Norwegian Wood

The following day, Watanabe takes a bullet train to Kyoto. From the train, he boards a local bus that takes him deep into the mountains. They pass through “chilling” forests and stretches of farmland with sweeping mountain views. When they arrive at his stop, Watanabe is the only passenger to get off. No buildings are in sight, so he begins hiking up a path. He reaches a fence, and a guard tells him to enter the complex and ask for Doctor Ishida. 

Watanabe does as he is told and is greeted by a wrinkled woman who appears to be in her late 30s. She tells Watanabe that she isn’t actually a doctor but a music teacher and has been a patient in the institute for seven years. She is also Naoko’s roommate and wants to tell Watanabe more about Ami Hostel before he sees her. They eat lunch together, and she tells him to call her Reiko. 

Reiko explains that Ami Hostel is like “one of those commune places” and offers “convalescence” instead of traditional treatments (96). The patients are admitted voluntarily and can leave any time they like. She explains that the environment of Ami Hostel, the isolation, peace, and routine, is healing, and everyone works together to help each other get better.