Atsushi Watanabe, a college student from Hadano, southwest of Tokyo, receives a copy of Haruki Murakami's new book titled "The Tale of KAHO" minutes after the clock struck midnight during a countdown event at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People attend a countdown event to receive copies they pre-purchased, of Haruki Murakami's new book, titled "The Tale of KAHO" after the clock strikes midnight, at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People count down during an event to receive copies they pre-purchased, of Haruki Murakami's new book, titled "The Tale of KAHO" after the clock strikes midnight, at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Atsushi Watanabe, a college student from Hadano, southwest of Tokyo, receives a copy of Haruki Murakami's new book titled "The Tale of KAHO" minutes after the clock struck midnight during a countdown event at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A man receives a copy of Haruki Murakami's new book titled "The Tale of KAHO" minutes after the clock struck midnight at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Bookstore staff prepare a countdown event for their customers to receive copies they pre-purchased, of author Haruki Murakami's new book titled "The Tale of Kaho," at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
TOKYO (AP) — Hours before Haruki Murakami's new book was set to go on sale in Japan on Friday, dozens of fans gathered outside a major Tokyo bookstore for a special event to get their first copies as soon as the clock struck midnight.
“The Tale of KAHO” is the Japanese author's first full-length novel featuring a lone woman protagonist, according to Shinchosha Publishing Co.
“Kaho, a picture book author, is just an average young woman. But truly bizarre things start happening around her,” Murakami said in a brief message posted on the publisher’s campaign website. “I wrote this novel as I put myself in her shoes.”
His statement surprised many fans, because most of Murakami's protagonists are young or middle-aged men.
“I'm excited about finding out how the story evolves around a female character,” said Naoyuki Yamano, the first customer to buy the new Murakami novel.
Initially, the novel started as a short story titled which Murakami rehearsed at two years ago at Waseda University, his alma mater in Tokyo, with Mieko Kawakami, a renowned female author and fan of his work. The story was published in the June 2024 edition of the monthly Shincho magazine.
One day, 26-year-old Kaho goes on a blind date arranged by her book editor. Over dinner, her date tells her that, although he has dated a number of women, “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.” Baffled rather than outraged, curious Kaho tries to uncover the meaning of his words. Soon, bizarre things begin happening to her.
Murakami has since released three subsequent “Kaho” stories in Shincho magazine, most recently in the March edition. He weaves the four stories into a 352-page new novel with four chapters: “Kaho and the Motorcycle Man,” “The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,” “Kaho and the Termite Queen” and “The Guardian Angel, Elephant Egg and Scarlett Johansson.”
The new book comes out three years after his previous novel, which follows a male protagonist navigating love, loss and the boundaries between real and subconscious worlds.
The Associated Press
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