Kafka by the Shore I am late to Murakami, and after reading Haruki Murakami’s Kafka by the Shore a spark of inquisition was generated. Murakami makes it impossible to ignore the cultural implications in his writing, so I looked for connections and wondered what fueled Murakami and his writing. What I found was remarkable. Understanding some of the nuances of Japanese culture helped me understand Murakami, his characters, and Japanese culture. Japanese culture is a deep and vast cavern of riches steeped in history, and its modern history is just as rich and intriguing. Today many Japanese people often go missing by choice. They leave behind all valuables and anything…