“UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami: Analysis

Introduction: “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

First published in 1983 in the prominent literary magazine Gunzo, “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami is a notable short story authored by the celebrated Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, which was later included in “The Elephant Vanishes,” a collection of short stories published in 1984. Murakami’s contribution to contemporary Japanese literature was firmly established with the anthology receiving widespread critical acclaim. The story follows two characters, a Chinese restaurant worker, and a man who believes he has been abducted by aliens, both struggling with loneliness and a quest for meaning. By weaving together themes of isolation, identity, and the pursuit of significance in the modern era through their unlikely meeting and ensuing conversation, Murakami delivers one of his most thought-provoking works, which has since been translated into several languages. “UFO in Kushiro” continues to captivate readers globally, with its insightful exploration of the human condition and Murakami’s impeccable writing style.

Main Events in “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

Main Points

• Emotional Isolation: Komura, the protagonist, grapples with profound loneliness and a sense of emptiness triggered by his wife’s sudden departure.
• The Kobe Earthquake’s Shadow: The 1995 Kobe earthquake subtly looms over the story, its impact reflected in the characters’ anxieties and the wife’s reaction to news coverage.
• Surrealism and the Unexplained: The story blends realism with a touch of the surreal. The unexplained package Komura carries and the discussion of a UFO sighting add a layer of mystery.
• The Search for Connection: Komura’s journey to Kushiro highlights his desire for human connection and his attempt to break out of emotional isolation.

Main Events

1. Komura’s Wife Leaves: After the Kobe earthquake, Komura’s wife leaves him with a note about his emptiness, triggering a sense of profound disconnection.
2. Accepting the Package Delivery: Komura’s coworker, Sasaki, asks him to deliver a package to his sister in Kushiro, Hokkaido. Komura accepts as a way to escape and take time off work.
3. Journey to Kushiro: Komura travels to the remote town of Kushiro, seeking some respite from his loneliness.
4. Meeting Keiko and Shimao: Komura meets Keiko (Sasaki’s sister) and her friend Shimao. They have dinner together and discuss Komura’s separation, his reasons for being in Kushiro, and personal experiences.
5. The UFO Sighting: Shimao tells a story about a woman witnessing a UFO; her husband later vanished without a trace. This adds to the enigmatic atmosphere of the story.
6. Departure and Reflection: Komura returns to Tokyo without any resolution about his wife’s disappearance. He contemplates his experiences in Kushiro and acknowledges his lingering sense of isolation.

Literary Devices in “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

• Allusion: A brief reference to something external the reader should recognize.
  • Reference: “…reread his battered paperback copy of Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris.”
• Foreshadowing: Hints of things to come in the story.
  • Reference: “There’s something funny in the air tonight,” Shimao said…” And then that creepy tune from the jukebox…”
• Hyperbole: Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis.
  • Reference: Komura describing his potential alien encounter as “the most life-altering experience of my life.”
• Imagery: Language creating vivid sensory impressions.
  • References:
    • “Like it was singing me a lullaby” (Shimao describing the river)
    • “The sky up here is, like, littered with stars.” (Shimao describing the night)
• Irony: A contrast between what’s said and what’s meant, or between expectation and reality.
  • Reference: Shimao’s comment, “I don’t believe a word of that outer-space nonsense” followed shortly by the potential mysterious sighting.
• Juxtaposition: Placing contrasting things side-by-side.
  • Reference: The contrast between Komura (“took the bullet train from Tokyo”) and Shimao (“She was, all in all, a local girl.”)
• Metaphor: A comparison not using “like” or “as.”
  • Reference: Shimao calling the river “…that black ribbon over there.”
• Motif: A recurring idea or image that contributes to the theme.
  • Reference: The recurring sense of loneliness: Komura’s wife’s departure, his feeling like he “occupied no real space,” Shimao’s single status.
• Personification: Giving non-human things human qualities.
  • Reference: (About the river) “Like it was singing me a lullaby”
• Repetition: Using the same word/phrase multiple times for emphasis.
  • Reference: Komura’s constant use of “life-altering experience” about his possible abduction.
• Simile: Comparison using “like” or “as.”
  • Reference: “…the stars were scattered all over the sky like little pieces of glass.”
• Symbolism: An object/ idea representing something else.
  • Reference: The river as a possible symbol for time, life’s journey, etc.
• Tone: The author’s attitude towards the subject.
  • Reference: Murakami’s tone here feels contemplative and introspective.
• Verbal Irony: A speaker says one thing but means the opposite.
  • Reference: Shimao’s “I don’t believe a word of that outer-space nonsense” works perfectly here.
• Visual Imagery: Language creating a “picture” in the reader’s mind.
  • Reference: Their description of the night sky: “There was this round thing floating in the sky… And it was sort of shining.”

Characterization in “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

Komura: Protagonist

• Loneliness and Isolation: His wife’s abrupt departure emphasizes his emotional isolation (“She’d left no forwarding address or phone number.”) His internal thoughts focus on a sense of emptiness and detachment from the world.
• Passivity: Komura is largely moved by external forces – his wife leaving, Sasaki asking him to deliver a package. His actions seem more reactive than driven by internal motivation.
• Seeking Connection: The journey to Kushiro suggests a desire to escape his loneliness, and his conversations with Shimao and Keiko hint at a longing for human understanding.

Shimao: Supporting Character

• Grounded and Direct: Shimao’s working-class background and no-nonsense attitude contrast with Komura’s introversion. Her comments are practical and straightforward.
• Unexplained Experiences: Her story about the woman who witnessed a UFO adds a layer of mystery, hinting at hidden depths beneath her surface pragmatism.
• Sympathetic Listener: Shimao offers Komura a non-judgmental space to talk about his wife and his feelings, acting as a temporary source of connection.

Keiko: Supporting Character

• Supportive Presence: Keiko primarily serves as a kind and hospitable figure, providing Komura with food and shelter while he is in Kushiro.
• Connected to Shimao: Their friendship offers a counterpoint to Komura’s solitude, highlighting a potential path towards a less isolated existence.
• Komura’s Wife (Unnamed): Absent but Influential
  • Catalyst for Change: Her sudden departure is the driving force of the plot, pushing Komura into action and highlighting his emotional vulnerability.
  • Mystery: Her lack of explanation and disappearance leave the reader with questions about her motivations and inner thoughts, contributing to the story’s enigmatic atmosphere.

Major Themes in “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

• Loneliness and Isolation:
  • Komura’s wife leaving him without explanation highlights his profound loneliness.
  • His internal monologues dwell on his sense of detachment and emptiness (“like he occupied no place at all”).
  • The remote setting of Kushiro mirrors Komura’s emotional isolation.
• The Search for Connection:
  • Komura’s journey to Kushiro suggests a subconscious desire for human connection.
  • His conversations with Shimao and Keiko reveal a yearning for understanding and a way to break out of his emotional isolation.
  • The friendship between Shimao and Keiko offers a contrast to Komura’s loneliness, hinting at a potential for connection.
• Unexplained Phenomena and the Nature of Reality:
  • Komura’s potential alien encounter (however ambiguous) challenges conventional notions of reality.
  • Shimao’s story about the woman who witnessed a UFO introduces an element of the surreal and inexplicable.
  • The lack of resolution to these events leaves the reader questioning the limits of what we consider “real.”
• The Legacy of Trauma:
  • The Kobe earthquake is subtly present throughout the story, alluded to in news reports and Komura’s wife’s reaction.
  • The earthquake could symbolize the lingering trauma in the characters’ lives, disrupting their sense of stability.
  • Komura’s potential alien abduction is another kind of disruption that leaves him unsettled and questioning

Writing Style in “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

• Blend of the Ordinary and Surreal:
  • Ordinary details: Komura’s job, mundane tasks like buying groceries, his everyday anxieties.
  • Surreal touches: The unexplained package, the UFO conversation, the ambiguous ending.
• Simple yet Poetic Language:
  • Simple: Direct sentence structure, conversational dialogue like “What’s going on here, Komura?”
  • Poetic: Imagery like “…the stars were scattered all over the sky like little pieces of glass.”
• Vivid and Detailed Descriptions:
  • Character: Shimao’s “thick, sturdy fingers” establish her working-class practicality.
  • Setting: The description of Kushiro’s remoteness and the snow-covered landscape reinforces the atmosphere.
• Non-linear Structure:
  • Jumps in Time: Flashbacks to Komura’s wife leaving, interspersed with the present action in Kushiro.
  • Dreamlike Effect: This fragmented structure blurs the lines of reality, mirroring Komura’s unsettled state.
• Philosophical Conversations:
  • Discussions on Loneliness: Komura and Shimao’s exchange about being alone emphasizes the thematic focus.
  • Pondering the Unexplained: The UFO conversation forces both characters and the reader to question the limits of knowledge.
• Symbolism:
  • The UFO: Represents the unknown, disruption, and potential for a different reality.
  • The Snowstorm: Can be read as isolation, a barrier to connection, or potentially a cleansing force.

Literary Theories and Interpretation of “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

Literary Approach	Description	References from “UFO in Kushiro”
Postmodernism	Rejects traditional narratives and questions objective truth. Focuses on individual subjective experience.	* Fragmented narrative jumping between past (wife leaving) and present (Kushiro). * Ambiguous ending, no clear resolution on UFO or wife’s return challenges a single “truth.”
Magical Realism	Blends the ordinary and the fantastic, creating a sense of mystery.	* The potential UFO sighting, the unexplained package – these challenge the boundaries of everyday reality. * The snowstorm could be read as a magical realist element, a force beyond ordinary explanation.
Existentialism	Focuses on loneliness, the search for meaning within an uncertain world.	* Komura’s feelings of emptiness, his statement “like he occupied no place at all.” * His journey to Kushiro could be seen as a search for meaning after his life is disrupted.
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Explores the unconscious, impact of past trauma on present behavior.	* Focus on Komura’s interior thoughts, his lingering trauma after his wife’s departure. * The potential alien abduction could be a surfacing of unconscious fears.
Feminist Theory	Explores gender roles, power dynamics, often how patriarchy impacts women.	* Shimao could be seen as a working-class woman navigating a male-dominated world (note her limited options). * Komura’s fleeting thought of the prostitute as “just some random object” dehumanizes her, something feminist lens would critique.

Questions and Thesis Statements about “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

Topics

• Alienation and Isolation: Murakami’s characters often experience a disconnect from their surroundings and grapple with loneliness.
• The Impact of Trauma: External events can profoundly influence individual lives, even those seemingly unrelated to the event.
• Unanswered Questions and Ambiguity: The power of the unexplained and how it compels humans to search for meaning.
• The Nature of Relationships: Murakami’s portrayal of how connections can be both fragile and resilient.

Questions

• How does Komura’s alienation shape his experience in Kushiro?
• Does “UFO in Kushiro” explore the psychological effects of a collective trauma like the Kobe earthquake?
• How does the motif of the UFO symbolize the search for answers in the face of the unknown?
• In what ways do Komura’s relationships with the women (his wife, Keiko, Shimao) reflect his own internal struggles?

Thesis Statements

• “UFO in Kushiro” demonstrates how a seemingly mundane experience can serve as a catalyst for introspection and personal transformation amidst the lingering effects of widespread trauma.
• Murakami utilizes the unexplained, symbolized by the UFO, to expose the profound yearning for connection and meaning in a world that often feels empty and isolating.
• Haruki Murakami’s “UFO in Kushiro” is not a story about finding answers, but a reflection on the human need to grapple with the unknown and the power of ambiguity to spark self-reflection.
• Murakami, in “UFO in Kushiro,” illustrates the fragility of relationships and how internal disconnection can echo outward, impacting one’s capacity for intimacy.

Short Question-Answer “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

1. What is the significance of the UFO in the story?

The UFO in the story symbolizes the possibility of other worlds beyond our own. It represents the longing for something more in the lives of the characters, especially for Shimao and the narrator. It is also a metaphor for the unknown and the unexplainable, highlighting the mysterious and fantastical elements of the story.

• How does the use of first-person point of view contribute to the story?

The use of first-person point of view allows the reader to experience the story through the narrator’s perspective, providing a sense of intimacy and immediacy. It also creates a sense of uncertainty and ambiguity, as the reader can only know what the narrator knows and sees. This contributes to the overall theme of the unknown and the unexplainable, as the narrator is unable to fully comprehend the events that unfold.

• What is the significance of the theme of loneliness in the story?

The theme of loneliness highlights the isolation and disconnection felt by the characters in the story. This is particularly evident in the experiences of Shimao and the narrator, who both struggle with a sense of longing for something more in their lives. The UFO represents a possibility for connection and belonging, but ultimately remains out of reach. This underscores the theme of the unknown and the unattainable, as the characters are left to grapple with their loneliness and isolation.

• How does Murakami use surrealism in the story?

Murakami employs surrealism to create a sense of the fantastical and otherworldly in the story. This is evident in the appearance of the UFO and the strange occurrences that unfold. Surrealism also allows Murakami to explore themes of the unknown and the unexplainable, as the characters are unable to fully comprehend the events that unfold. The use of surrealism also contributes to the dreamlike quality of the story, adding to its overall sense of ambiguity and uncertainty.

Literary Works Similar to “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

Literary Parallels to “UFO in Kushiro”

• Authors with Thematic and Stylistic Similarities
  • Franz Kafka: His exploration of alienation, existential anxieties, and the absurdity of the human condition mirrors Murakami’s sensibilities. Consider “The Metamorphosis” or “The Trial.”
  • Kobo Abe: Abe delves into themes of identity, the porous boundaries between reality and illusion, and the existential condition – all present in Murakami’s work. Explore “The Woman in the Dunes” or “The Box Man.”
  • Jorge Luis Borges: Borges’s penchant for blending the fantastical with the philosophical, his labyrinthine narratives, and his exploration of metaphysical concepts resonate with Murakami’s style. Consider “The Library of Babel” or “The Aleph.”
• Movements and Genres
  • Existentialism: Works by authors like Albert Camus (“The Stranger”) and Jean-Paul Sartre (“Nausea”) center on themes of individual agency, confronting meaninglessness, and the absurdity of existence, all of which resonate with Murakami.
  • Magical Realism: Authors like Gabriel García Márquez (“One Hundred Years of Solitude”) and Isabel Allende (“The House of the Spirits”) infuse narratives with fantastical elements interwoven with the fabric of everyday reality, a technique Murakami subtly utilizes.
  • Postmodernism: Characterized by metafiction, unreliable narration, fragmentation, and pastiche, it encompasses authors like Thomas Pynchon (“Gravity’s Rainbow”) and Vladimir Nabokov (“Pale Fire”). Murakami exhibits some postmodern tendencies, especially in his later works.

Suggested Readings: “UFO in Kushiro” by Haruki Murakami

1. Scholarly Articles on Murakami’s broader themes:

• Strecher, Matthew Carl. “Magical Realism and the Search for Identity in the Fiction of Murakami Haruki.” Journal of Japanese Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, Society for Japanese Studies, 1999, pp. 263–98.
• Rubin, Jay. Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. Harvill Press, 2002.

2. Works Analyzing Japanese Literature and Culture:

• Orbaugh, Sharalyn. Haruki Murakami and the Second World War: Trauma, Memory and the Temporal Structure of Narrative. Lexington Books, 2014.
• Treat, John Whittier. Contemporary Japanese Writers. Columbia University Press, 1996. (This might have a section on Murakami).