On April 1, 1978, Haruki Murakami was at Jingu Stadium, watching the Yakult Swallows play the Hiroshima Carp from the bleachers, drinking beer. He, 29 at the time, ran a jazz bar and had never written a novel. In the bottom of the first inning, the moment Dave Hilton of the Yakult Swallows hit a […]
The Haruki Murakami Library is opened at Waseda University on 1 October, 2021. Here is how it looks from a fan’s viewpoint.
Murakami’s novels are known for their surrealism. Still, this surrealism does not exist independently but is further enhanced by the reality of the scenes and place names detailed in his novels. From the point of view of a local Tokyo resident who experienced the period in which the novel is set, the scenery and the […]
This post is for those who loved Kafka on the Shore and miss travelling abroad and includes a spoiler. When I wrote someplace in my novel, I always thought “there should be this place somewhere” “this place should exist somewhere”. So, I would be grateful if that place exists inside your brain, as the place […]
[SPOILER ALERT] This article includes information about Haruki Murakami’s “A Wild Sheep Chase”. I hope it helps you to extend your imagination to the scenes that appeared in the novel. A Wild Sheep Chase is set at three areas Tokyo: “I” lived, dated, married and divorced, and “Boss” lived Hokkaido: The Dolphine Hotel and the […]
Dropped in Café Murakami, run by a traditional patisserie owned by Murakami family (no liaison to Haruki) in Kanazawa since 1911. Its seasonal speciality was Mont Blanc cake; Sumire’s favourite in Sputnik Sweetheart. Although it was mentioned as a “usual slice of cake” in the English translation, it was specified as “Mont Blanc,” a cake […]
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 […]
Although Murakami did not mention the name of the place, it is believed that the setting of After Dark (2004) is Shibuya, one of the most popular amusement districts in the heart of Tokyo. Our line of sight chooses an area of concentrated brightness and, focusing there, silently descends to it—a sea of neon colors. […]
On the Bungakukai Magazine (Nov. 2020), Murakami gave an interview on Stan Getz and Jazz. As always, he was very talkative and shared his knowledge with a twist of expression in the way that he did in his novels. He thought “this is what I have to do” and translated ”Stan Getz: A Life in […]
Yesterday, Kinokuniya Shinjuku celebrated the release of Murakami’s new book “The First Person Singular”. During the state’s emergency period in April, bookstores were excluded from the shutdown list, as they were considered as essential facilities for our lives. However, the large bookstores like Kinokuniya voluntarily shut down themselves and offered small bookshops the way to […]