Haruki Murakami as Cultural Mediator - After Dark

This paper approaches the pop culture references (brands, celebrities, and media) found in Haruki Murakami’s 2004 novel After Dark (Afutā dāku). The aim of the research undertaken is to illustrate Murakami’s capacity to cater to international audiences with minimal knowledge of Japanese culture and media by utilizing widely known references to non-Japanese elements and to argue that this is also not alienating the Japanese audience. The terms pertaining to these categories are extracted from the text and sorted into terms referencing Japanese and non-Japanese brands, celebrities, and media, followed by a short analysis of paratextual elements (titles and covers).