People attend a countdown event to receive copies they pre-purchased, of Haruki Murakami’s new book, titled “The Tale of KAHO” after the clock strikes midnight, at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hiro Komae)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-07-02T19:51:19Z<\/p>\n
TOKYO (AP) \u2014 Hours before Haruki Murakami\u2019s<\/a><\/span> new book was set to go on sale in Japan on Friday, dozens of fans gathered outside a major Tokyo bookstore for a special event to get their first copies as soon as the clock struck midnight.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Tale of KAHO\u201d is the Japanese author\u2019s first full-length novel featuring a lone woman protagonist, according to Shinchosha Publishing Co.<\/p>\n \u201cKaho, a picture book author, is just an average young woman. But truly bizarre things start happening around her,\u201d Murakami said in a brief message posted on the publisher\u2019s campaign website. \u201cI wrote this novel as I put myself in her shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n His statement surprised many fans, because most of Murakami\u2019s protagonists are young or middle-aged men.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about finding out how the story evolves around a female character,\u201d said Naoyuki Yamano, the first customer to buy the new Murakami novel.<\/p>\n Initially, the novel started as a short story titled \u201cKaho,\u201d<\/a><\/span> which Murakami rehearsed at a book reading event<\/a><\/span> two years ago at Waseda University, his alma mater in Tokyo, with Mieko Kawakami, a renowned female author and fan of his work. The story was published in the June 2024 edition of the monthly Shincho magazine.<\/p>\n One day, 26-year-old Kaho goes on a blind date arranged by her book editor. Over dinner, her date tells her that, although he has dated a number of women, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen one as ugly as you.\u201d Baffled rather than outraged, curious Kaho tries to uncover the meaning of his words. Soon, bizarre things begin happening to her.<\/p>\n