Ben Verbrugge is a freelance sportswriter with a journalism degree from CSU Dominguez Hills He is a member of the Los Angeles media and spends most of his time covering the NBA either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Following the initial drop's massive success the Los Angeles Dodgers have teamed up with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami once again for another collaboration The first release of jerseys and hats sold out quickly and now the Japanese designer is back with a new set of t-shirts and hoodies featuring his beautiful designs and classic Los Angeles Dodgers logos making them more affordable to the average fan while the hoodie is only available in black and is the star of the collection The Dodgers are extremely popular in Japan thanks to having Shohei Ohtani They are three of the biggest superstars in their home country making these collaborations with Murakami that much more popular Click on any of the images or links to order now. Place your order before it is too late, as these will be in high demand. Fanatics has you covered with officially licensed Takashi Murakami Los Angeles Dodgers Gear Buy Takashi Murakami Los Angeles Dodgers Gear If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all A couple of hundred Angelenos lined up overnight to purchase gear The pop-up, called the MLB Tokyo Series collection, preceded the two-game, season-opening series in Japan between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs and items soon hit the secondary market for four times the purchase price Players and their families donned the collection The merchandise was so popular that Murakami and the Dodgers responded by reprising the memorable words of Hall of Fame Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks: “Let’s play two!” “It’s been two months since I started practicing for the first pitch in Tokyo it’s not so easy to pick up new skills,” Murakami said playfully in an interview with The Times compared to the first day when I couldn’t throw the ball at all “My hope this time is to throw the ball without it bouncing.” Image With the Y2K revival trend seemingly at its peak nostalgia for the carefree innocence of the ’00s made this moment ripe for a Murakami relaunch The Murakami gear was part of a record-breaking special event for Fanatics, in which the company reportedly took in $40 million across related merchandise and trading cards. “Since 2023 I have been creating trading cards and trading card games with my team, so I felt I approached this project with a good understanding of the context,” Murakami said. “But when we filmed the unboxing event for the Topps Complex Series and Tokyo Series on YouTube, I recognized anew how profound the world of American sports trading cards is, which shook me with excitement.” The overall success of the Tokyo Series collection delighted Murakami, who said he remembers playing catch with his father as a child. “Honestly, I had thought baseball wasn’t as major a sport in Japan these days, so I was surprised by the overwhelming response,” he said. “I received messages from childhood friends and was approached by neighbors afterwards, which made me realize that baseball remains the beloved sport among the Japanese public.” Entertainment & Arts ‘Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow’ is the artist’s first solo exhibition at the Broad Here’s why he incorporated augmented reality into his new work “The Dodgers are the team Hideo Nomo joined when he first played Major League Baseball overcoming various obstacles,” Murakami said “His success had a significant impact on Japanese players entering the majors and his achievements are vivid in my memory “Shohei Ohtani joining the Dodgers feels like a fateful story for Japanese baseball Murakami added that he has felt comfortable in L.A. since his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2007 and 2008 World & Nation California Dodgers Sports Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy On view are 121 new and recent (re)works produced in response to the enduring influence of the ukiyo-e school particularly Utagawa Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views for its strength in narrative In a nod to Japonisme – the 19th-century Western fascination with Japanese art – Murakami also re-envisions paintings by European Impressionists and Post-Impressionists who were inspired by the movement through his own eyes closing the loop on cultural exchange while reclaiming the visual language of pictorial flatness This exhibition is presented by Akron Children’s FeaturedTicket RequiredThe Leadership Circle and All-Member Previews begin on May 16 Discover an incredible new exhibition of works from a Japanese artist known for his unique style that simultaneously honors the rich tradition of Japanese art and deploys the cultural energies of anime and kawaii in singular contemporary artworks Visitors can explore how—after shared historical events and trauma—art can address crisis In addition to works more than 30 feet wide on view the centerpiece of the exhibition is the re-creation of the Yumedono from Nara Prefecture’s Hōryūji Temple complex in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s magnificent Ames Family Atrium The museum’s deep holdings of Japanese art lead you even more profoundly into the exhibition’s themes Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow is presented with expanded scope at the CMA The artwork presented in this exhibition was made in response to three events: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in 1945 during World War II; the March 11 the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan which also caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident; and the COVID-19 pandemic Murakami uses his art to interpret these historical events and their lasting effects The works explore topics such as how people may change when they are experiencing trauma how historical events may have caused outpourings of creative and religious fervor and how art addressing contemporary obsessions as diverse as gaming and manga can be an entry point to engaging the past it can work through crisis and register experiences expressed (and sometimes coded) by and through form Murakami’s likening of gaming and other forms of entertainment to religion speaks of a spirit of a sort of collective activities where societal energies are expended through planning an exhibition at the Kyocera Museum of Art Murakami turned the lens of his artwork onto the city of Kyoto as both the keeper of many of Japan’s cultural traditions—including ikebana and monumental screen painting—and a site of shifting power structures of religion and politics Selections of this new work join the exhibition and newly aligned with Cleveland’s deep holdings of Japanese art allow the exhibition to go even deeper into its original themes The Yumedono in Nara is believed to occupy the same location as the home of Shōtoku Taishi into accepting Buddhism after calling for the intercession of Buddha to cure the emperor of an illness Shōtoku plays a profound role in the history of Japan and has been the focus of powerful religious cults throughout Japanese history The Yumedono houses the Kuse Kannon (a likeness of Shōtoku) believed to have the power to save people from suffering Murakami’s re-creation of the Yumedono houses four paintings—Blue Dragon and Black Tortoise (all from 2024)—that directly present and mine the city of Kyoto through its many overlapping mythologies and traditions While it may seem counterintuitive to house four paintings addressing the founding of Kyoto in a historic building from Nara Murakami is creating a powerful meditation on the connection between mythology and art to political power as well as the hybridity and pliability of Japanese cultural traditions In moving the imperial capital of Japan to Kyoto in the eighth century Emperor Kanmu intended to extricate his court from the clerical power structures of Nara an emphasis was placed on Shōtoku’s role in the area a necessary alignment with one of Japan’s central figures and heroes the Rokkakudō Temple—also founded by Shōtoku and said to enshrine the Nyoirin Kannon which is also said to have healing powers—would become an important site of religious pilgrimage and Kyoto would go on to become both a political and importantly a religious center of Japan In placing his Kyoto paintings in the Yumedono rooting them in Shōtoku’s legacy of healing through the veneration of devotional objects Murakami testifies to the nature of art and its capacity to align cultural energies both for individuals and for Japanese society throughout the exhibition to answer questions and provide background information on the artworks This service is free to all visitors in the exhibition Don’t miss your chance to own a Cleveland-exclusive keepsake of a moment in art history To celebrate the CMA’s presentation of Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow we’re giving away FREE limited-edition Takashi Murakami trading cards to the first 50,000 guests to tour the exhibition beginning at the All-Member Preview on May 16 Major support is provided by the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art Generous support is provided by Yuval Brisker and by the Gottlob family in loving memory of Milford Gottlob All exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art are underwritten by the CMA Fund for Exhibitions Principal annual support is provided by Michael Frank and the late Pat Snyder the John and Jeanette Walton Exhibition Fund Major annual support is provided by the late Dick Blum and Harriet Warm and the Frankino-Dodero Family Fund for Exhibitions Endowment Generous annual support is provided by two anonymous donors the Jeffery Wallace Ellis Trust in memory of Lloyd H Jeffrey Mostade and Eric Nilson and Varun Shetty the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker By entering your email, you agree to receive customized marketing messages from us and our advertising partners. You also acknowledge that this site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and that our Privacy Policy AND Terms of Service apply COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive writing female characters and meeting his fans • Read about the rise of Japanese fiction in Britain Read about the rise of Japanese fiction in Britain I had lots of other work I wanted to undertake and just couldn’t get started on this project I thought I’d better get going if I wanted to really do this since I might not have all that much time left I also felt a strong need to fulfil my responsibilities as a novelist Countless readers have written telling me: “I’ve enjoyed reading the same book of yours so many times.” As the author Free weekly newsletterThe only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns The Japanese economy is not doing well these days and I think it’s a good thing that cultural exports can make a contribution of sorts though literary exports don’t make that much of one Mieko is a close friend and a very intelligent woman so I’m sure whatever criticism she made was spot on I don’t recall what exactly she criticised incidentally my readers are pretty much equally divided between men and women Haruki Murakami’s responses translated by Philip Gabriel. The City and Its Uncertain Walls, translated by Philip Gabriel, is published by Harvill Secker. To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their collaboration with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami with a new collection that launched this past Monday in celebration of Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium The latest capsule marked a second time the Dodgers and Murakami collaborated on a collection this year with the first being the wildly successful line of Tokyo Series merchandise that included products for the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs Murakami was blown away by the response fans had to his Tokyo Series launch The support that the Japanese people showed for his clothing and the Tokyo Series as a whole was particularly meaningful for him Murakami was pleased to see a renewal of baseball’s popularity in Japan, which has been driven by Shohei Ohtani, via Danielle Directo-Meston of The Hollywood Reporter: “The reaction [to my first capsule collection] in Japan was the biggest I’ve ever experienced and it made me realize anew how important Shohei Ohtani and baseball are to Japanese people which made my heart fill up with excitement,” Murakami tells THR people were even saying that maybe baseball was a thing of the past But since Shohei Ohtani went to the Major Leagues there has been a huge resurgence of interest and it feels like my childhood has come back the new collaborative collection features three different colored t-shirts and a black sweatshirt The items feature Dodgers’ branding as well as similar motifs from the Tokyo series collection Murakami was in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Monday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Dodgers’ matchup with the Miami Marlins He also announced the customary “It’s time for Dodger baseball.” Various items from Murakami’s new Dodgers collection are currently in stock on Complex.com The collection has also been available for purchase at various stores throughout Dodger Stadium since Monday and will be while supplies last Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors Get breaking Dodgers News direct to your inbox Read this week's magazine The 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) opened on April 26 with expanded programming and an expansion of global participants with 1,400 exhibitors representing 96 countries There are a total of 28 international pavilions and some two dozen literary agents participating in a fellowship program and rights center including the Astier-Pécher Literary & Film Agency from Paris is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors This year's theme is "Knowledge Illuminates Our Community," and as such the programming heavily emphasizes the promotion of reading with nearly every large cultural institution from the UAE including some 15 universities and numerous libraries The fair's Guest of Honor program is highlighting the "Culture of the Caribbean Basin." The 11th-century philosopher-physician Ibn Sina (also known in the West as Avicenna) is featured as the fair's Focus Personality while One Thousand and One Nights is being celebrated as this year's Book of the World with dedicated sessions exploring its historical and cultural influence Among notable new attractions is Al Mutanabbi Street a recreation of the famous bookselling street in Baghdad street which celebrates Iraqi literary heritage and features rare books and publishers; Poetry Nights Majlis which brings together Arab and international poets to perform together; and Under the Ghaf's Shade an open-air literary space where authors read and sign books The fair is also honoring six pioneering Arab publishing houses for their contributions to building Arab intellectual consciousness and enhancing the presence of Arab culture globally: Lebanon's Dar Sader (founded in 1863) the fair announced the launch of the Thaqafa Youth Prize for writers under the age of 30 which will offer publication of one novel and one scientific nonfiction work The prize was launched in honor of the late Bassam Shabaro founder of Lebanon's Arab Scientific Publishers partner in Dar Thaqafa for Publishing and Distributioon of the UAE Arabic literary translation remains challenging the long-running magazine of contemporary Arabic literature in English translation Halls frequently described the obstacles facing interesting publishers in Arabic books as "near impossible." She cited the lack of Arabic-language readers at publishing houses as especially acute and noted that it is not a problem that "faces French books In discussing publishers' attitudes toward Arabic literature and emphasized the Arab world is a very big place "Publishers think they know everything that there is from that place from news stories but they don't—then translators and others have to jump in and fill in those gaps in knowledge," she said For Arabic-language translation to truly flourish "translations should reflect the breadth of voices and experiences rather than narrow stereotypes." She also noted that even books that do adhere to what are flawed stereotypes especially to readers in parts of the world where their freedoms have previously been taken for granted Both she and Shimon emphasized that prizes play a crucial role in gaining international recognition for translated works Shimon used the prize of AED 750,000 ($204,000) that his publishing company after taking home the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards in the Publishing and Technology category to launch as Spanish-language edition of the Banipal literary journal This year's Sheikh Zayed Book Awards ceremony honored literary achievement across the Arab world covered a wide range of topics from the evolution of Muslim women's rights to Arabic literary culture in Southeast Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries secretary general of the awards and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Language Center pointed out that the Awards—which were launched in 2006—have now seen 136 winners from 80 different countries A total of 139 publishers have been represented and winning titles have been subsequently translated into 10 languages The Awards are also among the most generous in the world now offering a total prize fund of AED 7,750,000 ($2.1 million) with each winner receiving AED 750,000 ($204,000) and the Cultural Personality of the Year receiving AED 1 million ($272,000) The intention of the prize money is to serve as financial support to enable the writers to continue in their profession or take on challenges that might otherwise be beyond their means who won this year's Translation Award for his English-language version of Orosius's Seven Books Against the Pagans—a classic historical text about the relationship between the Arabic world and ancient Greek and Roman history—plans to use his prize money to facilitate his work on a comprehensive "It will be a project that may take me the rest of my life and will be a pinnacle of my work," he said This year saw the two main literary awards go to books that explored those people often misunderstood by society Lebanese-French author Hoda Barkat won the Literature Award for her novel Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World while the Children's Literature Award went to Moroccan author Latifa Labsir for The Phantom of Sabiba This year also saw a rare appearance by Japanese author Haruki Murakami who was named Cultural Personality of the Year noted that Murakami found inspiration for his work in having read One Thousand and One Nights "His work serves to connect our two cultures Murakami called winning the award "a great surprise and an immense honor." He added "I have long believed that stories constitute a universal language Wherever they land they take root in people's hearts transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries to bloom into beautiful flowers may come to know the joy of storytelling and perhaps Haruki Murakami’s books offer solace as we get older To read the novels of bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami is to travel through a world of loss and grief encountering insights that make you feel less alone He’s found the experience clarifying as he’s grown older who teaches a course on the 75-year-old Murakami and directs the International Literary and Visual Studies program at Tufts has known the writer since they were colleagues at Princeton University in the early 1990s.  he discusses how his longtime friend’s novels—known for their use of humor and magical realism—offer solace in the face of mortality He sticks to the same sleep and physical training routine every day He has a similar character in 1Q84—an old woman who’s still very vital and gets to know our protagonist Aomame through physical training The old woman is very private and ethereal and lives in a garden with butterflies—but she also operates a secret organization against men who violate women and is not afraid to assassinate people I asked Haruki one night at dinner if he would try to write a story from the perspective of an older man of our generation I can’t write like that.’ His focus is on young people But they often look back on their lives the way older people do There’s a sense of nostalgia for days when we had more uncomplicated hope or happiness which take on a mythological structure like the Garden of Eden—a timeless immortal golden age that continues to nourish us that we’re driven to search for in the future.  His characters also deal with grief and loss We feel fear and regret for things lost—but because of that process of losing His protagonists often face loneliness—but at the same time deeply explore it whether they go and sit at the bottom of a well for days (as in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) or confront another self who might be hiding somewhere.  I think Haruki has the sense that we exist as a fragment of something and we are much more connected to the world than we conceive In Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Haruki writes that the soul is like the wind a Shinto belief that all objects in nature have their own spirits To look at the wind blowing and know you’re part of it And it can make a difference as you get older I feel him getting continuously more mature in his writing technique and control of language The stories just keep welling up somewhere in him and he keeps discovering new things in himself by writing them you can clarify a certain narrative out of all the chaos you carry—everything you have experienced And reading his stories is a vicarious experience of clarification But it can make you feel that you’re not alone—that you’re sharing this reality with others and going through this journey together I measure the passing of time by Haruki’s books I feel an incredible sense of connection with everything I’ve gone through With the release of "The City and its Uncertain Walls," writer Nimarta Narang explores her conflicted feelings about the novelist Philip Gabriel's English translation of "The City and its Uncertain Walls" was released on Nov literature-loving Millennials sipping on Japanese green tea and sake from a local distillery while munching on muffins inspired by novelist Haruki Murakami—or Murakuffins—from Milk Bar Conversation is flowing easily as they await the release of Murakami’s latest novel which has been translated into English by Philip Gabriel One of the bookstore employees reads out the eleventh question of a 20-question trivia game about Murakami’s life as pockets of people giddily whisper their answers to one another around the bookstore As I walk around the bookstore with my partner we’re able to answer almost every single one of these trivia questions Somehow over the years of building my literary repertoire I had retained specific and well-known knowledge about the novelist—like how he considers The Great Gatsby one of the greatest literary achievements or that he decided to start writing just before turning 30 and claims to not give value to criticism (more on this later) along with a handful of others who have found golden tickets hidden around the store for more prizes a large cloth covering is swept from a long wooden table to reveal shiny stacks of the new book we’ve all been waiting for "The City and its Uncertain Walls" on display at The Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn Murakami is one of the few authors today who can lure in readers worldwide for a midnight release party As an Asian woman who has grown to have increasingly conflicting thoughts about Murakami over the years due to the way he writes about women it is surprising to see that a large contingent of the attendees are women as well The attendees’ demographics skew from about late-20s to mid-50s Despite the more problematic aspects of his writing it’s clear that Murakami continues to have a strong chokehold on mainstream literary groups The City and its Uncertain Walls is a return to one of Murakami’s earlier works, a novella published in 1980 in Japan when he was 31. Dissatisfied with the result, Murakami had actually revisited the novella earlier and published Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World in 1985. In fact, a newly translated edition of the novella was published earlier this month using the “original Japanese title of the book which was later inverted for foreign publications,” as described by Penguin Random House—which I thought was a particularly clever and thoughtful nod to his notoriety as a globally known writer Murakami has seemingly stayed in a wall of his own as he reckons with his own aging by returning to re-excavate his earlier works during this later part of his writing career that he doesn’t really have anything new to say Murakami’s distinct voice has become a hallmark of his work His writing usually emerges as an unfiltered exploration of his thoughts and feelings through the vehicle of a male character whose characterization is tinged with social isolation tendencies and a love of more wholesome things like music and books—with cats often symbolizing another realm of existence prodding the male character into alternate modes of reality ‘Here’s someone who could write about our generation using the language of our generation,” Tufts University professor Hosea Hirata tells JoySauce Hirata first met Murakami and his wife Yoko in 1991 when they lived in a townhouse close by faithfully watching Twin Peaks together every week." The crowd at the midnight release party for "The City and its Uncertain Walls" at The Greenlight Bookstore In an article for Tufts Now Hirata discusses how Murakami’s novels provide a solace for aging “I think Haruki has the sense that we exist as a fragment of something and we are much more connected to the world than we conceive,” he says in the article Hirata shares with JoySauce that reading Murakami’s work clarified “that we do not have to understand things by explanations That there’s a voice that comes from the unknown.” As director of the international literary and visual studies program at Tufts one of the things Hirata hopes his students take away about Murakami is how the author “works so hard to communicate something to you You need to respond to his effort as a fellow human being.” But what happens when that fellow human being does not respond to his readers When asked about a pervasive common critique regarding the way he writes his female characters in his recent NPR interview “at a certain point I completely stopped reading criticism (it's true) and I'm sorry but I don't know the context of that particular criticism." The simplicity of his writing pairs well with the depth of the human condition he seemingly explores But that impulse seems to end with his female characters Herein lies one of the junctures of where my conflicting feelings about Murakami arise I can appreciate the magical realism and surrealism present in his stories and the psychological interiority of his characters My friends who are more loyal fans of Murakami argue that he provides an honest portrayal of the subconscious drives of his male characters—who themselves believe to be misunderstood Therefore through the male gaze of his novels women are often sexualized and described as exotic beings who the protagonists usually fixate on due to a pull beyond their control These women who are often just out of reach then bring the men on a journey—either through pursuit or chance—that is solely in service of the male protagonist Novelist Mieko Kawakami once asked Murakami in an interview about how in his novels in that she’s made to act as a medium of fate.” She goes on to say that when women are relegated to these roles with their sexuality at the fore they are determined to be sexually regarded “this may not be the most satisfying explanation but I don’t think any of my characters are that complex I take great care not to dwell too much on the meaning of existence A listening station for "The City and its Uncertain Walls" at the midnight release party the protagonist spends his life longing to be with a mysterious woman he fell in love with at age 17 The woman remains the same age and is portrayed as an enigmatic and attractive being while the protagonist ages and evolves as a character His search for her brings him to different places while she remains a device in the novel If Murakami works so hard to self-express and give readers “something to ponder after they’ve finished [the] books,” according to the New Yorker doesn’t willfully disregarding criticism when he sees fit suggest a refusal by him to reflect on or ponder those same books Murakami goes on to share with the New Yorker that but if they don't then all I can do is tell them I'm sorry.” I think,” pointing to Murakami’s impressive regard for a strict physical and sleep routine Horea shares that Murakami’s young characters “often look back on their lives the way older people do that we’re driven to search for in the future.” Murakami’s return to an older work to recycle it into a newer form highlights this fight against aging It also shows his resistance towards growing into a more complicated world where his male characters and their deviant thoughts risk becoming relics—all from his own doing would feel more comfortable and actualized Murakami prides himself on the fact that his audiences re-read his work every so often and are able to take away something different every time But what happens when the takeaway is that he doesn’t have anything more profound to say all-too-certain walls of his self-constructed city Murakami reflects that while he has changed a lot and become more proficient as a writer “Have I likewise changed a lot as a person and the more I think about it the less I can say conclusively Rewriting this work has certainly got me thinking more deeply about that question.” What Murakami doesn’t seem to realize is that his readers do and will change over the years I don’t know if it will fare in Murakami’s favor Nimarta Narang is a writer and journalist from Bangkok and has received her master's from New York University the inaugural Gold House Journalism Accelerator Writer Samantha Pak talks to her about her latest novel “The Family Recipe,” writing historical fiction and the lingering animosity between Vietnamese and Cambodians The NBC News consumer investigative journalist’s book details the ups and downs of her family’s story of coming to the United States "They Bloom at Night," brings body horror to a post-apocalyptic premise The nine-day festival involves both virtual and in-person events across the globe for API literary communities The activist and scholar's debut book is part manifesto transforming what it means to be Asian American and makers and engage with the API community by visiting these independent shops 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}.css-v4v4rs{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}@media (min-width:0px){.css-v4v4rs{display:block;}}@media (min-width:1100px){.css-v4v4rs{display:none;}}.css-mps3fk{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 This collection features a Dodgers hoodie and T-shirts that will be available at Dodger Stadium on April 28 when the defending World Series champs host the Miami Marlins The Japanese artist previously designed custom jerseys for the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs leading up to the Tokyo Series on March 18-19 Murakami also worked with Topps to release a card collection from the MLB Tokyo Series which included a one-of-one limited edition Shohei Ohtani card autographed by the three-time MVP and artist in the Los Angeles area last month generated $40 million in sales Henson noted that the popularity from the pop-up shop inspired Murakami and the Dodgers to work together again on a new collection As part of the Japanese Heritage Night festivities at Dodger Stadium fans will also be treated to live music and performances at Centerfield Plaza and a Japanese Heritage Night jersey with a special ticket package Fans not in the L.A. area will have an opportunity to purchase the new Murakami collection on Complex's official website on April 28. Featured in the new collection are t-shirts and more of Murakami’s Ohana Hatake slides Those looking to get their hands on pieces from the collection can do so via Complex Shop and Fanatics starting April 28 fittingly Murakami will be throwing out the first pitch for the Dodgers’ Japanese Heritage Night before the team’s game against the Miami Marlins The MLB Tokyo Series collection, meanwhile, continues to be a mainstay. Last month, ComplexCon Hong Kong performers NJZ were seen wearing key pieces from the collection. How to Buy the Takashi Murakami and MLB World Tour Tokyo Series Collection How to Score an Extremely Rare Takashi Murakami + MLB Sakura Elite Jersey Pieces From Takashi Murakami x MLB World Tour Tokyo Series Collection Sold Out in Minutes By entering your email, you agree to receive customized marketing messages from us and our advertising partners. You also acknowledge that this site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and that our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply United StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaComplex ChineseCOMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs Channelsreels-533120Reelsarrow-expand-533121Takashi Murakami throws out the first pitchMarlins @ DodgersApril 28 2025 | 00:00:22add-reel-533122Reelsshare-square-2-533123ShareJapanese artist Takashi Murakami throws out the first pitch prior to the Dodgers taking on the Marlins on Japanese Heritage Day You can now search for over 3 million videos by player Use the search box to start your search with a player or a team and then use the filter panel to refine your results You can also start by selecting filters from the panel Videos can be embedded and shared directly from MLB.com Bienvenido a la nueva búsqueda de videos de MLB Ahora puede buscar más de 3 millones de videos por jugador Use el cuadro de búsqueda para comenzar su búsqueda con un jugador o un equipo y luego use el panel de filtro para refinar sus resultados También puede comenzar seleccionando filtros desde el panel Los videos se pueden insertar y compartir directamente desde MLB.com/es There was an error when executing your search Please refresh the page or try another query to get results If you are still having trouble, please describe your issue here and we will do our best to resolve it Por favor vuelva a cargar la página o intente con otros parámetros para obtener resultados Si aún así continua teneindo problemas, por favor descríbalo aquí y haremos todo lo posible por resolverlo It looks like there are no results for your search Please note that \\\"Play\\\" filters are only available after the 2015 season Videos from 2015 and prior can be searched by player Examples of \\\"Play\\\" filters:Hit ResultPitch ResultPitch Type\"},\"es\":{\"title\":\"¡Ponchado!\",\"body\":\"Aparentemente no hay resultados para tu búsqueda tenga en cuenta que los filtros de Play sólo están disponibles después de la temporada 2015 Los videos de 2015 y anteriores se pueden buscar por jugador There were no clips found for this selection Please refresh the page or try again later No se encontraron clips para esta selección Actualiza la página o vuelve a intentarlo más tarde Si aún así continua teneindo problemas, por favor descríbalo aquí y haremos todo lo posible por resolverlo. 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We discussed “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” and other things began in 1980 as a novella that was published in a Japanese literary magazine It was a long time ago and I can’t really recall but probably the world described there is a kind of enduring I think I had the conviction then that it was a world I had to write about back then I lacked the writing skills I needed to do it justice and you didn’t allow it to be published in book form or translated into other languages What made you want to go back to it forty years later I wasn’t satisfied with the original novella I wrote And that dissatisfaction stuck in my throat like a small fish bone Somehow I wanted to resurrect that world in a more striking form—that was my long-held desire I became busy with all kinds of other projects I wanted to do and couldn’t get started on rewriting it And some forty years passed (in the blink of an eye and I thought I really needed to get going on this rewriting of the novella personal sense of wanting to fulfill my responsibility as a novelist Some of the elements in “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” also appeared in your novel “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.” Was that book a first attempt at rewriting the original novella That novel was my first attempt at a rewrite “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” was a notable work as far as my writing career was concerned and quite a few readers say it’s their favorite of my books but when I look back now I feel that the timing was off that it was too soon then to do a rewrite of the earlier novella and my storytelling stance tended to be a bit impulsive I understood that I wanted to make it a calmer In “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” there are two spaces in which the narrator spends time: one that we would call the real world and the town walls mutate in order to keep people in We can intuit metaphorical explanations for the town: it could be an embodiment of the narrator’s imagination or a kind of limbo between the corporeal world and the spirit world; it could be that we all exist in both places have specific ideas about the town’s identity and what it represents The town surrounded by walls was also a metaphor for the worldwide pandemic lockdown How is it possible for both extreme isolation and warm feelings of empathy to coexist That became one of the major themes of this novel the narrator first hears about this other place and that the girl the narrator knows is just a shadow But the life that the narrator eventually leads in the walled town seems far more of a shadow life—gray Why would shadows inhabit the “real world” and the people they belong to inhabit a dark space outside of time “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” reaches its end its fundamental mysteries are not solved or explained Do you like to leave the reader with questions I think an outstanding novel will always aim to present compelling questions—but not give a clear-cut I’d like my readers to have something to ponder after they’ve finished my books I drop hints inside each story in order to leave readers thinking What I’d like is for them to pick up on these hints and each arrive at their own Countless readers have written to me to say I’ve enjoyed rereading the same book of yours so many times had to decide which of the two worlds you would want to stay in—the larger world we all know or the city within those high walls—what would your choice be That question itself is the most important theme of this novel And do we even have a choice to begin with I first read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Shadow” only after I wrote the original novella The work I personally like that deals with shadows and doppelgängers is Edgar Allan Poe’s “William Wilson.” Did going back to a work you wrote more than forty years ago make you see the ways in which you’ve changed as a writer since then I’ve changed quite a lot as a writer over these past forty years there were many times I’d want to write about something only to realize and with my skill set now as a writer I feel I can handle almost anything I want to write about You recently translated Truman Capote into Japanese Do you feel that the translating you do has an effect on your own writing The work of translating has taught me many things as a writer and is useful training to help you refine your own writing style And to continue to show respect to so many outstanding writers Are there ways in which you’d still like to change There’s no particular thing that makes me think It’s probably best for these changes to occur on their own as I write I suppose you could put it the other way around and say that the reason I keep on writing novels is to spur these changes in me to take place naturally The past few years have been marked by wars around the world: between Russia and Ukraine There are currently more armed conflicts than there have been since the Second World War Does this affect your approach to writing in any way Do you feel a need to address global conflicts through fiction I feel like the pandemic was a turning point I might even go so far as to suggest that it’s becoming more medievalized The image of a town surrounded by high walls may reflect that situation older stories may reveal a kind of unexpected resonance Why Bishop Mariann Budde wanted to speak to Donald Trump Lena Dunham’s change of pace Tim Walz might run for President in 2028 if you ask him nicely Maya Rudolph is ready to serve Sarah McBride wasn’t looking for a fight on trans rights The liberated life of Colman Domingo Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today. The Japanese designer has shown no signs of slowing down either he has remixed and released the vintage Louis Vuitton collection that was highly sought after for years as well as officially launched a deal with both the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers With both showing signs of positivity and interest in the drops from Murakami the MLB collaboration has shown to be one of the most successful drops that Murakami has witnessed Takashi Murakami is a true legend by definition in the world of fashion at this stage in his career the pitcher's mound on April 28th to deliver the first pitch at the Dodgers game against the Miami Marlins and showcased some of the gear in person Welcome to Dodger Stadium, Takashi Murakami! pic.twitter.com/YdF1CDOtEb Baseball holds a special place in the hearts of the Japenese people and Murakami made sure to express that when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter-- “When I was a child It makes me very happy.” -- The rise of Shohei Ohtani in the MLB has been one to watch as his talent has taken over the league and almost everyone is interested in what the Japanese native will do next to shift the league forward The collection includes a plethora of traditional Murakami works on shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, and even jerseys. Limited quantities are still available via Fanatics © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER ","https://fansided.com/",{"alt":"5y","src":"5z","url":"60"},{"type":"5x","value":"61"},"link","Minute Media","https://www.minutemedia.com/",{"text":"64","url":"65"},{"type":"63","value":"66"},"All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands Gio has a broadcast journalism background specializing in sports like basketball A post shared by Takashi Murakami (@takashipom) Welcome to Dodger Stadium, Takashi Murakami! pic.twitter.com/YdF1CDOtEb The collection includes a plethora of traditional Murakami works on shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, and even jerseys. Limited quantities are still available via Fanatics Murakami’s robotics bring life to their installations  sits down with designboom to rehash the nature-inspired robotics installation It’s a two-part show that visitors go through the only light illuminating the space is the saturated sunset-colored backlighting along the wall It’s enough to cast a shadow and form the silhouettes of the replicated ancient animal bones surfacing from the pool of oil in the middle of the room.  These artifacts don’t emerge on their own since a large-scale automaton with robotic limbs brings them up making their outlines visible to the visitors Alexander Groves tells us that it’s his and Azusa Murakami’s way of showing their interest in the dawn of humanity ‘We were interested in making replicas of these bones and hearing these ancient sounds having them emerge from a pool of oil on these robotic limbs that almost have the appearance of bird legs We wanted to create a very evocative cinematic space using these almost haunting sounds as well as red light flooding the space,’ he says Murakami puts a tech twist on the customary way of showcasing historic artifacts ‘There’s a divergent moment where technology itself could become conscious It was using the ancient past to think about the far future,’ adds Alex Groves Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves of A.A Murakami (Studio Swine) | all images courtesy of A.A Whereas Beyond the Horizon brims with cool blue so you had an interesting journey through the space It’s setting up a distinction between these two things so they enhance each other—the difference,’ Alex Groves tells us The bubbles glide at a glacial pace before they slowly disperse into thin air like fog The British artist explains to designboom that A.A Murakami uses a mixture of ingredients to make them for the robotic installations it needs to be a more viscous substance that retains water it’s soaps and surfactants – things that reduce the surface tension of water It no longer makes a droplet but forms a thin skin,’ he says It’s not their first time blowing large bubbles into the air citing their Floating World exhibition at M+ Museum Hong Kong between August 2024 and February 2025 They’ve already produced installations with small bubbles too one of the first times being New Spring and New Spring Miami (2017) the tree-like structure features branches shaped as curved tubes hanging above the visitors heads landing on the floor before they lightly burst Beyond the Horizon (2024) at Museo della Permanente | exhibition photos by DSL Studio he mentions the term ‘Ephemeral tech’ a few times It’s one way they describe what they do using technology with ethereal materials to create ‘fleeting moments’ and ‘new like floating bubbles that slowly land or burst ancient bones that languidly emerge from a pool of oil or cannoned fog that glacially makes its way in the middle of the room With a few of the nature-inspired robotic installations of A.A it can be through the use of automated limbs or mechanisms Alex Groves sums up ephemeral tech by saying ‘when you witness the digital world—watching something on a screen—you’re aware it can’t fade rewind it—it’ll be exactly the same there’s this awareness that this is an incredibly unlikely gathering of atoms in front of you You’re both sharing a moment that will never come again We’re interested in using technology to give you an experience almost like nature When you’re in the presence of a bubble The fleeting nature of it adds to its beauty.’ the bubbles glide at a glacial pace before they slowly disperse into thin air like fog Murakami is the art division and practice of Studio Swine Alex Groves and Azusa Murakami are both the masterminds behind these two Whereas Studio Swine focuses on materiality and how materials can make viewers feel installations allow people to live through what they feel ‘We don’t want to make things on a screen or use projectors The way we use technology is about bringing materiality into it; not just materials but states of matter,’ says Alex Groves that their approach isn’t solely robotics because their installations aren’t kinetic in the traditional sense of using robotics to create kinetic art They use instead these limbs and automated parts to deliver a space Murakami considers robotics as co-creators of their installations Alex Groves tells us it’s about balance ‘You rely on these robots and technologies to take on part of what’s happening you want physics and the natural world—the laws of nature—to take on the rest We’re interested in when digital code and electronics transition into the physical realm That’s when it becomes really interesting because then you get a dance—like how mesmerizing it is to watch the surface of the ocean There’s a constant dance between the intermolecular forces but we want to create unnatural phenomena—things that wouldn’t be there without the use of technology,’ he says the work appears in the exhibition Opposites United: Eclipse of Perceptions during Milan Design Week 2025 He and Azusa Murakami founded Studio Swine in 2010 but they both have a background in design after studying at the Royal College of Art They were interested in exploring materials shaping them in a certain kind of utility or functionality ‘We liked the archetypes of furniture and using furniture as a way of exploring the world around us and possible futures,’ Alex Groves shares with us even living in São Paulo and made a furnace that could melt down cans on the street using waste vegetable oil all the while inspired by the notion of the ancient Silk Road ‘When we started doing more immersive installations that didn’t have such a clear question-and-answer structure an immersive world,’ the British artist says in light of A.A Murakami being shaped naturally after their New Spring installation in 2017 amorphous bubbles emerging from hanging automata and transforming into clouds The art collective started working for and with art museums even having robotic installations and permanent collections in MOMA in New York they host their first solo presentation in a U.S an exhibition named ‘Floating World,’ running until September 21st Murakami’s biggest robotics and nature-inspired installations are present including Beyond the Horizon which was showcased at Milan Design Week 2025 as well as Under a Flowing Field (2023).  The latter features glass tubes filled with krypton gas arranged as a field of lightning-like white lines above the visitors head piercing through the color-tinted space in sequences ‘This is a major moment for us because we started A.A ‘We’ve got many shows this year in different art museums We’re grateful they’re reaching different audiences.’ And the viewers are gifted a transient yet transcendental piece of A.A Murakami’s profound connection with art articulated through a series of robotics installations The Cave at Museo della Permanente in Milan the bones emerge from a pool of oil | image by Studio Cratere a large-scale automaton with robotic limbs brings up the replicated animal bones The Passage of Ra at The Miraikan in Tokyo a permanent collection at M+ Museum Hong Kong Under a Flowing Field (2023) to appear at Museum of Fine Arts name: A.A. Murakami (Studio Swine) | @a.a.murakami, @studioswine exhibition name: Opposites United: Eclipse of Perceptions photography: DSL Studio, Studio Cratere | @dsl__studio, @studio.cratere happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. Famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami created a new Los Angeles Dodgers collection that launches Monday for Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium on April 28 Murakami will also be on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Dodgers’ matchup with the Miami Marlins and he’s going to announce the customary “It’s time for Dodger baseball” prior to play beginning The new merchandise release comes on the heels of Murakami’s wildly popular Tokyo Series collection that included products for the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs The latest Dodgers collection by Murakami, and presented by Complex and Fanatics, features three t-shirts — white, black and blue — and a black sweatshirt Each of the products includes the team’s logo and Murakami’s beloved smiling flowers motif The collaboration also features the return of the Ohana Hatake slides Murakami’s Japanese Heritage Night collection will be available at the Dodger Stadium top of the park store beginning on April 28 Items are also expected to be available at more Dodgers stores throughout the ballpark Given that the Tokyo Series collection sold out within minutes the latest drop of merchandise is expected to go just as fast Fans who aren’t able to attend Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium can purchase Murakami’s new Dodgers collection on Complex.com It's hard to explain what The City and its Uncertain Walls is about It opens with a guy whose job it is to read dreams Those dreams are stored on shelves of a library And that library exists in a town that is surrounded by a wall with a Gatekeeper watching the one entry point and each person has a shadow — one that can live independently from its…host It's Haruki Murakami's first novel in six years And it's actually a re-visiting of a novella he wrote in 1980 In an interview conducted through a translator via email he talked about his inspirations behind the new book how he feels about getting older and his unyielding love for The Great Gatsby The City and its Uncertain Walls has its origins in a short story you wrote and published in 1980 The novel is also connected to a previous book you wrote Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World How do you feel when you're revisiting work you wrote decades ago and Its Uncertain Walls" is the only work of mine I haven't allowed to be reprinted but I didn't let it be published in book format The reason is that when it was published in the magazine The theme I explored in that story was a very important one for me The problem was I lacked the requisite writing skills at the time to convey the story the way I thought I should So I had decided that I would go back to it and do a complete rewrite once I had acquired the necessary experience and writing expertise other projects came up that I wanted to tackle it seemed) without me getting back to work on that story and I thought maybe I don't have all that much time remaining So it's a great relief to manage to finish writing this novel now I feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders who knows — maybe I'll rewrite it one more time magical fiction say about these themes that realistic fiction can't I've never thought of my writing style as surrealistic I simply write the stories that I want to write the story sort of moves on ahead naturally like flowing water following the lay of the land All I'm doing is putting this flow into words You started writing this The City and its Uncertain Walls in March 2020 so you rarely set foot outside and spent most of your days working on this novel In the Afterword you write "Those circumstances might be significant I feel it in my bones." Now that some time has passed how do you see the pandemic's influence on your writing of this novel  Writing this novel required a certain amount of peace and quiet that town surrounded by walls might be viewed as a metaphor for the worldwide lockdown How is it possible for both extreme isolation and warm feelings of empathy to co-exist That was one of the significant themes of this novel What is it about the concept of shadows and pairs that captivated you 　The first person main characters in my novels are I find it fascinating to pursue that multiplicity of possibilities and it's one of the real joys I've experienced as I've written novels over the years Perhaps human beings aren't single entities And maybe it's possible for the real self and the shadow to be interchangeable — a thought that often strikes me as I write my stories Is there another previous story you've written that you think about revisiting but I don't feel like rewriting any of them and there are mistakes you have to rectify You've written that everything you know about writing how important is it to you to discover music that is new to you Is there anything left for music to teach you about writing It's when you're young that you feel music most keenly when it really penetrates your heart and soul Usually this means the period from your teens to your 20s I absorbed plenty of amazing music and learned a lot of important lessons from it Nowadays....I simply enjoy listening to good music In some of your interviews over the past few years you've been asked about your female characters what are the criticisms or concerns that have been raised At a certain point I completely stopped reading criticism (it's true) and I'm sorry but I don't know the context of that particular criticism you could say I have limitations as a human being so it's only natural that I get criticized for something but if they don't then all I can do is tell them I'm sorry Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby How did your relationship and understanding of the book change or grow after you worked on its translation One thing I felt quite strongly as I translated The Great Gatsby was that Nothing needs to be added to this novel but there are very few other novels with those qualities which explains why Gatsby has stood the test of time over the past hundred years translating this novel into Japanese was both a difficult challenge and an endless source of joy Become an NPR sponsor LVMH strives to ensure the long-term development of each of its Maisons in keeping with their identity BackCOMMITMENTSCommitted to positive impact environmental and cultural initiatives with a long-term vision The Group works closely with numerous stakeholders that address important social issues BackMAISONSLVMH is home to 75 distinguished Maisons rooted in six different sectors each of our brands builds on a specialty legacy while keeping an unwavering focus on the exquisite caliber of its products Home Wines & Spirits Home Fashion & Leather goods Home Perfumes & Cosmetics Home Watches & Jewelry Home Selective Retailing Home Other activities BackJOINUSWith more than 75 prestigious Maisons covering six business sectors, LVMH offers boundless opportunities. 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LVMH x FORMULA 1®InvestorsBackINVESTORSLVMH with 84.7 billion euros revenue in 2024 and a retail network of over 6,300 stores worldwide a festive and joyful re-edition that reimagines the original collection Counting more than 200 ebullient creations the project is a modern-day showcase for an enduring creative bond cutting-edge technology and the timeless appeal of a seminal moment in early 21st century pop culture and a landmark for collector pieces Globally-renowned artist Takashi Murakami draws inspiration from traditional Japanese painting Louis Vuitton × Murakami is celebrating these creations with an extensive range of renowned and hotly coveted women’s leather goods and accessories Each of the pieces has been re-fashioned to take advantage of advances in technology Combined with Louis Vuitton’s storied savoir-faire and artisanal culture this has enabled an unprecedented degree of definition for the prints rendering colors more resplendent than ever while enhancing the precision of Murakami’s motifs and characters The Louis Vuitton x Murakami re-edition will be showcased in an immersive environment spanning window displays edgy in-store activations and a special ad campaign The first chapter of Louis Vuitton × Murakami drops at the beginning of January A second chapter featuring the artist’s Cherry Blossom pattern – perfect to welcome spring – will launch in March 2025 Next slide Open the gallery Latest newsAll news News LVMHLouis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami celebrate 20th anniversary of era-defining collaboration with launch of re-edition collection  COPYRIGHTS First-of-its-kind Collection Featuring CASETiFY Travel's First Artist Collaboration and the Launch of CASETiFY ICONS 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the announcement of their monumental partnership, CASETiFY unveils its TAKASHI MURAKAMI x CASETiFY: MR the collection is the brand's first-ever artist collaboration for its new CASETiFY Travel line featuring a limited-edition Bounce Carry-on adorned with Murakami's titular character Following the Bounce Carry-On's successful US and South Korea launch in December 2024 DOB iteration will be available in very limited quantities through select distribution channels across South Korea DOB—the artist's very own 'Avatar' created in 1993 and a cornerstone in Murakami's visual language—the collection offers a view at MR DOB's various renaissances throughout the years symbolizing Murakami's evolving artistic vision DOB active in people's daily lives through the medium of phone cases,"  says Takashi Murakami DOB wraps around the Bounce Carry-On and transforms into figure-like AirPods cases represents a new chapter in the character's evolution." The collection marks a historic moment as the inaugural release in the CASETiFY ICONS Collection a new premium tier of partnerships that brings together major cultural forces who define our times legendary creators and iconic brands will transform everyday accessories into limited-edition pieces complete with experiential moments and unexpected product innovations that push creative boundaries CUSTOM TAKASHI MURAKAMI x CASETiFY: MR Headlining the collection is a personalizable Bounce Carry-On featuring MR available in three motifs in three colorways: Cobalt Blue Each Bounce Carry-On showcases CASETiFY's proprietary SKYLINE and DOT fonts and is a customizable element that allows customers to add their personal initials marking a new chapter in CASETiFY's personalization legacy the collection introduces an ultra-limited white camera ring—a departure from the brand's signature black camera ring design exclusive design element with a slight twist the white camera ring is a collectible for CASETiFY and Murakami fans and is an example of characteristic elements that define the partnerships within the CASETiFY ICONS Collection The collection also debuts innovative three-dimensional MR for which the artist's iconic character is rendered into miniature figure pieces that blur the line between tech accessories and collectible art DOB has been created exclusively for this collection Also featured within the collection are highly desirable tech accessories such as the AirPods Max covers DOB's iconic ears and enabling consumers to become their own version of the character The text on the ears further demonstrates the unique characteristics of the collection a further addition to the collection is the exclusive MR. DOB trading card holder which features Takashi Murakami's signature vibrant aesthetic offering an elegant and functional way to showcase and protect prized cards This unique piece reflects Murakami's connection to the trading card community blending contemporary art with collectible culture for enthusiasts worldwide The sixth special product in the range is the MR extending the same color combinations seen throughout the collection: the iconic blue enabling the opportunity to synchronize the full suite of products The danglers will be presented in blind box mechanism—a unique offering in this collection to deliver an extra sense of collectibility "This collaboration represents our most ambitious artistic partnership to date," said Wes Ng "From our first-ever artist-designed personalizable suitcase to the special white camera ring reserved for our Icons program every element of this collection pushes creative and technical boundaries." Starting today, customers worldwide can preview the full collection and join the waitlist at casetify.com/co-lab/takashi-murakami for exclusive early access before the global launch on April 11 The collection will be available globally through CASETiFY's online platforms and selected retail locations DOB SNAPPY™ TRADING CARD HOLDER (Trading card not included) DOB:Instagram: @CASETiFY @CASETiFY_CoLab#MURAKAMIxCASETiFY #TAKASHIMURAKAMI #CASETiFY at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Fine Arts in 1993 he proposed the concept of contemporary visual culture "Superflat," connecting traditional Japanese art with the flatness of anime and manga while also commenting on the state of Japanese society his "Little Boy" exhibition (Japan Society New York) was awarded The Best Thematic Museum Show by the International Association of Art Critics His first retrospective exhibition "©MURAKAMI" (2007-2009) toured four cities in the United States and Europe including at the Palace of Versailles (France the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow and Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (Kyoto Global tech accessories leader CASETiFY and contemporary art icon Takashi Murakami today announced their most ambitious partnership to date CASETiFY is bringing a bold new perspective to the premium travel category with the launch of its most durable Mobile Entertainment Mobile Entertainment Telecommunications Industry Household Products Do not sell or share my personal information: This story is part of Image’s March Devotion issue The bottom floor was painted a bright “Brat” green and the upper floor a sweet Hello Kitty-esque shade of pink were covered in the brand’s signature interlocking L and V monogram I was amazed not only by the scale of the operation but also by the fact that over two decades since the original collaboration which is twofold and will see the release of a total of around 200 pieces starting this year was able to attract such frenzied attention Louis Vuitton x Murakami Speedy Bandoulière 25 (top) and Coussin PM When fashion designer Marc Jacobs debuted his Louis Vuitton collection with Murakami he called their mind-meld a “monumental marriage between art and business.” It marked the fact that with celebrities on the cover of Vogue magazine instead of models Before the Vuitton x Murakami collaboration, cross-pollination of this nature was rare. “I grew up in the art world with a lot of quote-unquote ‘serious artists’ who would certainly look down upon getting involved in a more commercial thing like that,” says Gabriel Held, 39, a New York-based stylist and vintage archivist. “But [Jacobs] got heavy-hitters in the art world to participate.” “I always describe the bags as being like beautiful white jawbreakers with saccharine colors all over them,” says Liana Satenstein, 35, a writer who focuses on the vintage market. The iconic “Monogram Multicolore” that Murakami introduced in 2003 fused the “LV” monogram with small florals, creating a new pattern with 33 colors that popped on an all-white background. “A beautiful, happy, dopamine-injected piece,” in Satenstein’s eyes. He also introduced panda and pink cherry blossom motifs. It’s easy to see yourself going somewhere in these clothes “I worked with somebody over the summer who is not really a fashion person but of my age, and one thing on her wish list was a Murakami bag,” says Held. “Even for people who aren’t that invested in fashion, they have a desire for it still. It was a pop-culture moment.” Louis Vuitton x Murakami Monogram Multicolor Chouchous All of the links to vintage bags that Satenstein shared in her newsletter have since sold. “I should have bought like, five, of them,” she says in retrospect. Archival pieces are displayed behind glass across seven Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-ups worldwide, from Milan to New York to Seoul to Shanghai to Tokyo to Singapore. But of course, the main draw is the new accessories, which will be released in various “chapters” throughout 2025, according to the brand. Chapter 1 celebrated Murakami’s original Multicolore monogram, while Chapter 2, launching this month, will feature 2003’s equally sought-after “Cherry Blossom” pattern on bags, shoes and trunks. Before it closed on Feb. 9, customers at the London pop-up sipped from Murakami-branded cups at the cafe and ate cakes and pastries off Murakami-branded napkins. The staff wore kimono pajamas and sat on smiling Murakami flower pillows. The scene was simultaneously futuristic and nostalgic. After making a purchase, customers were given a token to put into a special vending machine, which spat out Louis Vuitton x Murakami novelty items, including stickers and trading cards. When I got out of my taxi and arrived at my hotel, I told the friend I was meeting to pull her original Vuitton x Murakami bag out of her closet immediately. She was thrilled, but also, her curiosity was piqued. Should we get in line too? Emilia Petrarca is a freelance fashion and culture writer based in Brooklyn. blending contemporary art with Japanese symbols and cultural references such as anime Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s exhibit Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow will be on display right here in Cleveland later this year The exhibit is a response to three major events that impacted Japanese culture: the United States-led atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 during World War II; the March 11 which caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident and was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan; and the COVID-19 pandemic.  Murakami explores the long-lasting impacts of these historical events along with ideas of how trauma changes people how these events led to a cultural shift and how modern obsessions such as metaverse manga and street fashion can be an entry point to engaging the past.   Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow was originally stationed at The Broad a contemporary art museum based in Los Angeles Murakami planned an exhibit at Japan’s Kyocera Museum of Art where his artwork reflected on the city of Kyoto as the keeper of Japan’s cultural traditions including Kabuki theater monumental screen painting and teahouse traditions Selections of this new work will join the original exhibition.  The exhibit will feature wide pieces that span 30 feet from the Nara Horyuji Temple complex in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s atrium Tickets go on sale for CMA members on March 11, while nonmembers can purchase tickets starting March 18. Find more information at clevelandart.org For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design. new video loaded: My Favorite Artwork | Takashi Murakami the famed artist’s first in the city since 2011 “Every time, I complete the work really last-minute, almost not in time,” says Murakami, sitting in one of the Gagosian offices and talking via a translator was no exception: finishing touches were still being made “And every time I start a new series,” he continues “I start with a sort of nervousness that I won’t be able to create anything fresh any more This time I feel like I managed to create something fresh.” The show of new paintings does indeed feel fresh Playfully titled “Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami” it still exists within the artist’s well-known universe of “Superflat” imagery—signature rainbow Smiling Flowers; skulls; and Murakami’s cartoon alter-ego DOB—but it’s embedded within a broader narrative around traditional Japanese artistry There are paintings of kimono-clad figures and flowers They both reference traditional scrolls and folding screens and incorporate elements of anime and manga in a vibrant and intricate Pop mash-up part of what I was doing [with my work] was to introduce the minor culture [of anime] to the world,” says Murakami But now that anime has become globally prevalent “I feel like that part of my role is a thing of the past and right now I can really focus on my own interest in the more historical paintings.” Some of the paintings in “Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami” were first shown earlier this year at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art who has a PhD in traditional Japanese nihonga painting including a famous 17th-century depiction of Kyoto by Iwasa Matabei: Rakuchū Rakugai Zu Byōbu (Funaki Version) the original shows the city and some 2,700 of its inhabitants floating among golden clouds Rakuchū-Rakugai-zu Bōybu: Iwasa Matabei RIP (2023–24) is no less ambitious Measuring approximately 10 feet high and 42 feet across the monumental composition has been painstakingly recast with classic Murakami motifs in the mix: while figures echoes his joyful Flower Parent and Child sculpture skulls are subtly pressed into the gold leaf inspired by a visit to the Toribeno burial ground Paintings of the “Four Symbols”—mythical guardians of Kyoto: the Black Tortoise the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger—were also produced for the Kyoto show Murakami says: “This set of works and Rakuchū-Rakugai-zu Bōybu: Iwasa Matabei RIP posed the biggest challenges for our studio in this exhibition I suffered with symptoms of neurosis or depression that would make me physically imobile.” Less torturous has been Murakami’s relationship with art historian Nobuo Tsuji in which Murakami responded to Tsuji’s art-historical prompts in an essay accompanying the Gagosian show Murakami concurs: “I do feel that I have gone through some form of transformation.” The new work feels distinctly different from his notorious anime-inspired and ejaculating sculpture “My Lonesome Cowboy” (1998) there are moments of unapologetic beauty: swathes of chrysanthemums spears of hollyhocks after Ogata Kōrin a master of the Sōtatsu-Kōetsu school of decorative painting too; his flamboyant Flaming Vermillion Bird (2024) is surrounded by a celestial circle of arhats–saintly Buddhist figures who have achieved enlightenment When I ask him about the spiritual side of his practice he brings up the FX TV drama Shōgun set in 1600 Japan “A lot of inspiration for this exhibition came from this series and the death poem that they read right before,” he says put their lives on the line to achieve something I felt that they were determining the timeline of their own life; that was the larger context that I discerned from this drama.” the artist who has collaborated with Kanye West and exhibited at the Palace of Versailles who employs a studio team of 70 just to make his paintings seems to be thinking about his own timeline and which has hundreds of employees across offices in Tokyo “I’m definitely thinking about it but nothing is really going well,” he admits “It’s all chaotic and I’m confused.” I’m doing the commissioned painting thing; it’s a lot of work,” he said at the Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 event “We need help from technology.” Some of the imagery in his new work has been generated by AI but it’s also about staying “fresh”—a word he uses a lot “To create new visual images you really have to have AI on your side because school kids don’t use pencils and brushes; they use AI,” he shares “If we don’t embrace it we will be obsolete.” His own children also bring a fresh perspective it was at my daughter’s dance recital that I learned about Japanese hip hop artist JP THE WAVY who I’m now collaborating with,” he explains “And my son doesn’t even go to school; he’s just been playing Fortnite all the time I really had to start thinking seriously about why he is so obsessed with the game In the process of trying to really understand and digest the culture that they’re experiencing I find a lot of new context and understanding.” baggy-trousered and plushie-hatted—is as much a part of his practice as the paintings on the wall Eagle-eyed gallery-goers will find him in the Gagosian show In the Kyoto festival procession of Gion Sairei-zu Takashi Murakami Ver alongside the odd three-eyed Kiki creation and some funny cats courtesy of 19th-century printmaker Utagawa Kuniyoshi Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami is at Gagosian, 20 Grosvenor Hill, London, until  March 8, 2025, alongside a takeover of the Burlington Arcade gallery and shop; gagosian.com  © 2023 Hudson One Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy His latest novel fails to achieve that balance Herbert List / MagnumNovember 27, 2024 ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:0011:00Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration Both stories could serve as metaphors for the beguiling febrile experience of reading Murakami’s best fiction As his new narrator puts it: “Lots of questions What I could understand (or faintly perceive) was that there was an extraordinary The narrator is describing his lonely, searching life but also evoking and drawing on the allure of the Murakami-verse, a body of work that feels both labyrinthine and accessible. In this balance lies the bravura, idiosyncratic source of Murakami’s popularity. Like Hemingway’s simple sentences this style is harder than it looks to achieve; also like Hemingway The City And Its Uncertain Walls - A NovelBy Haruki MurakamiBuy BookThe City and Its Uncertain Walls begins like a fable: The narrator speaks directly to the young woman remembering their teenage romance with lyric clarity as conveyed by the longtime Murakami translator Philip Gabriel: “On that summer evening we were heading up the river the sweet fragrance of grass wafting over us … You’d stuck your flat red sandals in your yellow plastic shoulder bag and were walking from one sandbank to the next Wet blades of grass were pasted to your wet calves wonderful green punctuation marks.” The young woman had told him at the time about a distant town: “The real me lives there we’d recognize this as a message-bearing allegory: We reserve our most private and truest self for people who prove worthy; often they must undertake a difficult journey to reach us in chapters that contrast with his stale school and family life in “the real world.” With gratitude and wonder he marvels that he and his girlfriend are able to “create and share a special something both basic and profound separates them (although Murakami never really accounts for it): The narrator retains a single identity and consciousness across both worlds whereas the unnamed girlfriend splits in two—the real-world version and the one who lives there and seems to be unaware of the other reality The IRL girlfriend disappears suddenly from the narrator’s (real) life cutting off his access to the walled-in city all grown up into a standard Murakami man—listless introspective—he drudges through his day job in Tokyo his existence enlivened only by memories of that more vivid world he leaves the capital to work as a librarian in a remote village the narrator finds his way back to the walled-in city who is still a teenager—and who has no memory of him No matter; he’s largely pleased just to be there and reading the orb-shaped dreams housed in the city’s library Read: Where my characters come from There are clear parallels between this library and its real-world equivalent in the village but what does it mean to read a dream rather than a book The narrator holds an orb for “about five minutes,” feels a warm glow and “then the dreams would begin to spin their way into me They had something they needed to relate.” This act of dream-reading both enlarges his life and frees the dreams from their shelves We are again in the realm of allegory: This is what happens when readers and books come together Murakami offers variations on this theme throughout the novel Some readers may feel flattered and affirmed by the analogy Others may want him to do more with the story itself—for instance to describe more of those library dreams instead of mostly just rhapsodizing over the experience of handling them Some genuine drama develops back in the village The narrator befriends a quietly intense boy who spends his days reading in the (real-world) library The boy shows the narrator an unnervingly accurate map of the other place; we learn that he “found a way to get to the walled-in town (though I had no idea how).” After the boy disappears into that world his brothers ask the narrator for help: Does he have the boy’s map But I didn’t feel like showing it to them.” they are banal workaday types who want to trap the boy in a reality where he’s treated like a misfit for the boy to explore dreams and meet unicorns And—to extend the now-too-obvious allegory—isn’t it the heroic work of writers to bestow imagined worlds on readers especially those who struggle in the rest of their life though morally unsettling—especially in the novel The narrator is withholding information from a family seeking a lost child is withholding context—without knowing more about the city’s strange dreams the reader must take it on faith that they justify abandoning reality And the narrator isn’t unreliable or even conflicted: You read fruitlessly in hopes of sussing out as much Murakami doesn’t only gloss over ethical questions; he lets the subplot of the missing boy recede and leaves unexplored the implications of submitting so completely to the power of stories The novel’s action instead moves on to yet more sweet-toned labors in the dream library, with a pointed shout-out to Gabriel García Márquez along the way The narrator calls the author’s work “ordinary” rather than “magical” realism because “in the world he inhabits the real and the unreal coexist and he just describes the scenes the way he sees them.” This is clearly Murakami explaining his own method: a kind of imaginative liberation from the conventional coherences of novels that just reflect and ratify the stifling world as it is But as heretical as this might be to say about a Murakami novel I simply wanted this one to make more sense—in terms of plot and world-building—and to do so on its own terms instead of depending on buttressing from other works whether those by Márquez or by Murakami himself especially given the many explicit connections to Hard-Boiled Wonderland (which also features a dream reader in a mysterious library And beyond the dream eggs and Murakami-brand Easter eggs less devoted readers will nevertheless recognize patterns that recur across his many other books: parallel worlds and competing realities ordinary people on a quest to find a loved one objectifying descriptions of women’s bodies Maybe as a sign of his own misgivings about the novel’s stand-alone status, Murakami includes an afterword in which he discusses its origins in a 1980 short story which was also the source material for Hard-Boiled Wonderland; its gestation as he evolved from a jazz-café proprietor into a globally famous novelist; and All of this is interesting if you’re keen to be let in on a famous writer’s story-making secrets at a late stage in his career—but alas Because what really drives most of us to stay with a big and difficult novel is our desire to figure out what’s happening in higher-order ways if not merely on a literal level Murakami’s best books magnificently bend these questions into weird and exhilarating shapes ​When you buy a book using a link on this page Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission Haruki Murakami has become the poster boy for a particular type of global novel — deracinated stripped of local references that might stump international audiences and generally written in a simplified form of its original language the better to ease the process of translation his works epitomize a brand of contemporary fiction that’s been shaped by the market forces resulting from 21st-century globalization Murakami’s warm embrace from the global market seems to have encouraged a certain maximalist tendency in his writing The books have gotten longer and more pensive at the same time as they’ve been subjected to fewer cuts — witness the magnificently bloated 1Q84 (2011) or his most recent full-length novel Clocking in respectively at 1,184 and 704 pages in English these twinned monstrosities feel like radical experiments in doing the least with the most minimalism becomes an increasingly vital part of their continued practice that denotes an aesthetic of austere simplicity and effortless perfection But there isn’t much room in Murakami’s work for this lighter touch in part because the strictures of “Global Literature” already enforce that restraint on its writers It’s a problem that’s evident in two new works released in Japan in 2023 and with an English translation by Philip Gabriel out today which was published in English in 1991 in a translation by Alfred Birnbaum which somewhat confusingly inverts the title Both books shed some light on the riddle of Murakami’s late style which manages to project the quiet self-assurance of the old master at the same time as it embodies — in its hamfisted gestures and unflagging avoidance of subtlety — all the classic foibles of the literary hack began as a long story published in the literary magazine Bungakukai in 1980 Although disappointed with the story’s quality Murakami would use it as a jumping-off point when composing his fourth novel The 1991 English translation would help to cement Murakami’s burgeoning reputation in the West But the text that landed on American shores was a strange amalgam of competing visions and priorities as David Karashima has detailed in Who We’re Reading When We’re Reading Murakami (2020) a wonderfully gossipy study that looks at the symbiotic relationship between literary market forces and the Murakami-in-English industry What emerges most clearly from Karashima’s book is how Murakami himself — placed a premium on creating a readable and propulsive text offering supreme ease of access for the native readers were a preemptive effort to stave off heavier cuts from the publisher.) All of this as Murakami’s translators and editors at the time have attested has always been central to Murakami’s success abroad is composed of two narratives that run in alternating chapters Hard-Boiled Wonderland is a sort of goofy sci-fi pastiche following a Chandler-esque protagonist with the ability to encrypt information using only his brain as he plunges into a mystery involving competing data agencies; a half-mad professor and his attractive granddaughter (a minor weight problem is basically her only defining trait); and subterranean creatures that resemble the kappa of Japanese folklore is a muted fantasy that takes place in a medievalish town surrounded by a high wall in which the recently arrived protagonist is tasked with taking up the post of Dreamreader he sits in the town’s library and reads dreams which happen to be contained in unicorn skulls a sort of postmodern riff on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland an atmosphere that felt well-captured in Birnbaum’s breezy translation several sexually suggestive conversations with the professor’s 17-year-old granddaughter (“I couldn’t believe that showing my healthy erect penis to a seventeen-year-old girl would develop into a major social problem,” is by and large the sort of sentiment we’re dealing with here.) One great benefit of a fresh translation is the opportunity to take advantage of a fuller knowledge of the author’s themes and motifs which might not have been as obvious when the text was last translated Birnbaum couldn’t have grasped at the time how fundamentally and importantly boring so much of Murakami’s writing is Anyone who’s grappled with a few Murakami novels knows to expect gratuitous and essentially flavorless passages of rote description — meals are cooked; laundry gets folded; characters’ outfits are described in superfluous detail Key plot points and developments are often reiterated in-scene The long passages of banal detail in Murakami’s fiction are a sort of ballast anchoring his precipitous swerves into the fantastic This surplus of realism isn’t the fanciest trick but it has served Murakami well over the years to discover how much of this verbal wadding Birnbaum trimmed away we’re given a granular description of the narrator’s return to his apartment: I put the groceries away in the refrigerator tightly wrapping the meat and fish in plastic and freezing some for later The block of tofu I floated in a bowl of water The beer went into the refrigerator along with the vegetables though I took care to keep the older vegetables closer to the front I hung my clothes in the wardrobe and lined up the soaps and detergents on the kitchen shelf Then I scattered a handful of paper clips next to the skull on the TV is a miracle of concision: “Back at the apartment But meditations have never been Murakami’s strength Murakami’s thoughts are not particularly deep His ruminations on the nature of reality are those of a bright high-schooler or a middling stoner Rubin’s self-professed goal of capturing “the clean rhythmicality that gives Murakami’s style its propulsive force,” as he wrote in his 2002 book-length study of Murakami imbues Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World with a certain elegance that it doesn’t possess in Birnbaum’s translation this ends up drawing more attention to the basic thinness of Murakami’s thought so much so that it feels less like a Murakami novel than a piece of fanfiction set in the Murakami expanded universe The first third of the book is largely takes place in the faux-medieval village from Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World its nameless protagonist is in his mid-40s and basically adrift he had fallen hopelessly in love with a girl and together they’d dreamed up the imaginary village The book’s first part is essentially a curtailed rehash of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World in which the sci-fi sections have been replaced by a dreamy and generic teen love story while the fantasy sections speed through the original book’s plot points the narrator decides to quit his job and start working in a library in a small out-of-the-way town in Fukushima Prefecture a gentleman in his 70s who wears a navy-blue beret and a skirt she is married to a local elementary-school teacher is exactly how much you need to know about her Soeda is chronically underdeveloped as a character and seems to be simply a tool for the advancement of the plot isn’t surprising Murakami isn’t so much a novelist as a fictional anthologist collating various monologues delivered by his characters; some of these are riveting narratives in their own right but many simply serve to explain what’s going on or clumsily advance the plot But the instrumentality of so many of his characters seems to have reached a nadir in The City and Its Uncertain Walls Soeda’s role is strictly to give the reader information — about the town known as Yellow Submarine Boy (after the Beatles-themed parka he rarely takes off) who gradually becomes the focus of the plot A native son and heir apparent to the local sake brewery “a secretary in either the Tunisian or Algerian embassy.” After a few years of marriage a surprise pregnancy put an end to the long-distance nature of their relationship having ridden his beloved red bicycle into the street Miri withers away in grief and eventually takes her own life by swallowing a nonlethal dose of sleeping pills a dabbler in literature who never really found his true subject that Murakami is rehashing his own experience as a writer Koyasu’s failings as a writer-to-be map closely onto Murakami’s descriptions of his own writing career in Novelist as a Vocation (2022) “The first time I sat down to write a novel nothing came to mind—I was completely stumped,” Murakami writes that I felt absolutely compelled to write about.” Koyasu reflects Murakami’s writerly insecurities Yellow Submarine Boy provides a vision of Murakami’s reading habits An antisocial teenager with a savantlike memory Yellow Submarine Boy sits in the library all day reading one book after another “everything from Immanuel Kant to Norinaga Motoori the history of nuclear submarines,” and so on and even more so in its seeming randomness this intake reflects Murakami’s own self-confessed reading habits as a young man this leads to a novel that might be Murakami’s most navel-gazing work and one that has the unmistakable feel of a coda This seems to be part of the reason The City and Its Uncertain Walls is such an unnaturally somber book Except maybe for 1992’s South of the Border no previous Murakami novel has so clearly dealt with and inhabited the muddle of middle age “I seemed well on my way to becoming one of those lonely middle-aged men who follows habits without really thinking about them,” the narrator remarks at one point And while Murakami seems constitutionally incapable of pessimism there are a few moments of weariness scattered throughout the book that feel significant like when the narrator comments on a specific jazz tune being played in a café he frequents only for the owner to respond that she doesn’t really know much about jazz — it’s only a radio station she plays Murakami has always written perceptively of young love and the aimlessness of early adulthood is he getting around to investigating the plight of the middle-aged The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a frustratingly literal book and the novel isn’t shy about reminding readers that its titular walls are a metaphor for the similarly vertiginous barriers that separate one human heart from another This schmaltzy dictum is comically literalized when it’s revealed that the café owner who becomes the narrator’s love interest is not only unable to have sex but also wears a protective Spanx-like bodysuit it feels tired and stridently complacent in the same way as the novel’s core bid for topicality — as its jacket copy asserts the book is partly “a parable for these strange post-pandemic times.” As far as I can tell what this amounts to is that most of the characters are lonely and that at one point Yellow Submarine Boy explains that the wall around the imaginary town was built “to prevent an epidemic.” If this feels a little on the nose as Murakami drives home with portentous italics All of this adds up to a mere patina of weirdness bracing strangeness to be found in stronger works like A Wild Sheep Chase (1989) or the postmodern fantasia of Kafka on the Shore (2005) in which the whiskey mascot Johnnie Walker is depicted as a cat-killing personification of evil Which isn’t to say this strangeness is entirely absent from The City and Its Uncertain Walls he enters their bedroom and pulls back the covers of her bed to confirm she isn’t simply sleeping and frightened by the sight.” As I read on it was with a vague sense of dread I couldn’t entirely place for Murakami to pound them into a blandly explicit paste Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York The Collection Marks Murakami's Most Extensive Partnership with MLB and Highlights the Los AngelesDodgers and Chicago Cubs Images Available HERE The exclusive partnership highlights the collaboration between the renowned Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami and Major League Baseball (MLB) bringing together two cultural icons to celebrate two of the league's most storied teams for a limited-edition collection of collectibles and merchandise The collection celebrates the deep cultural connection between America's favorite pastime and its influence in Japan Featuring Murakami's iconic vibrant colors and playful motifs artistic perspective to MLB merchandise and memorabilia and MLBShop.JP and will be available at the Fanatics and Complex Tokyo pop-up event March 8-21 and the MLB SHOP at Tokyo Dome Mar 14-19 The collection will also be on display at the MLB SHOP at Miyashita Park from Mar 6-23 An exclusive pop-up event will be held in Tokyo at 1 Chome-20-6 Jingumae Mar 21 beginning at 11:00 AM JST. The event will showcase the limited-edition merchandise offering fans a chance to engage with both the collection and Murakami's visionary artwork Reservations are required and can be made at: https://t.livepocket.jp/t/l92b6 Takashi Murakami x MLB Tokyo Series Collection The Fanatics and Complex collaboration brings together two of MLB's most iconic teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs infusing Murakami's signature style across an array of exclusive products from global sports platform Fanatics alongside signature pieces - official Nike Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs MLB Limited jerseys which will incorporate Murakami's iconic floral artwork will also be available on individual player Nike MLB Limited jerseys for Dodgers players Shohei Ohtani Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and Cubs players Shota Imanaga Fanatics Collectibles – which owns the brand Topps – will also be a part of this partnership with a trading card set featuring Murakami's artwork.  The chase card in that limited-offering set: a one-of-one dual-autograph card of Murakami and Ohtani sure to be one of the most desirable and rare cards of all time the collection will also include New Era 59FIFTYs a first-of-its-kind brand led by the legendary artist The new release embodies Murakami's iconic flower motif and showcases the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers logos on the inventive Surippa Ohana silhouette ABOUT FANATICSFanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties including major national and international professional sports leagues and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally For additional information please visit www.fanaticsinc.com ABOUT COMPLEXComplex is the definitive platform for global youth culture and music lifestyle seamlessly integrating cutting-edge content commerce and live experiences with unparalleled scale Complex tells stories of streetwear and style Its content engages in a dynamic conversation with the audience reflecting and shaping the zeitgeist of convergence culture A powerful media juggernaut paired with a curated marketplace Complex is redefining the way fans interact with their favorite brands and artists and reshaping the future of digital culture and commerce Complex's strategic partnership with Universal Music Group will deliver unparalleled experiences and exclusive collaborations to passionate music fans ABOUT TAKASHI MURAKAMIThe originator and proponent of Superflat theory which reconstructs Japanese traditional paintings and the origin of Japanese contemporary art through visual premises of anime and manga Murakami has created numerous characters including Miss Ko2 and Mr DOB that reflect the otaku culture and presents them in the forms of intentionally kitsch sculptures and acutely two-dimensional paintings antithetical to the Western perspective techniques Murakami's cultural theory based on subcultures not only deconstructs the highbrow/lowbrow hierarchy but critically illustrates the post-World War II Japanese psychology establishing a discourse unique to Japan in the increasingly globalizing art scene The artist continues to attract a wide-ranging audience beyond contemporary art through his multifaceted activities including his collaboration with Louis Vuitton and focuses on street culture and contemporary ceramics The final installment of his Superflat trilogy of curated exhibitions Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture (New York was awarded The Best Thematic Museum Show in New York by AICA that year ©MURAKAMI (2007 - 2009) toured four cities in North America and Europe starting with the Museum of Contemporary Art He has since been holding major solo exhibitions around the world including at the Palace of Versailles (2010) Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (San Francisco Complex is unveiling the Takashi Murakami x MLB Tokyo Series collection Computer & Electronics Sports Equipment & Accessories Entertainment Retail Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon The best of Hong Kong straight to your inbox We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy Hong Kong without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Hong Kong and where to buy Casetify’s exclusive Takashi Murakami collection Casetify has teamed up with legendary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for an exclusive Mr blending contemporary art with tech accessories From limited-edition carry-on luggage to collectible AirPods cases here’s everything you need to know about the drop The official launch for the new collection is set for April 11, 2025 at 4pm (Hong Kong time). If you managed to join the waitlist on Casetify’s official site you'll get early access at 10am on the same day The collection will be available globally through Casetify's online platforms and selected retail locations on April 11 – so keep an eye on our page for more updates, or follow Casetify's Instagram and Facebook there will also be a pop-up opening on April 12 the Casetify x Murakami World is a playful 'amusement park' offering an immersive art-meets-retail experience where you'll see Murakami’s iconic works Dob collection. The pop-up store officially opens to the public on April 12.  Dob collection features six exclusive products Here’s a breakdown of the full product list: Price tags for each item in the collection vary Here’s the full price list of all six products: Casetify and Takashi Murakami have put together a whimsical Murakami World at Landmark in Central The immersive space features Murakami's iconic Mr and the exclusive Casetify x Murakami collection Keep your eyes on this page for more updates coming your way Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city The ultimate guide: Travelling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen 2025 Manchester United to play in Hong Kong after Premier League season in May Hong Kong has been named the 8th wealthiest city in the world Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! twitteryoutubeinstagramAbout us Contact us who Jones claims wanted to fight him after they fell out At around the 23:30 point of the interview above, Yee asked Jones about the time he spent with Ye recently and the subsequent fallout between them let's not take that away," Jones said "Everybody has their shit they going through he's obviously going through the most." Jones spoke about their trip to Japan and said that he was feeling good about their friendship at the time he thought that Ye started to see him as an "employee." "Who am I to start spazzing on him and going crazy he obviously have something going on with him I think he just needs a lot of normal people around him 'cause one thing I did notice is that when I was around him.. He [had] a bunch of yes people around him." Jones said that Ye has "a little screws loose." he seems to want the most attention in the world," he continued it doesn't matter what this man seems to say He's not going to go out the good graces of people." The Harlem rapper joked that if he wore a KKK-style outfit like Ye did in his interview with DJ Akademiks, people would be a lot quicker to call him out for it. "Let him do him, I appreciate the times we had," he said. "But we had our own back and forth. N***a said he want to shoot the fade with me. I said, 'Cool, I'm flying out to L.A. tomorrow, we can shoot the 31. That's terms where I'm from, we fight for 31 seconds, I'll kick your ass for 31 seconds, I hug you, then I fly [back].' He said, 'No, I was just venting, we don't have to do that.'" Jones said that in one of the texts he received from Ye, he straight-up said, "I will fight you." No matter what their current status, Jones maintained that he appreciates Ye's "energy," which he described as "innocent" when he's in person. The pair's public falling out came when Ye posted a lengthy tweet accusing Jones of fleecing $2 million from him and said that the rapper didn't know how to make a PDF file. In response, Jones teased a t-shirt referencing the accusation. "It wasn't that deep for me, though," Jones said to Yee when discussing the incident. "It was deep for him, obviously. The PDF he was asking about was about fashion. He wanted me to design his whole spring line." He said that Ye's tweet happened because Jones wanted to prioritize his own album release, which arrived around the same time. "Bro, I've created my own technology with Amazon. You think I don't know how to do a PDF?" he added. Kali Uchis: Sincerely, Complex Exclusive Shiny Starlight Vinyl Lil Wayne: Sorry 4 The Wait 2LP Deluxe (Complex Exclusive Red & Black Split Vinyl) 2PAC: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory – LA King’s Edition (Limited Edition Silver/Black Swirl Vinyl) Big Sean: Dark Sky Paradise 2LP Deluxe (Complex Exclusive Clear Vinyl) Jim Jones Teases 'PDF' Shirt Referencing Recent Kanye Claims, Which Maybe Isn't the Best Idea Jim Jones Jokes That Ye Is on Drugs After Addressing His Scamming Allegations Jim Jones Suggests His Relationship With Cam’ron Can’t Be Fixed: ‘The Brotherhood Been Over’ Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed Lexy Bloom first read Haruki Murakami in the '90s not much of the Japanese author's work had been published in English But Bloom often read his stories in The New Yorker trying to guess which of his three translators had worked on each one began to edit Murakami's English translations years later Bloom joins NPR's Andrew Limbong for a discussion that touches on what it's like to collaborate with Murakami feminist critiques of the author's female characters and reading the author's work through a Western lens To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday The popular internet personality addressed the topic during a livestream on Tuesday(April 29) recalling an incident in which a stranger allegedly broke into his home and watched him sleep I woke up to a n***a looking over me saying Kai told viewers the intruder seemed to be a super-fan as he showed up to his home with a bag full of the streamer’s favorite things We’re talking everything from iced tea and dessert to pouch drinks and fruit “That is wild, you feel me?” he said. “This was before we had security heavy… That shit was really scary, bro.” Kai also claimed he experienced another unsettling fan encounter back in April. “Just last week, gang, a n***a drove 13 hours and came to the house saying, ‘Kai told me to pull up,’” he told viewers. “A n***a came with a bag! He went up to security, he said, ‘Security, I drove 13 hours. Kai told me to pull up’… Security is really on that now. Security is really fully on that. Cameras everywhere, everything.” Kai Cenat Gets Existential in Wholesome One-on-One Conversation With Fan Kai Cenat to Person Repeatedly Yelling 'I Am Music!' at Him in Brazil: 'I'm Not Playboi Carti!' Kai Cenat's 'Red October' Nike Yeezy 2s Fall Apart on 'Club Shay Shay' a model wears items from The Takashi Murakami x MLB Tokyo Series collection presented by Complex that was announced Thursday and launches March 7 in advance of the series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs that opens the MLB baseball season at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19 Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani works out during a spring training baseball practice Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga reaches out to catch a ball between pitches during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the San Francisco Giants HOUSTON (AP) — Takashi Murakami’s artwork has graced luxury goods from top fashion houses and album covers of superstar musicians Now the famed contemporary Japanese artist has teamed with Major League Baseball for an exclusive merchandise collaboration to celebrate next month’s Tokyo Series “I think this new collection builds upon the historical friendship between Japan and the United States,” Murakami said “I feel lucky to be able to work alongside Complex an outstanding athlete who has emerged from Japan and made a name for himself on the global stage This is something I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be a part of.” initially known for paintings and sculptures saw his popularity explode when he paired with Louis Vuitton in 2002 for a line of bags featuring his artwork which featured his iconic flower motifs and quirky characters in bright colors quickly became some of the brand’s most coveted items Often referred to as the Andy Warhol of Japan he created the cover art for several hip hop and rap albums most notably Kanye West’s hit 2007 album “Graduation.” “This collaboration with a world-renowned artist in Takashi Murakami is one of the special projects that continue our commitment to growing Major League Baseball’s presence in Japan through key marketing initiatives,” MLB chief marketing officer Uzma Rawn Dowler told The Associated Press “It allows us to engage existing baseball fans while also extending our reach to new casual fans and making an impact outside the ballpark Working with a Japanese artist of Takashi Murakami’s caliber also allows us to celebrate Japan’s deep connection to baseball while showcasing baseball fashion as a powerful form of cultural storytelling.” The apparel collection of Dodgers and Cubs products will include Nike T-shirts hoodies and jerseys featuring Murakami’s flower motifs These jerseys will only be made for a handful of stars from both teams they’ll be available for two-way star Ohtani fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto shortstop Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman The Cubs’ jerseys will be available for Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga The line also features Murakami flower-adorned New Era knits and adjustable caps Rawlings baseballs and gloves and Victus bats all decorated with the artist’s eye-catching creations Two limited-edition slides from Marakami’s Ohana Hatake footwear brand will also be available with each team’s logo and his flower motif Also included in the collaboration is a Topps X Murakami MLB Tokyo Series Matchup Set of 25 cards which features his artwork and star players from both teams highlighted by a 1-of-1 dual autograph card of Murakami and Ohtani “Complex is proud to bring together Takashi Murakami and two of the biggest teams in MLB to celebrate this historic sports moment in Tokyo,” Complex CEO Aaron Levant said “This once-in-a-lifetime collaboration merges Murakami’s unmistakable artistry with the global energy of baseball capturing the essence of the city and the deep cultural connection between art and sport.” The series marks the 25th anniversary of the Mets and Cubs playing MLB’s first regular-season games in Japan and will be the sixth time the opener has taken place in the country The entire collection will be available on Complex.com Select products will be available at the Tokyo Series and at Dodger Stadium Wrigley Field and the MLB Flagship Store in New York City Fans interested in the collection can attend immersive pop-up events featuring the collaboration with Murakami-inspired installations in Los Angeles and Tokyo leading up to the Tokyo Series The Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton collaboration left an indelible mark on both the art world and the fashion industry which saw the iconic LV monogram adorned with Murakami’s playful colorful and often cartoonish characters like the famous “Multicolore” collection the collaboration’s legacy extends to influencing the accessibility of high art and the democratization of luxury The launch of the re-edition collection not only tugs at the nostalgic heartstrings of fashion and art lovers but it is also a testament to Murakami’s legacy The collection—previously detailed here—will also be on sale starting March 7 via the Complex shop. In a statement, Murakami said he feels “lucky” to have the chance to work with Complex and MLB, especially to highlight “outstanding athlete” Shohei Ohtani. As previously reported the collection features Murakami’s take on logos for both the Dodgers Both teams will play in the two-game 2025 MLB Tokyo Series in March “This is something I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be a part of,” Murakami, who previously served as creative director of ComplexCon, said of the experience of bringing his limited-edition MLB collection to life. Below, get another look at recently released campaign imagery from the collection. Fanatics and Complex Present Takashi Murakami and MLB Tokyo Series Collaboration Alex Moss Crafts Custom Piece for JP the Wavy Based on Takashi Murakami Illustrations Louis Vuitton Celebrates New Murakami Collab With SoHo Pop-Up each with a purpose and vibrant color palette spearheaded by then-artistic director Marc Jacobs introduced the kaleidoscopic Monogram Multicolore a vibrant reinterpretation of Louis Vuitton’s classic monogram featuring 33 vivid hues Murakami’s playful aesthetic brought forth beloved characters like the whimsical Superflat Panda and cheerful Flower Smileys These motifs are now reimagined across over 170 creations ranging from leather bags and accessories to footwear and collectible items This re-edition breathes new life into Louis Vuitton’s iconic pieces. The Speedy, Alma BB, and Dauphine Soft bags showcase the updated Monogram Multicolore, available in vibrant white or striking black. Murakami’s character Superflat Panda graces items like sneakers The collection also features collector’s items such as a made-to-order Malle Wardrobe containing 33 Speedy bags and revamped perfume bottles adorned with the Superflat Garden design Customers who make a purchase receive a token to activate a giant vending machine dispensing limited-edition stickers and Takashi Murakami Flower Go Walk portable games an exhibition showcases archival pieces from the original collaboration including rare designs like the Monogram Cerise and the Multicolore Franges offering a nostalgic look at the partnership’s impact on fashion history Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami reunite for a bold re-edition pop-up Underscoring the French fashion house’s commitment to sustainability the Soho pop-up includes a care station area that offers restoration services for original Louis Vuitton x Murakami pieces Visitors can observe the processes as skilled artisans clean and replace parts to extend the life of these creations a cinema space screens remastered versions of Murakami’s Superflat Monogram film (2003) and Superflat First Love (2009) The films weave a fantastical journey through Louis Vuitton’s world the young heroine of Murakami’s animated tales. From January 10th until January 12th visitors can enjoy a café experience adorned with Murakami’s signature flower cushions the pop-up hosts the Louis Vuitton x Murakami Re-Edition inspired by Tokyo’s modular capsule hotels each space within the pop-up has its own purpose and vibrant color palette customers who make a purchase receive a token to activate a giant vending machine the Soho pop-up includes a care station area that offers restoration services a cinema space screens remastered versions of Murakami’s films name: Louis Vuitton x Murakami Re-Edition Pop-up Store design: Louis Vuitton | @louisvuitton x Takashi Murakami | @takashipom AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style artist Takashi Murakami uses artificial intelligence to help recreate ancient Japanese paintings '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" 'Norwegian Wood felt bracingly cosmopolitan.' Norwegian Wood/MUBI To be a self-respecting Japan fan back in the Nineties meant moving on from our grandparents’ dark memories of the Second World War while rejecting as tourist-board nonsense the clichéd image of Japan as a place where high technology meets traditional values and aesthetics But the Nobel Prize-winning writer belonged to the old Japan: his classic 1948 work was a paean to a country that was already passing away when he was a young man we looked to Murakami as our literary key to the Japanese psyche When Murakami first became a big name in Japan thanks to the runaway success of Norwegian Wood in 1987 critics were quick to point out how un-Japanese he was during the postwar Allied Occupation of Japan Murakami read European and American novels in English while at high school studied drama at university and ran a jazz bar with his wife in Tokyo before going full-time as a writer He had little time for Japanese literature after hearing his parents — both of whom were teachers — go on about it ad nauseam while he was growing up By Darran Anderson Realising that all this had left him unable to write fiction in his native language Murakami composed his early lines in English and then translated them back into Japanese His relatively modest English vocabulary compelled him to write in short with which millions of readers around the world would one day become intimately familiar Norwegian Wood felt bracingly contemporary and cosmopolitan It tells the story of a man in his mid-thirties who hears a rendition of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” and is transported back to his youth in the Sixties: a heady era of student protests and intense and tragic friendships The listlessness and longing that permeate the novel as a group of young people try to make sense of their lives amid political turmoil and disappointment struck a chord with readers not just in Japan but in Taiwan and South Korea too: they had been through similar experiences during their countries’ democracy movements in the Eighties particularly those wedded to the country’s highbrow “pure literature” genre dismissed his work as “odourless” and lacking any sense of place and the relative absence of Japanese reference points in his work winner of Japan’s coveted Akutagawa Prize in 1958 and the country’s second Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994 Ōe singled out both Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto as young authors who unlike their literary forebears who wrote about the tragedies of war sold hundreds of thousands of books by pandering to a disaffected youth “content to exist within a late adolescent or post-adolescent sub-culture” Views like these probably prevented Murakami from winning the Akutagawa Prize and being accepted into Japan’s literary establishment He seems to have felt the rejection keenly choosing to leave Japan in the mid-Eighties when a combination of critical hostility and growing popular celebrity became too much He relocated first to Europe and later to the United States his fame spread from Japan and East Asia to the West as readers of Norwegian Wood and his magical realist A Wild Sheep Chase thrilled at their encounter with cool and rebellious Japan It was a far cry from the stereotype among Westerners at the time about Japan’s conformism But perhaps more important than Murakami’s rebellion was his universalism He has a talent for depicting human relationships as uncertain and half-formed forged and held together by silences and bemusement as much as by real meetings of minds You don’t read Murakami for the quality of his dialogue but there’s a sense that you understand both Japan and yourself a little better in the process those who had charged Murakami with indulging in whimsy while novelists such as Ōe reckoned with Japan’s wartime past His 1995 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle traversed scenes inspired by Japanese mythology and history: abandoned houses old wells and the transcendent breaking into human life amid the mud and din of the Second World War’s battlefields This was the first time that Murakami had shouldered the kind of social responsibility that was expected of a Japanese novelist Writing The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle from his home in the United States he credited his turn towards his home country to the opportunity he had to view it from a distance serving on the committee that awarded Murakami the Yomiuri Literary Prize in 1995 It was this sense of responsibility that brought Murakami back to Japan that same year after two disasters that came within weeks of each other an earthquake killed more than 6,000 people the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyō released sarin gas onto the Tokyo underground Although far less deadly than the earthquake the attack had a disturbing impact on Japan — the members of the cult turned out to be ordinary intelligent young people who had become profoundly disillusioned with life in Japan Murakami reflected on what it meant for Japan in Underground (1997) It is perhaps his finest work of non-fiction to date and part of what he described as his mid-Nineties turn from “detachment” to “commitment” as a novelist He began to take an interest in how social and political systems ensnare people likening such systems in a 2009 speech to high walls against which people throw themselves like eggs Murakami never dreamt that he would become so big in the West that bookshops would stage midnight openings to celebrate the release of his books Much of the credit for this goes to his English translators via translations that were often made from the English rather than the original Japanese versions of Murakami’s work His books have now been translated into more than 50 languages as they are known — will be pleased to discover that in Taiwan there is even a research centre dedicated to studying his oeuvre By Christopher Harding Across the late Nineties and early Noughties, Murakami continued to produce critically acclaimed novels. Eagerly awaited though each of these books were, commentators began to note a tendency for Murakami to return to favourite themes — inspiring a New York Times cartoonist to create Haruki Murakami Bingo Less likely to find a place in Murakami Bingo was “fleshed-out female character” Even fans of Murakami’s work have noted that women in his novels are often lonely broken or somehow mysterious in the eyes of male protagonists primarily to serve the men: clarifying something for them or functioning like “mediums… harbingers of the coming world” It is safe to say that Murakami’s new book We are once again inside the head of a gently unsettled who discovers that the boundaries between his world and another can be diaphanously thin where Murakami remains a big deal — albeit never accepted into the country’s literary establishment — the book has received mixed and occasionally slightly confused reviews Re-immersing myself in his dream-like pacing feels like slipping back into a warm bath some of them heightened now that I have enough years on the clock to share Murakami’s bewilderment at the passing of time for those of us who find ourselves using fogeyish phrases like “back in the Nineties” Murakami suggests that “truth is not found in fixed stillness but in ceaseless change and movement” This reads to me like an encouragement not to remain too long in Murakami’s signature nostalgia mode and instead to embrace what is around us now — with the possible exception of J-Pop Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Please click here to view our media pack for more information on advertising and partnership opportunities with UnHerd.