WB073: Haruki Murakami's "Birthday Girl"

Birthday Girl (2022) is a short story written by Japanese author Haruki Murakami (Japanese: 村上春樹).

Murakami is a celebrated author whose legion of fans are referred to as "Harukists". I had previously read two of his English-translated books - Norwegian Wood (1987) and Kafka on the Shore (2002).

I borrowed the Japanese version of Birthday Girl from my local library to improve my language proficiency. I also hoped to finish a Murakami title written in Japanese for the first time.

If I were to describe Murakami's books, I'd say they are the books you'd read on a cold, rainy Saturday morning when you are either snuggled up in bed or seated in a reading chair with a hot cup of tea.

I find his books - the English-translated ones - easy and alluring reads. Murakami's style is to finish with an inconclusive ending that intentionally leaves a lot to be desired and debated.

Anyway, Birthday Girl is about a Japanese girl who has just turned 20 years old, an age in Japan called hatachi (Japanese: 二十歳) where one is recognised as an adult. At this age, you are legally allowed to drink and smoke. And prior to 2022, this was also the legal voting age, which has since been lowered to 18.

Every year, the second Monday of January is a public holiday called seijin no hi (Japanese: 成人の日). On this day, the calendar year's 20-year olds celebrate becoming an adult at an event called seijinshiki (Japanese: 成人式).

Girls and boys wear formal traditional Japanese outfits and gather in a big space like an auditorium or a shrine to celebrate together. I guess it is also an emotional moment for parents, who are theoretically "released" from their parental obligations.

The significance of this age probably explains why the main character in Birthday Girl is a part-time waitress who has just turned 20 years old.

We learn that she has just broken up with her boyfriend and works in an Italian restaurant in the upmarket Roppongi (Japanese: 六本木) neighbourhood in Tokyo. From the restaurant's location, and a brief description of its clientele, one can deduce that the eatery is a fancy one.

At the beginning of the story, very little is revealed about the restaurant's owner, except that he lives on the sixth floor of the same building (as the restaurant) and gets his dinner delivered to him at 800PM daily by the restaurant manager.

One day, the waitress gets called in to deliver the owner's dinner as the restaurant manager unexpectedly falls ill.

This is the waitress' first time meeting the mysterious owner, who we then learn has the ability to make wishes come true. This sets the stage for a deep back and forth conversation between the owner and girl on her desired wish.

The ending, which I won't spoilt for you, is quite thought-provoking. As a reader, I can't help but ask myself what I would wish for if I were in her shoes. Money? Love? Good grades?

Come to think of it, the old man's ask is quite a simple yet weighty one.

With your whole life ahead of you at age 20, the outcome of such a wish will have profound implications on the rest of your life. Yet at that age you probably lack the life experience and emotional maturity to make an informed decision.

With that in mind, would such an offer be a blessing or a curse in disguise?

--Ends