Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our next lecture as part of our new seminar series: Exploring the World of Japanese Studies, hosted by Newcastle University?

Talk Description
Murakami Haruki’s latest novel The Tale of Kaho (2026) was published in Japanese earlier this year. As is always the case following a Murakami release, the English-language reading market is now waiting impatiently for its translation. This time, however, English readers have important key information: the protagonist is female rather than male, and music is as usual present in the story. The pre-novel short story ‘Kaho’, which was translated in The New Yorker in 2024 as well as numerous post-release English-language interviews and mapped musical references, confirms this easily.

Without revealing any plot details or suggested readings about Murakami’s latest novel, this talk discusses gender, narrators and music throughout the works of Japan’s most well-known contemporary author. Dr Gitte Marianne Hansen will begin by discussing gender criticism and narrator types leading up to his most recent work; PhD candidate Yueying Wu will then compare the representations of the female body in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and the short story ‘Kaho’; and Dr Matteo Giacchè will end by showing how narrators and characters are also shaped by musical elements and how music has long served multiple functions across Murakami’s works.

Booking Essential | Admission Free