Somebody currently reading the book tells us that Tsukuru Tazaki seems bit confused about his identity, because he signs his name as つくる, but is officially called 作, and used to be called 作ちゃん (さくちゃん) by his mother and sisters. Sounds like a challenge for a translator. Apparently he also prefers to think about himself as つくる, which is perhaps emblematic of his colorlessness. Apart from Tsukuru's 4 friends other people with "colorful" names like 緑川 and 灰田 appear in the novel, as well.
photograph: http://stuffpoint.com/colors/image/98658/colors-wallpaper/
This blog is meant as an open forum where translators of Haruki Murakami can share ideas and discuss solutions to problems encountered in the process of translating his works. It was launched by two translators of Murakami into Norwegian and Polish, Ika Kaminka and Anna Zielinska-Elliott. Some of us have collaborated in the past, and many of us are in touch regularly by e-mail, but the publication of the new novel in 2013 served as a catalyst for the creation of an online translation blog.
Sounds like more of that kana/kanji playfulness we've seen in other novels.
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