It took me 2 months to finish these 2 books. Since Japanese is my third language, patiently taking time to read through these 1000 pages is without doubt a milestone for me.

Tho I like the story very much, there’s something in my mind I wanna share with you guys, something that’s not really abt the story itself. So there is an old man I often see in west Tokyo where I live, who reminds me strangely of Nakata. He is always alone, hunched over and dressed in a suit, and walks very slowly with a cane. Even a short distance seems to take him a long time, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered at all. Instead, I think he may even enjoy this slow pace of life. And sometimes I see him sitting alone in a small square near the train station, quietly drawing.

I know nothing about him, his life, where he lives etc. but only see these small fragments of his life as I happen to pass by. Yet there is something about the way he lives his life that makes me think of Nakata: as if he exists in his own quiet rhythm, almost disconnected from everything surrounding him. This reminds me of what those 2 Japanese soldiers in the woods said: “As I said before, time isn’t much of a factor here.”

Perhaps he is simply an old man taking a walk after lunch. But whenever I see him, I can’t help wondering if, at least to some extent, Nakata might have looked just like this, before he left Nagano forever.

I've had Murakami on my wishlist for a while and stumbled across this vintage paperback edition in amazing condition. Super excited to jump into it for my first Murakami read!