Peter Cat

Autumn is cabbage roll season, and this one has a special history: stuffed cabbage rolls were on the menu at Haruki Murakami's own jazz bar, Peter Cat. In this Murakami Kitchen episode we make our version, with meaty, juicy rolls in a hearty broth garnished with fresh perilla. Hello, Harukists! This recipe needs some hand work, such as kneading, stuffing and rolling, but it is not difficult. If you enjoy time in the kitchen, it is for you, and if you just appreciate a good dish, it is also for you. Why autumn, and why Peter Cat Autumn sits close to my heart. I love the coloured leaves, the fall sweaters and the crisp air that brings new energy to an established routine, though shorter days make me look for seasonal cheer. So when I learned that Peter Cat used to serve hot cabbage rolls, I was elated. I will have my pumpkin latte and my steaming plate, please. For anyone new to the story: Murakami opened Peter Cat in 1974 in Tokyo, later moving it to Sendagaya, and ran it u...

As featured in: Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami Fall and Winter are the Seasons for Pancakes! Hello Harukists! Who’s ready for pancakes? It feels as if it were February just yesterday and we’ve already found ourselves in October! My husband and I are snuggled on the sofa these days, getting inspired for some Murakami-style cooking . It would be safe to say that fall is one of our favourite seasons. It is when we find excitement in homemade baking and take a step back from cold refreshers and salad bowls. For me, fall is winter’s way of opening the door a creak for Christmas baking– one of my favourite activities. But, you don’t need to whip-up an entire bowl of carrot-cake batter to enjoy fresh made goodness. We’ve got a pancake recipe to share that’s sure to satisfy your sweet-tooth! This recipe aims to do two things: bring to life the Rat’s pancake ensemble and fulfill your regular pancake craving. It takes the compelling pancake & Coca-Cola coupling and ad...

Spaghetti is probably the most famous dish in Haruki Murakami's fiction. In this Murakami Kitchen recipe, we make a rich, slow-simmered spaghetti sauce inspired by the pasta that shows up throughout his books. Spaghetti in Murakami's world Pasta is everywhere in Murakami's writing. It appears in Norwegian Wood , and it is how The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle begins, with the narrator boiling spaghetti when a mysterious phone call interrupts him. There is even a short story named after it, The Year of Spaghetti , about a period when the narrator ate little else, cooked alone. Our sauce is a complemented variation on the dish. Murakami's works are not cookbooks, and they were written long before anyone could google a recipe. It is easy to make a dish exactly as it appears in the book, but we want recipes that turn out delicious. In the end, the fun is putting together a new dish inspired by a Murakami novel. Ingredients Garlic (whole heads, ends trimmed), plus fresh...

Every long-running show has a first night, and the Murakami Radio first episode is a charming one. In 2018, Haruki Murakami took to the airwaves as a DJ for the first time, bringing records and CDs from home and chatting for 55 minutes about the music he runs to. This post summarizes the broadcast, lists the songs, and shares the best moments. Context: a novelist behind the microphone Murakami opens by saying many listeners are hearing his voice for the very first time. His plan is simple: play favourite songs, talk a little, and answer questions. Being a former jazz bar owner, he is perfectly at home with records, and the theme of the night is "Music Murakami listens to while running". If you want to know how he ended up writing, our post on his move from jazz bar owner to author tells that story. What makes good running music? Murakami explains how running became part of his life: after closing the jazz club he gained weight, quit smoking and started jogging. Runn...

Imagine Haruki Murakami alone in his study, microphone in front of him, a mug of hot coffee and some donuts on the desk, sliding old records into a player. That is the setting of the Murakami Radio Oldies But Goodies episode, one of the warmest in the stay-home series from 2020. Here is our summary of the show, the memories behind it, and the songs that carried him back to his early teens. Already have the playlist and want only the songs? Our separate Oldies But Goodies tracklist has you covered. This post is about the stories. A show recorded from home Since the previous episode, Murakami explains, he had stopped using the usual Tokyo FM studio and was running the Stay Home Special from his own study, talking to himself and loading records and CDs. He jokes that it feels like making homemade taiyaki. (If you missed that special, see our Stay At Home Corona Special write-up.) For this episode he narrows "oldies" to the early and mid-1960s, the music of his early...

What happens when one of the world's most celebrated novelists is asked to play agony uncle? In this episode, Murakami Radio turns into a late-night advice column, and the result is funny, a little contradictory, and oddly wise. If you have ever wondered what Haruki Murakami's love advice actually sounds like, this recap of the "Peculiar Love Advice" episode is for you. We have summarized the whole show in our own words below, along with the records he spun between questions. (For the exact wording, listen to the broadcast itself.) The setting: an analog night with Miyu Sakamoto Murakami opens by saying he is not the right person to give love advice, then promises to answer anyway. He is joined by co-host Miyu Sakamoto, who reads out listener letters. The tone is relaxed from the start, helped by the fact that this is an "analog night": he has carried an armful of records from home to the studio, scratches and all. He treats the crackle as part of t...

What if you heard the early Beatles hits sung in French, played on vibraphone, or turned into a jazz ballad? That is the idea behind the Murakami Radio Beatles episode , "The Beatle Night". Instead of the originals, Haruki Murakami plays covers of songs from the band's early years, and tells a few stories along the way. Context: why early Beatles? Murakami explains that the Beatles have so many hits that he had to narrow the scope. Songs released before the album Rubber Soul are the focus. He acknowledges that the later work is usually more highly rated, with deeper lyrics and more sophisticated harmony. But he argues the early music had a natural, instantly appealing quality that left a strong mark on popular music. He plays most covers in the order the originals came out. Highlights from the show French "Please Please Me". He opens with Petula Clark's French version, "Tu perds ton temps" ("you're wasting your time"), and ...