Norwegian Wood Places

Pictures of the places possibly appeared or mentioned in Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.

She had suggested that we leave the train, which we happened to do in Yotsuya, where the green embankment makes for a nice place to walk by the old castle moat. ―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

Yotsuya, literally means “four valleys”, is in the boundary of the old castle area where the outer moat was built in the 17th century. The station is a good place to start a walk, especially on a sunny day.

This was no mere stroll for Naoko, though, judging from that walk. ―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

The footpath between Yotsuya and Iidabashi overlooks the old outer moat and Chuo line. Cherry blossoms add a seasonal look at the landscape in a springtime.

She turned right at Iidabashi, came out at the moat, crossed the intersection at Jinbocho, climbed the hill at Ochanomizu, and came out at Hongo. ―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

The inner moat surrounds the Imperial Palace. The path right around the palace is one of the most popular places to go jogging in Tokyo.

She turned right at Iidabashi, came out at the moat, crossed the intersection at Jinbocho, climbed the hill at Ochanomizu, and came out at Hongo.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

Jinbocho is known as “the town of books” where 180 bookshops are accumulated. It is a great place for booklovers, especially for curio book connoisseurs.

She turned right at Iidabashi, came out at the moat, crossed the intersection at Jinbocho, climbed the hill at Ochanomizu, and came out at Hongo.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

Ochanomizu, literally means “tea water”, refers there was a good spring for tea water on the hill in old times where the gentle slope heads to.

She turned right at Iidabashi, came out at the moat, crossed the intersection at Jinbocho, climbed the hill at Ochanomizu, and came out at Hongo.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

Hongo is known for the University of Tokyo campus and the residential area where a number of authors including Soseki Natsume and Yasunari Kawabata had lived.

From there she followed the trolley tracks to Komagome. It was a challenging route. By the time we reached Komagome, the sun was sinking and the day had become a soft spring evening.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

It is around 11 km (6.8 miles) from Yotsuya station to Komagome station along with the route described in the novel. It seems 11 km is not a long way to walk in the countryside, however, doing it in the city is more challenging than what the number suggests especially when following another person without knowing where to go.

We went to a shop by the station for a bowl of noodles. Thirsty, I had a whole beer to myself. From the time we gave our order until the time we finished eating, neither of us said a word.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.2)

Close to Komagome station, there is a restaurant where admirably elegant soba noodles were served. With silky and supple in texture, “the edge of the corner of each string of the noodle” (an expression of praise for soba noodles) could be felt in every single bite.

A flock of crows sailed out of the west and flew over a big department store.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.5)

The Odakyu department store is embedded in the Shinjuku station where Chuo line to Nagano departs. In Tokyo, crows are very popular not in the meaning of beloved but of their existence in everywhere.

AFTER GERMAN we caught a bus to Shinjuku and went to an underground bar called DUG behind the Kinokuniya bookstore. We each started with two vodka and tonics. ―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (ch.7)

DUG is a real place in Shinjuku for the people who enjoy great music and cheeky drinks (or who feel the world gets hard to live in as Midori stated).

WHEN I GOT TO DUG, Midori was sitting at the far end of the counter with a drink…. I ordered a whiskey and soda, then realized there was a big suitcase by Midori’s feet.―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Ch.9)

Murakami used the word “whisky and soda” in the novels written in 1980’s unlike recently written novels such as “Colorless” and “1Q84” where “highball” was used instead. It is exactly along the way people from Tokyo in each time describe the alcoholic drink which contains whisky and soda on the rock with ice in the glass.