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Town of Cats
Town of Cats is an excerpt from Muramaki's novel 1Q84 (2009), and it falls under the genre of social alienation.
8 pages, Unknown Binding
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About the author
Haruki Murakami
611 books133k followersHaruki Murakami (村上春樹) is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Tanizaki Prize, Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Noma Literary Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Awards.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 29, 2025
The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from.
Town of Cats ~~ Haruki Murakami
Brilliant. Those who believe Murakami is out of his element with short stories need only read Town of Cats to see their argument blown to hell.
Haruki Murakami often rewrites the same narrative. There’s a man. The man’s alone. He’s disconnected, either from society, himself, or both. A woman is mixed up in the man’s life and she’s probably left him. There are cats. Sometimes, just one cat, other times, there are many cats. The man usually has a large penis. Or, the man's closest male friend has a large penis and the man feels compelled to share this fact. The man does not have to answer to the demands of a job or other people. If he does, then the story takes place while he has time to escape. And while Murakami does often rewrite the same narrative, he does so brilliantly.
Town of Cats is taken from Murakami's novel, 1Q84 . In the story Tengo, an adult man, impulsively takes a train to see his father, who's living in a sanitarium for patients with cognitive disorders. They're not close, as Tengo reflects while waiting for the train. Murakami also tells a story within the story, about a town of cats ~~ and if you've read Murakami before, you know he'll connect this to the father-son encounter.
Town of Cats works marvelously as a stand alone piece. Now, I know I will have to tackle 1Q84 in 2020.
Town of Cats ~~ Haruki Murakami
Brilliant. Those who believe Murakami is out of his element with short stories need only read Town of Cats to see their argument blown to hell.
Haruki Murakami often rewrites the same narrative. There’s a man. The man’s alone. He’s disconnected, either from society, himself, or both. A woman is mixed up in the man’s life and she’s probably left him. There are cats. Sometimes, just one cat, other times, there are many cats. The man usually has a large penis. Or, the man's closest male friend has a large penis and the man feels compelled to share this fact. The man does not have to answer to the demands of a job or other people. If he does, then the story takes place while he has time to escape. And while Murakami does often rewrite the same narrative, he does so brilliantly.
Town of Cats is taken from Murakami's novel, 1Q84 . In the story Tengo, an adult man, impulsively takes a train to see his father, who's living in a sanitarium for patients with cognitive disorders. They're not close, as Tengo reflects while waiting for the train. Murakami also tells a story within the story, about a town of cats ~~ and if you've read Murakami before, you know he'll connect this to the father-son encounter.
Town of Cats works marvelously as a stand alone piece. Now, I know I will have to tackle 1Q84 in 2020.
February 9, 2021
If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation
October 10, 2022
Short story from The New Yorker’s Book of Cats.
March 19, 2024
Father, son, repressed emotions, and metaphorical German cats. Elliptical and subtly moving story.
January 9, 2023
A brilliant short story from Haruki Murakami which could be read in one sitting. It is quite difficult to describe the emotions which one could possibly experience throughout the story: melancholy, a touch of sadness and emotional pain, peacefulness, or perhaps, all in one.
To give you some ideas, these are some of my favourite quotes:
“Most people think of Sunday as a day of rest. Throughout his childhood, however, Tengo had never once viewed Sunday as a day to enjoy. For him, Sunday was like a misshapen moon that showed only its dark side. When the weekend came, his whole body began to feel sluggish and achy, and his appetite would disappear. He had even prayed for Sunday not to come, though his prayers were never answered.”
“The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from.”
“If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.”
Actual rating: 4.8/5☆
To give you some ideas, these are some of my favourite quotes:
“Most people think of Sunday as a day of rest. Throughout his childhood, however, Tengo had never once viewed Sunday as a day to enjoy. For him, Sunday was like a misshapen moon that showed only its dark side. When the weekend came, his whole body began to feel sluggish and achy, and his appetite would disappear. He had even prayed for Sunday not to come, though his prayers were never answered.”
“The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from.”
“If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.”
Actual rating: 4.8/5☆
January 8, 2022
একসাথে মুরাকামির একটা বই আর দুইটা ছোট গল্প শেষ করে রিভিউ দেওয়ার অবস্থা নেই এখন🙂 কিন্তু একদিন অবশ্যই লিখবো।
I love Cats and Haruki Murakami and his weird writing style!! Gonna make a shelf of his books soon💜💜
I love Cats and Haruki Murakami and his weird writing style!! Gonna make a shelf of his books soon💜💜
January 25, 2021
A place where he is meant to be lost.
April 26, 2023
“If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.”
January 11, 2022
Tengo, the same guy from 1Q84. It is taken from —1Q84– almost the exact same chapter of a Tengo's.
September 29, 2024
It was a captivating and emotionally charged short story that truly resonated with me. Despite its brevity, the narrative is brimming with heartfelt moments and profound insights that linger long after the final page has been turned. What I found particularly compelling was the poignant exploration of the human condition through the unique lens of a world inhabited solely by cats. The story effortlessly blends elements of magical realism with a powerful meditation on loneliness, longing, and the power of connection. A thought-provoking, emotionally rich reading experience. This unique tale is bound to leave an indelible mark on my heart and mind.
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December 4, 2024Town of cat เป็นเรื่องสั้นที่ตีพิมพ์ใน The New Yorker (อ่านได้ที่นี่... https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...)
และเป็นส่วนหนึ่งในหนังสือ 1Q84 ในส่วนของเท็งโก๊ะ ตอนที่นั่งรถไฟไปเยี่ยมพี่ของเขาที่สถานพักฟื้นหลังจากที่ไม่ได้ไปมาร่วมสองปี
เนื้อหาในเรื่องสั้นซ้ำกับในหนังสือประมาณ 70-80% แต่ส่วนที่เพิ่มเข้ามาเป็นความรู้สึกของเขาที่มีต่อพ่อ ซึ่งคุ้มค่าที่จะอ่าน
และเป็นส่วนหนึ่งในหนังสือ 1Q84 ในส่วนของเท็งโก๊ะ ตอนที่นั่งรถไฟไปเยี่ยมพี่ของเขาที่สถานพักฟื้นหลังจากที่ไม่ได้ไปมาร่วมสองปี
เนื้อหาในเรื่องสั้นซ้ำกับในหนังสือประมาณ 70-80% แต่ส่วนที่เพิ่มเข้ามาเป็นความรู้สึกของเขาที่มีต่อพ่อ ซึ่งคุ้มค่าที่จะอ่าน
August 18, 2021
“‘If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.’ “
February 21, 2025
pls dont judge,, I havent read in a while so im adding this
July 30, 2021
The other Japanese “Town of Cats”, not the original on changing perspective by Hagiwara Sakutaro. This one explores the father/son dynamic and the title is taken from a supposed German author who as with Sakutaro is also said to be writing between the two world wars.
July 9, 2023
Mesmerizing ❤️
"This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from."
"This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from."
August 22, 2023
Siapa disini yg suka sama tulisan-tulisan Murakami?
Sudah ada yg pernah baca buku ini belum?
Kalau belum, aku mau ulas buku yg berisi kumpulan 6 cerpen. Ceritanya menurutku menarik, karena gak cuman ngomongin cerita fiktif belaka tapi tentang kehidupan manusia yg mengalami keterasingan, kesepian, ketidakberdayaan dan berbagai sifat yg biasa menggelayuti kehidupan manusia.
Cerpen pertama mengisahkan seorang pria yg terbangun menjadi manusia dan mengalami keterasingan dengan tubuhnya, lingkungannya, bahkan cara berkomunikasinya. Nah, tokoh utama di novel ini bernama Gregor Samsa, apakah kebetulan atau memang Murakami sengaja mengambil nama Gregor Samsa dr Novel Franz Kafka yg berjudul Methamorphosis. Please tell me, if you have any clues!!
Cerpen kedua tentang Pisau Berburu. Kisahnya lebih menekankan kesepian yg dialami oleh pengunjung di sebuah kota wisata, ternyata tidak semua orang bisa menikmati keramaian bahkan ketika tempat tersebut dipenuhi oleh banyak orang sekalipun.
Cerpen ketiga, yg mengisahkan Kota Kucing yg menjadi ikon dr buku ini. Mengisahkan seorang pemuda yg kembali bertemu dengan ayahnya setelah sekian lama, mengisahkan bagaimana manusia hidup dalam kecewa dan ketidakberdayaan. Dan tentu saja part ini menjadi favoritku.
Cerita ke-4, Kino. Bukan nama permen yaa hihihi, kisahnya tentang seorang pria yg setelah bercerai dr istrinya dan mewarisi kedai milik bibinya dan mengubahnya menjadi bar, lalu mulai berdatangan tamu-tamu misterius. Kalau cerita ini lebih bernuansa magical reality gitu.
Lalu cerpen ke-5 tentang UFO di Kushiro, Komura sebagai karakter utama yg ditinggalkan oleh istrinya, mengikuti saran kawannya untuk berlibur. Disana dia bertemu dengan Keiko sama Shimano yg akhirnya membawa banyak obrolan termasuk sesuatu yg hilang dr diri Komura.
Lalu cerpen terakhir, Kemarin. Ceritanya cukup sederhana jika dibanding 5 cerpen sebelumnya. Yaitu tentang si tokoh utama yg bernama Kitaru, yg memiliki sifat unik dan dianggap tidak normal untuk orang di sekitarnya.
Kalau kata penggemar Murakami, bukan Murakami namanya kalau dalam ceritanya tidak ada kerumitan.
Sudah ada yg pernah baca buku ini belum?
Kalau belum, aku mau ulas buku yg berisi kumpulan 6 cerpen. Ceritanya menurutku menarik, karena gak cuman ngomongin cerita fiktif belaka tapi tentang kehidupan manusia yg mengalami keterasingan, kesepian, ketidakberdayaan dan berbagai sifat yg biasa menggelayuti kehidupan manusia.
Cerpen pertama mengisahkan seorang pria yg terbangun menjadi manusia dan mengalami keterasingan dengan tubuhnya, lingkungannya, bahkan cara berkomunikasinya. Nah, tokoh utama di novel ini bernama Gregor Samsa, apakah kebetulan atau memang Murakami sengaja mengambil nama Gregor Samsa dr Novel Franz Kafka yg berjudul Methamorphosis. Please tell me, if you have any clues!!
Cerpen kedua tentang Pisau Berburu. Kisahnya lebih menekankan kesepian yg dialami oleh pengunjung di sebuah kota wisata, ternyata tidak semua orang bisa menikmati keramaian bahkan ketika tempat tersebut dipenuhi oleh banyak orang sekalipun.
Cerpen ketiga, yg mengisahkan Kota Kucing yg menjadi ikon dr buku ini. Mengisahkan seorang pemuda yg kembali bertemu dengan ayahnya setelah sekian lama, mengisahkan bagaimana manusia hidup dalam kecewa dan ketidakberdayaan. Dan tentu saja part ini menjadi favoritku.
Cerita ke-4, Kino. Bukan nama permen yaa hihihi, kisahnya tentang seorang pria yg setelah bercerai dr istrinya dan mewarisi kedai milik bibinya dan mengubahnya menjadi bar, lalu mulai berdatangan tamu-tamu misterius. Kalau cerita ini lebih bernuansa magical reality gitu.
Lalu cerpen ke-5 tentang UFO di Kushiro, Komura sebagai karakter utama yg ditinggalkan oleh istrinya, mengikuti saran kawannya untuk berlibur. Disana dia bertemu dengan Keiko sama Shimano yg akhirnya membawa banyak obrolan termasuk sesuatu yg hilang dr diri Komura.
Lalu cerpen terakhir, Kemarin. Ceritanya cukup sederhana jika dibanding 5 cerpen sebelumnya. Yaitu tentang si tokoh utama yg bernama Kitaru, yg memiliki sifat unik dan dianggap tidak normal untuk orang di sekitarnya.
Kalau kata penggemar Murakami, bukan Murakami namanya kalau dalam ceritanya tidak ada kerumitan.
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September 23, 2021"The next morning, however, the train does not stop at the station. He watches it pass by without slowing down. The afternoon train does the same. He can see the engineer seated at the controls. But the train shows no sign of stopping. It is as though no one can see the young man waiting for a train—or even see the station itself. Once the afternoon train disappears down the track, the place grows quieter than ever. The sun begins to sink. It is time for the cats to come. The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from."
January 10, 2024
A Place Where He Meant To Be Lost
Since it was the first murakami book I've read i had more expectations, not that I'm disappointed, just that my roommate always talks about his books all the time and i was expecting more than short stories,and that's it.
(And as i knew and as I'm now more sure about it, I'm not a fan of short stories much.)
داستان «تنگو» داستان مورد علاقه من بود ولی از خوندن داستان «دیروز» لذت بیشتری بردم، و چیزی که بیشتر از همه هنوز راجع بهش کنجکاوم دیدار دوباره شهرزاد با همکلاسیش بود که راجع بهش چیزی گفته نشد.
Since it was the first murakami book I've read i had more expectations, not that I'm disappointed, just that my roommate always talks about his books all the time and i was expecting more than short stories,and that's it.
(And as i knew and as I'm now more sure about it, I'm not a fan of short stories much.)
داستان «تنگو» داستان مورد علاقه من بود ولی از خوندن داستان «دیروز» لذت بیشتری بردم، و چیزی که بیشتر از همه هنوز راجع بهش کنجکاوم دیدار دوباره شهرزاد با همکلاسیش بود که راجع بهش چیزی گفته نشد.
November 28, 2025
The Cat Town resembles one of the most distinguished animes in the world by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away, in the sense that its story depicts a person entering a world that is not fit for them — a world that cannot accept their presence, where they do not belong to that society, that family, or that town. This short story is also about loneliness and solitude, about the struggle to find a place where you truly belong, and about a world that is quiet, silent, disciplined, and marked by a profound lack of communication.
May 15, 2021
Grief is not merely a feeling, it is a weapon. It is either going to harm you, or the people around you, or both.
This story follows Tengo and his intricate relationship with his father. After 2 years of separation, Tengo finally meets his father again, along with the heart-wrenching truth that both Tengo and his father cannot escape from.
This story follows Tengo and his intricate relationship with his father. After 2 years of separation, Tengo finally meets his father again, along with the heart-wrenching truth that both Tengo and his father cannot escape from.
October 28, 2021
You can read this short story here: http://bit.ly/1OkXqf9
For those that have read 1Q84, this story may seem a bit repetitive as it is nearly identical to a scene in the book. However, there is also a moment that Tengo shares with his father that did not happen in 1Q84 that is worth reading in this story.
For those that have read 1Q84, this story may seem a bit repetitive as it is nearly identical to a scene in the book. However, there is also a moment that Tengo shares with his father that did not happen in 1Q84 that is worth reading in this story.
June 4, 2023
I first read this in an intro to literature class in college. I don’t think I liked it very much, only because I’m not a fan of being told what to read, and how I should be responding to it. Every once in a while, I revisit it of my own free will, and respond how I wish to respond. This is a great short story.
September 18, 2025
aku sensitif dengan cerita yang main keluarga keluarga ni. THERE'S SO MUCH AKU NAK CAKAP PASAL BUKU NI BUT REALLY — "if you don't understand it without an explanation, you will not understand it with an explanation" um idk this quote kinda tells me semua orang kena baca and feel this book ABSORB in your bones instead of aku explain how heartwarming it is 💔
December 5, 2020
This story felt a bit disjointed and rambling at times, but it was interesting, ultimately. Also a lot less absurd than Murakami's other stories; this one was clearly grounded firmly in real life, though the real life may have been a bit unusual.
December 26, 2022
“If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.”
Aptly described most of Murakami's work. This short story is one of his less trippy or surreal work that I have read. But he had to add that element just a tad bit. Luckily, I like cats.
Aptly described most of Murakami's work. This short story is one of his less trippy or surreal work that I have read. But he had to add that element just a tad bit. Luckily, I like cats.
November 24, 2025
i only put this book in “Read” due to my i-need-to-read-more-to-reach-my-reading-challenge :vvv. However i have to say, this short story from “1Q84” is phenomenal. The town of cat, is short, but give me the “Murakami vibe” more than the hall trilogy “1Q84”.
July 1, 2021
One month for a short story... I just thought it would be something additional to what we had in the book.
Still enjoyed reading it again and thinking about Tengo's life after finishing 1Q84.
Still enjoyed reading it again and thinking about Tengo's life after finishing 1Q84.
September 9, 2021
beautiful short story.
September 25, 2021
Read this on The New Yorker. A compelling and quite fascinating short story. Enjoyed the 15 minute read.
December 29, 2021
It just didn’t do anything for me. Beautifully written, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews