2010年03月04日
Takamatsu and Haruki Murakami
Takamatsu and Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami is a very popular author, both in Japan and overseas. Parts of his novel Kafka on the Shore are actually set in Takamatsu where I live. Although the locations are not specifically identified in the book, those of us who live here can imagine where certain scenes are taking place.
Kafka Tamura, a 15-year-old boy, runs away from home on a quest and ends up in Takamatsu. When he gets off at the train station, what does he eat? Sanuki udon, of course. Takamatsu has the best udon (wheat noodles) in Japan.
Takamatsu-station
Later Kafka takes refuge in a private library where he spends his days reading. Although that particular library does not exist, the train Kafka takes to get there sounds very much like our local Kotoden line. Murakami’s descriptions of the scenery seen from the train are also exquisite and bring to mind the seashore in Aji on the east side of Takamatsu.
In fact, Murakami’s depictions of the area are so attractive that I know of one person who was actually inspired by this book to move here.
If you are coming to Japan or live here already, plan to spend some time in Takamatsu exploring the extraordinary world of Haruki Murakami.
Haruki Murakami is a very popular author, both in Japan and overseas. Parts of his novel Kafka on the Shore are actually set in Takamatsu where I live. Although the locations are not specifically identified in the book, those of us who live here can imagine where certain scenes are taking place.
Kafka Tamura, a 15-year-old boy, runs away from home on a quest and ends up in Takamatsu. When he gets off at the train station, what does he eat? Sanuki udon, of course. Takamatsu has the best udon (wheat noodles) in Japan.
Takamatsu-station
Later Kafka takes refuge in a private library where he spends his days reading. Although that particular library does not exist, the train Kafka takes to get there sounds very much like our local Kotoden line. Murakami’s descriptions of the scenery seen from the train are also exquisite and bring to mind the seashore in Aji on the east side of Takamatsu.
In fact, Murakami’s depictions of the area are so attractive that I know of one person who was actually inspired by this book to move here.
If you are coming to Japan or live here already, plan to spend some time in Takamatsu exploring the extraordinary world of Haruki Murakami.
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Posted by cathy at 10:07│Comments(9)
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この記事へのコメント
Thanks for this!
I'm reading Kafka on the Shore at presentj and it wa sgreat to have this little write to go alongside.
All best wishes to you and your family
I'm reading Kafka on the Shore at presentj and it wa sgreat to have this little write to go alongside.
All best wishes to you and your family
Posted by famaf at 2010年06月30日 23:56
I loved "Kafka on the Shore" too and I am currently living in Takamatsu too, so I enjoyed the novel twice, trying to follow with my imagination Kafka Tamura's steps. Just one question: Does the Nomura Library really exist? If yes, how can I get there? Regards!
Posted by Gabriel at 2010年07月09日 01:46
Hi Gabriel,
Sorry to take so long answering. There is no Nomura Library in Takamatsu but I was trying to find out if there was a model for it here. Apparently, the answer is no. This question, I was told, came up in "Shonen no Kafka", (Young Kafka), Murakami's fourth compendium of email correspondence with readers, all of which is about the book "Kafka on the Shore".
Sorry to take so long answering. There is no Nomura Library in Takamatsu but I was trying to find out if there was a model for it here. Apparently, the answer is no. This question, I was told, came up in "Shonen no Kafka", (Young Kafka), Murakami's fourth compendium of email correspondence with readers, all of which is about the book "Kafka on the Shore".
Posted by cathy hirano at 2010年07月26日 15:28
Kafka on the Shore is one of my favorite novels.
The first time I read it I had never heard of Takamatsu (and I knew pretty much nothing about Japan), so I didn't think much about it.
But since then things have greatly changed as I met a woman from Takamatsu who is now my wife. :-)
On our latest trip to the city I decided to bring the book along with me and to read it again while there. It was a great experience. My only disappointment was that I don't know the city well enough yet to try to "find" the places from the novel.
Maybe it's for the next time I read the book. :-)
The first time I read it I had never heard of Takamatsu (and I knew pretty much nothing about Japan), so I didn't think much about it.
But since then things have greatly changed as I met a woman from Takamatsu who is now my wife. :-)
On our latest trip to the city I decided to bring the book along with me and to read it again while there. It was a great experience. My only disappointment was that I don't know the city well enough yet to try to "find" the places from the novel.
Maybe it's for the next time I read the book. :-)
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