“Hanalei Bay” is a short story by Murakami Haruki. It was published together with four other short stories in a 2005 book titled Tokyo’s mysterious collections. The story is about Sachi, a middle-aged woman whose son died from cardiac arrest after being attacked by a shark while he was surfing in Hanalei Bay. Unlike the other stories, the setting of this one is Tokyo and Hanalei Bay, with the latter being the scene where all the momentous coincidences took place. This presentation will focus on the interpretation of the meaning of Nature, symbolized by Hanalei Bay, that contrasts with the image of the capital city, Tokyo. At the beginning of the story, Hanalei Bay was described as a harsh and deadly place. After ten years of annual trips to commemorate her son's passing, Sachi was finally released from grief. It all began with her picking up two young Japanese hitchhikers who were the same age as her son. In this story, it is evident that emphasis is on the dichotomy of nature, which, on the one hand, was cruel and violent, and a place for relief and release on the other. Here, in Hanalei Bay, Sachi could regain what she had lost in her life: her motherhood, and, most importantly, her ‘real self’. The mystery of this story is not the sighting of a one-legged Japanese surfer, but rather the chance meeting with these two young men.

Authors:
Piyanuch Wiriyaenawat, Thammasat University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Dr.Piyanuch Wiriyaenawat is now an Assistant Professor of Japanese section, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Thailand. Recently, Dr.Piyanuch's researches also focus on Japanese Contemporary Literature, gender, and also LGBTQ issues.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyanuch-wiriyaenawat-a8304b260

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