Haruki Murakami unveils his new short story at a Tokyo literary event

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Only 1,100 lucky audience members were there to hear the yet-to-be published short story “Kaho,” read aloud by bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami himself. The reading took place at a Friday night book event called “The Owl Reads in Spring.” It’s a fundraiser for the library of Murakami’s alma mater Waseda University in Tokyo. The Owl event is a second for him and award-winning author Mieko Kawakami. The two took turns reading aloud at a 2019 event where Murakami unveiled an earlier short story. Murakami told the audience Friday that “Kaho” was written just 10 days before, specifically for recitation at the event.