His first job was at a record store, which is where one of his main characters, Toru Watanabe in Norwegian Wood, works. Sh Haruki Murakami (Japanese: 村上 春樹) is a popular contemporary Japanese writer and translator. His work has been described as 'easily accessible, yet profoundly complex'. He can be located on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/harukimuraka...Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature.