A post from an anonymous X user who claims to have read nearly the entire published output of novelist Haruki Murakami (村上春樹) — novels, essays, travel writing, interviews and translations alike — has gone viral in Japan after they admitted the marathon reading habit hasn’t turned them into a sharp literary critic. Instead, they say, they’re usually left with nothing more than a vague, warm feeling: “that was good.”
The post, from a user going by the handle “Inu” (@patriot_9), was compiled into a roundup by Togetter, a site that curates notable Japanese social media threads. In a follow-up post, the user explained that some people have started treating them as a devoted, insightful fan, but said that’s not quite accurate — they simply stopped trying to twist their reactions into something that sounded like it carried deeper meaning or context. Since they’re not a critic, they added, forcing an analysis onto individual works felt “uncool.”
The confession struck a chord with other readers. Several replies said that’s exactly what reading should be — books exist to be enjoyed, not dissected. One user said they reread “Norwegian Wood” repeatedly for the same reason, enjoying the accompanying sense of not fully understanding it, while occasionally reading critical essays about the novel out of curiosity rather than a need to compare notes. Others were more skeptical, suggesting that identifying as a devoted Murakami reader might itself be part of the appeal. One commenter recalled that around the time “Norwegian Wood” became a nationwide hit, Murakami had described his expected readership as somewhere around 50,000 people, a detail that resonated with early fans who had followed him since his debut.
Not every reply was glowing. One user said they had met Murakami in person and found him to be an unremarkable presence, adding that while they enjoyed his early work and travel writing, they lost interest partway through his novel “1Q84.”
Who is Haruki Murakami (村上春樹)?
Haruki Murakami is one of Japan’s best-known contemporary novelists, with his work translated into dozens of languages worldwide. He is the author of novels including “Norwegian Wood,” “Kafka on the Shore,” “1Q84” and “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,” often blending everyday realism with surreal, dreamlike elements. Beyond fiction, he has written essays, travel journals and interview collections, and has translated works by American authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Raymond Chandler into Japanese. He is a perennial subject of speculation ahead of the Nobel Prize in Literature announcements each year.
