Hyogo has produced many people that have had a great influence on our culture. Perhaps the beautiful nature and the variety of cultures are what affected them. In this section, three of the most nationally acclaimed writers and manga artists are introduced. (c)光プロ/KOBE鉄人PROJECT2011

aruki Murakami is not only famous in Japan, he is now a world acclaimed writer. He grew up in Nishinomiya city and Ashiya city of Hyogo before entering college. Influenced by his parents who loved reading, he spent most of his teenage years reading world literature himself. He developed his foundation as a writer during this time. In one of his work, he wrote about his hometown saying; "It was a comfortable place to spend a childhood and my teenage years"
He debuted in 1979 with a piece called Hear the Wind Sing (Kaze-no-uta-o-kike) Many of his works became best-sellers, and in 2005, his piece Kafka on the Shore (Umibe-no-Kafuka,) was selected as one of the Ten Best Books of 2005 by the New York Times and earned great reviews internationally. In 2010, he was nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature.

Of all the best-sellers that he has produced, his most famous is Norwegian Wood Norwegian Wood.

Written in two volumes, Norwegian Wood sold over one million copies in Japan, and it was translated in 10 languages, captivating audiences across the world. This book started a huge Murakami mania, and he became Japan’s most popular writer.

In 2010, Norwegian Wood was made into a film. Interestingly enough, many of the most important scenes from the movie were filmed in Hyogo. Visiting the filming locations might be able give you a taste of what the characters felt, and experience the world of Haruki Murakami.

For those of you want to learn more about Murakami and his literature, come visit his hometown. Just like what Murakami did as written in Henkyo/Kinkyo, follow in his path to discover what Hyogo has to offer.

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