Haruki Murakami to open Institute featuring donated vinyl record collection05.11.2018

Styled to resemble a library, the Murakami Institute will be established at the Waseda University in Tokyo which the prize-winning novelist is a graduate of. The collection at the Institute will include over 10,000 vinyl records, as well as manuscripts, books, letters, and even personal effects. 

As reported by Japan Times, Murakami revealed all of the above at a press conference held in Japan. His first such event in thirty-seven years.

"It is a very important thing for me, so I thought I should explain clearly. I don’t have any children, and it would cause trouble for me if those materials became scattered or lost. (…) After nearly 40 years of writing, there is hardly any space to put the documents such as manuscripts and related articles, whether at my home or at my office,” said Murakami at the event. 

The Institute will be furnished with a study room and a dedicated listening room for the donated record collection. The novelist himself, however, is mostly hoping that the new facility will help all those interested in studying his works in peace and quiet. The space is also expected to facilitate exchange of cultural goods. 

It should be noted that music always played a significant part in Murakami’s work. The author of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Dance, Dance, Dance, and Norwegian Wood managed to include some form of musical observation, mostly in relation to classical music and jazz, in nearly every one of his books. Recently, Murakami has also been hosting his own original radio show on Tokyo FM where and his plans for the near future include a live musical performance where he’s slated to DJ from his sprawling vinyl record collection. 

Burning, a feature film based on one of Murakami’s short stories, will debut in cinemas nationwide in late December.