Thursday, February 23, 2017

New Murakami Novel Appeared Today

A new novel by Murakami Haruki, Kichidanchōgoroshi, appears in Japan. Shinchōsha has just released a brief animated ad featuring a decorative sword, which is also featured on the covers of both volumes of the novel.

                    

The book appeared on February 24 at midnight (about an hour ago), but the press is already publishing articles about the excitement surrounding the release. For example, an article in Mainichi Shinbun described a long line of "harukists" (Haruki fans) that formed yesterday in front of Tsutaya Ebisubashi bookstore in Osaka, where the book was to go on sale at midnight. It seems that the bookstore installed a countdown panel yesterday showing the time left till the release. The books were laid out in the store around 10pm and covered with cloth until the release. The bookstore manager, Akihito Kuroki said, "When I take the book into my hands, I become a harukist myself." 

Sankei Shinbun reports on people waiting to get their hands on the book in the Sanseido bookstore at their Kanda Jinbocho location. The bookstore also organized a countdown before the release and an "all-night new-novel reading event" is to follow.

Here is the "unveiling" in Tsutaya in Osaka: 


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