Norwegian Wood

First published in 1987, Norwegian Wood is a coming-of-age novel by renowned Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. After becoming a bestseller in Japan, the book was translated into English by Jay Rubin in 2000. Set against the backdrop of the late 1960s, Norwegian Wood tells the story of Toru Watanabe, a young college student who falls in love with two very different women as he struggles to come to terms with the death of his best childhood friend. Told from the point of view of a 37-year-old Watanabe looking back on his youth, the novel examines the role of memory in dealing with loss and explores themes of rebellion, mental health, and conforming to societal expectations. 

This guide references Vintage International’s 2000 paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Norwegian Wood includes multiple references to suicide.

Plot Summary

Toru Watanabe, 37, is on a plane heading to Hamburg, Germany. As the plane lands in the rain, the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood” plays over the speaker. The song gives Watanabe a strong wave of memory, reminding him of the fall of 1969 when he was 19. He remembers Naoko, a beautiful girl he loved, and begins writing down his memories to better understand her and their relationship.

In 1968, the 18-year-old Watanabe moves to Tokyo to attend college. He lives in an all-male dorm where many of the students are caught up in the political fervor and social change of the era. However, Watanabe interacts little with his peers and has no interest in politics. He studies drama, a major chosen randomly, and spends most of his time reading alone. 

One Sunday afternoon, he meets Naoko on a train. Back home in Kobe, she was the girlfriend of Watanabe’s best friend, Kizuki, who killed himself when they were 17. Watanabe feels that he and Naoko have both come to Tokyo to escape the painful memory of their loss, and the two begin taking long walks together every Sunday. They speak little and never mention Kizuki, but they take comfort in one another’s company.

In the spring, Naoko turns 20, and the occasion gives Watanabe the feeling that they are growing up and leaving Kizuki behind. Together, Naoko and Watanabe celebrate her birthday with a small dinner at her apartment. Drinking wine and listening to music, Naoko talks much more than usual. She tells Watanabe many stories from her past but still carefully avoids mentioning Kizuki. When she runs out of stories, she breaks down sobbing. Trying to comfort her, Watanabe has sex with Naoko. He is surprised to learn she hasn’t had sex before, but when he asks why she never had sex with Kizuki, she breaks down sobbing again. The following day, Watanabe slips out, leaving a note asking Naoko to call him when she feels better.

Days pass, and there is no word from Naoko. Worried that he made a mistake by sleeping with her, Watanabe visits her apartment but learns she has moved out. Confused and sad, he writes a letter to her home in Kobe, hoping it will find Naoko wherever she is. Without Naoko, Watanabe’s apathy deepens. He goes out drinking and chasing girls with his friend Nagasawa but spends most of his time reading alone. Student protests shut the university down, and instead of getting involved, Watanabe gets a job in a record shop. The summer break passes, and with the new school year, the protests dissolve, and the campus reopens. Watanabe is surprised that everything is the same as before the demonstrations; no changes have been made. He concludes that education is worthless but continues attending classes simply because he has nothing better to do.

One day, Watanabe meets Midori, a feisty girl with a pixie cut from his history of drama class. Midori’s confidence and outspoken nature intrigues Watanabe, even if her overt sexuality sometimes shocks him. Midori invites Watanabe to her house for lunch, where he is surprised by her excellent cooking, and the two spend the afternoon on Midori’s roof, watching the smoke from a nearby fire. As they watch, Midori opens up to Watanabe about all kinds of things, including difficulties with her family and what she hopes to find in love. They share a kiss. Midori tells Watanabe she has a boyfriend but wants to keep seeing Watanabe. He agrees, admitting that he, too, is involved with a girl.

When Midori skips class again, Watanabe’s loneliness returns in full force. However, his thoughts of Midori are soon banished by the arrival of a letter from Naoko. Naoko explains that she left school and returned home to attend to her mental health, which had become very unstable after Kizuki’s death. She tells him that she is staying in a special kind of institution called Ami Hostel. Instead of traditional psychiatric treatments, the center draws on the peaceful setting of the mountain and strict adherence to routine to help individuals heal. Naoko tells Watanabe she is improving and would like him to visit if he can. 

The next day, Watanabe takes a train to Kyoto, then a bus winding through the mountains. He finishes the journey to Ami Hostel on foot, where he is met by a kind, wrinkled woman in her late thirties called Reiko. Reiko is Naoko’s roommate, and she explains to Watanabe how life works at Ami Hostel and what he can do to help Naoko. She tells him that Naoko is ready to open up to him, and the most important thing is to be honest. 

For two nights, Watanabe stays with Naoko and Reiko in the small apartment. The first night, Reiko plays her guitar while Watanabe and Naoko talk. Naoko tells Watanabe that she doesn’t know how to love anyone else after losing Kizuki, finally breaking down in tears. Reiko asks Watanabe to go for a short walk while Naoko recovers and soon meets him outside. She insists that Naoko is fine and begins telling Watanabe her own story. As a girl, Reiko was a talented pianist on track to become a professional performer. However, while preparing for an important competition, her little finger stopped working, and she could no longer play. Her doctors insisted the problem was psychological, but no amount of rest cured her. Devastated by the loss of her dream, Reiko had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized twice. She became a piano teacher instead and started a family with a man to whom she gave lessons. For a time, she was happy, but then she “fell apart” again. Promising to finish the story later, Reiko takes Watanabe back to the apartment. 

Naoko is feeling better, and the three soon go to sleep. In the middle of the night, Naoko comes to Watanabe and removes her nightgown, revealing her naked body to him. Watanabe is shocked by her beauty, thinking she is different, more perfect than he remembered. However, her perfection is so complete that he doesn’t feel aroused by her nakedness. The following day, Naoko doesn’t mention the incident, and Watanabe wonders if it was a dream. 

The next day, the trio walks in the mountains, and Reiko lets Watanabe and Naoko spend time alone. Naoko talks more about her relationship with Kizuki and tells Watanabe about her older sister, who died by suicide when Naoko was a child. She says that she may never recover fully and tells Watanabe he should move on with his life. However, he promises Naoko that he will wait for her to get well.

That night, Reiko finishes her story, telling Watanabe that one of her students, a beautiful and charming 13-year-old girl, tried to have sex with her. When Reiko resisted, the girl spread a rumor that Reiko had assaulted her. The whispers behind her back and accusatory glances from the neighbors were too much for Reiko, who had another mental breakdown. In the hospital, she insisted that her husband divorce her and start a new life with their daughter. She came to Ami Hostel and has lived there ever since, afraid to return to normal life. The next morning, Watanabe says goodbye to Naoko and Reiko and returns to Tokyo.

He feels strange being back in the “outside world” and is glad to run into Midori, who invites him for drinks. Being with her makes Watanabe feel grounded again, and he agrees to spend the day with her on Sunday. Midori comes to Watanabe’s dorm early Sunday morning wearing an incredibly short skirt. They take a train, and Midori tells Watanabe they will visit her father. She admits to lying when she said that her father moved to Uruguay. In reality, he is dying of a brain tumor. At the hospital, Midori attends to her father, who can barely speak. Watanabe tells Midori that she must be exhausted with a full schedule of school and caring for her father, and he offers to keep an eye on the man for the afternoon so Midori can have a few hours to herself. 

A few days later, Midori calls to tell Watanabe that her father has died. She promises to call again, but Watanabe doesn’t hear from her or see her in class. Lonely, he continues writing to Naoko. When Midori reappears, she tells him that she had to get away after the funeral and spent some time traveling. They go out together, and after Midori begs Watanabe not to leave her alone, they return to Midori’s apartment. Watanabe holds her until she falls asleep, then spends the rest of the night reading. 

In the spring, he returns to Ami Hostel, where he passes the time much like before, talking with Naoko and Reiko, helping with chores, and listening to Reiko play her guitar. Watanabe tells Naoko that he intends to rent an apartment and wants her to live with him in Tokyo. She is pleased but continues to worry about her emotional and physical availability. In Tokyo, Watanabe finds a small apartment to rent and dedicates himself to fixing it up and finding a new job. However, he forgets to tell Midori that he has moved, and when he remembers to call her, she is too angry to speak to him. For weeks, she refuses to accept his apology, and letters also stop coming from Naoko.

Watanabe finally receives a letter from Reiko telling him that Naoko has been struggling. She is in no state to write letters and might be moved to a different institution soon. This news greatly depresses Watanabe as he realizes for the first time that Naoko might never fully recover. A few days later, Midori starts speaking to Watanabe again. They spend an afternoon together, and when they say goodbye, Midori gives Watanabe a letter to read at home. Midori has written that she is tired of the way he treats her, that he didn’t listen to or take notice of her all day because he was so wrapped up in his own world. She tells him that she doesn’t want to see him again. 

Watanabe spends the next weeks working, writing letters, and spending time alone. He hears from Reiko that Naoko is still unwell, and Midori still refuses to speak to him. She finally approaches him after class one day and invites him for lunch. They go to a department store and, afterward, walk on the roof. Midori confesses her love for Watanabe, and he returns her feelings. However, he tells her he cannot act on them until things are resolved with Naoko. Midori promises to wait for him but warns that someone else will snatch her up if he takes too long.

In August, Naoko hangs herself in the woods outside Ami Hostel. The news plunges Watanabe into a deep depression, and he spends weeks traveling alone. He wanders aimlessly, consumed by grief and haunted by visions of the dead. After a fisherman takes pity on him, Watanabe feels guilty for his wallowing and resolves to return to Tokyo. When he arrives, there is a letter from Reiko. She has decided to leave Ami Hostel and wants to visit him in Tokyo. She comes on the train a few days later, telling him she is going north to Asahikawa, where she will be a music teacher. 

Watanabe and Reiko stage their own funeral for Naoko, drinking wine and playing her favorite songs on Reiko’s guitar. As the night comes to an end, Reiko and Watanabe have sex. The next day, Reiko leaves Tokyo. She tells Watanabe that he must work at being happy and claim the happiness that she and Naoko couldn’t. He kisses her goodbye and promises to visit. 

On his way back, Watanabe goes to a pay phone to call Midori. He tells her that he needs to talk to her, that he wants to be with her and tell her everything. After a long silence, Midori asks where Watanabe is. He looks out of the phone booth but cannot distinguish anything besides the confused “shapes of people” walking by. He calls out Midori’s name over and over from a “place that was no place” (293).