Week 2: Setting

Murakami takes a great deal of time to describe the setting in this book. Although the descriptions are in the same unique point of view as the rest of the main character’s thoughts, they are full of imagery and add an entirely different level to this book. I usually can easily picture the setting in my head, but the description of the boss’s house always looses me. This could be because I have no idea what a “Meiji-era Western-style manor” (81) looks like. I think that the reader needs some background information on Japanese culture to understand every aspect of this book and get the most out of it; however the book still makes sense without that knowledge.
The book’s setting doesn’t seem to influence the story very much. I feel that the book could take place in any modern city and at any time period during or after the 1970s. I think that the author only needs the fast-paced big city life to contrast his main character’s personality and view on life. I also think that the time period has to be fairly modern so that the reader gets the sense that the main character is stuck in the past and how cities change. No events so far in the book seem to show that the story must take place in Japan during the 1970s.