My father belongs to the generation that fought the war in the 1940s. When I was a kid my father told me stories - not so many, but it meant a lot to me. I wanted to know what happened then, to my...
When I start to write, I don't have any plan at all. I just wait for the story to come.
Whenever I write a novel, music just sort of naturally slips in (much like cats do, I suppose).
My priority is my books, at least at this point. What I have to do is write the narrative of this time.
In Japan they prefer the realistic style. They like answers and conclusions, but my stories have none. I want to leave them wide open to every possibility. I think my readers understand that openness.
Every writer has his writing technique - what he can and can't do to describe something like war or history. I'm not good at writing about those things, but I try because I feel it is necessary to...
I am worrying about my country. I feel I have a responsibility as a novelist to do something.
I began running on an everyday basis after I became a writer. As being a writer requires sitting at a desk for hours a day, without getting some exercise you'd quickly get out of shape and gain...
If you want to talk about something new, you have to make up a new kind of language.
When I write about a 15-year old, I jump, I return to the days when I was that age. It's like a time machine. I can remember everything. I can feel the wind. I can smell the air. Very actually. Very...