Living in Haruki Murakami's World: Walking Tour in Shinjuku

For fans of Haruki Murakami, Shinjuku is an interesting place to visit because there are several locations in the area that are either featured in his novels or were visited by the author himself in the past.

Waseda University. Start the tour at Waseda University, one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Murakami studied drama at Waseda University and graduated in 1973. In his novel Norwegian Wood, Toru Watanabe's university strongly resembles the author's own university. Watanabe enters the university in 1968 and lives in a dorm for two years. This dorm is based on Wakeijiku, a dormitory for male students, which is not very far from the university and where Murakami used to live himself.

How to get there: Take the Tozai line and get off at Waseda Station. The university is 7-minutes away from the station. You can also take the JR Yamanote Line and get off at Takadanobaba station. You can walk for 20 minutes or take the bus bound for Waseda University and get off at the last stop.

The statue of Shigenobu Okuma facing the Waseda University Bell Tower - A famous landmark in the university.

Toden Arakawa Line. Behind Waseda University is an old streetcar, which one of the only few ones left running in Tokyo. Watanabe's character in Norwegian Wood uses this line to visit his friend, Midori, who lives in Otsuka. 

Toden Arakawa Line, one of the last surviving streetcars in Japan.

Nakamuraya Cafe. In Murakami's novel, 1Q84, Tengo usually meets Fuka Eri at a cafe called Nakamuraya Cafe in Shinjuku. When I searched for it in Google Maps, the app said that the cafe already closed in 2011. However, I didn't let that disappoint me. I still went to Shinjuku to visit the place and see it for myself. The building called Nakamuraya Building, which stands beside Coach, is still open. It has eight floors of restaurants and shops. The 6th floor, which used to host the Nakamuraya Cafe, is now an oriental restaurant called Kichiri Mollis. So instead of dining there, I decided to go to the B2 instead and try the famous Nakamuraya curry at Manna. This might not be the exact Nakamuraya Cafe on the 6th floor of the building but I think it is still affiliated to the Nakamuraya group of companies because it serves the same famous curry.

 

Nakamuraya Building in Shinjuku

You'll easily find Manna right outside the elevator. There is a spacious space in front of it where there are several chairs for waiting visitors. This shows that there are a lot of people who go to this restaurant and are willing to wait just to try its famous curry. I was lucky because there were only 3 couples ahead of me so I didn't have to wait for a long time. The interior of the restaurant is not special. There is a large bar a little across the front desk/cashier and that's all there is to it. The restaurant has nicely-designed lamps though.

Manna is found at the basement of Nakamuraya Building

I ordered their Nakamuraya Curry set meal with green salad, Indian milk tea, indian chicken curry and rice. You can get the set for only Y1,620 yen or just order curry and rice for around Y1,100. The curry was very good, it was not hot but not bland either. The additional seasonings in the small white containers were also very good, they add a different taste to the meal when added.

How to get there: From Waseda University, you can walk along Meiji Dori to Shinjuku for 30-45 minutes depending on how fast you walk. If you are feeling too lazy to do it, you can take a bus from the Nishi Waseda Bus Stop bound for Shinjuku. Get off at Kabukicho bus stop and walk towards Shinjuku Station East Exit. You'll find a long line of shops and restaurants. Coach will not be difficult to spot.

The famous Nakamuraya Curry

Kinokuniya. This is a chain bookstore that can be found all around Japan. It sells both Japanese and English books. In the novel 1Q84, Tengo first bought some books from the store before heading to Nakamuraya cafe to meet Fuka Eri. In his book What I Talk About when I talk about Running,  Murakami also mentioned buying parchment paper and a good fountain pen at Kinokuniya to write his novel.

"Tengo Took the elevated train to Shinjuku after his third class ended. He bought a few books at the Kinokuniya bookstore and then headed to the Nakamuraya Cafe." -IQ84

Kinokuniya in Shinjuku is composed of 8 floors of books and magazines.

How to get there: The bookstore is across Nakamuraya Cafe.