floor for sleep. She bows when her superior greets her. In the morning, she eats fermented beans and rice, washed down by a clear, bean-based broth.

I'd think most people would probably think "Japanese" from that paragraph, yet I've not really used any term that's distinctly from Japan (I deliberately avoided the terms kimono and miso).

Pepper her habits and ways of thinking and dealing with situations, with different genders, her eating habits - do this throughout your book, and you probably don't need to mention that she looks Asian. Your readers will likely picture someone Asian.