When Haruki Murakami writes his novels, he carefully writes the detailed settings one by one and constructs the characters accordingly. Although essentially fictional, his narrative is deeply intertwined with the place in which it is set, and as a result, composes a unique realism. 1Q84, set in Tokyo in 1984, is no exception. 1Q84 is […]
Setagaya Literary Museum in Tokyo is currently holding an exhibition on Mizumaru Anzai (1942-2014), an illustrator and best friend of Haruki Murakami. In addition to the numerous illustration works, the exhibition includes books of Murakami’s that Anzai designed. In 1980, an editor introduced Anzai to Murakami, who ran a jazz bar in Sendagaya. Since then, […]
The story starts at Expressway Number 3 in Setagaya ward, southwest part of Tokyo. In 1984, the elevated expressway has often congested; but these days, as the expressway system expands, the traffic jam is getting less. The Metropolitan Expressway No.3 was built as a part of the preparation for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic games. It […]
The name sounded familiar to Tengo, but he couldn’t remember where he might have heard it before. When his attempt to trace the memory back ended in failure, he felt unusually frustrated. (Ch.10, 1Q84) Recently, I happened to know that Sakigake and Akebono are the names of the silkworm species which become chrysalis in the […]
How about reading “100% Perfect Girl” as a prequel story of 1Q84 depicting a chance meeting of Tengo and Aomame in 1981? “This giant book, however, grew from the tiniest of seeds. According to Murakami, “1Q84” is just an amplification of one of his most popular short stories, “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One […]
Pictures of the places possibly appeared or mentioned in Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. Aomame had caught the cab near Kinuta and told the driver to take the elevated expressway from Yohga. — Haruki Murakami, 1Q84 (Book 1, Ch 1) Kinuta is a south end residential area of Tokyo where the cozy park is located beside Metro […]