Murakami Haruki has had a good week:

Last week it was announced that Murakami and conductor Ozawa Seiji won the Kobayashi Hideo Award for their collection of interviews 小澤征爾さんと、音楽について話をする (“I Talk About Music with Ozawa Seiji”). Formally the Shincho Liberal Arts Award, the Kobayashi Hideo Award, named in honor of the literary critic, honors the best in Japanese writing, excluding fiction and poetry (because seriously, aren’t there enough already?).

Murakami also won the Japan Foundation Award, which is awarded to an “individual or organization for significant contributions to the enhancement of mutual understanding between Japan and other countries through activities in an academic or cultural field.” I’m almost surprised he hasn’t won this award already. But looking at their list of winners, it’s almost like they avoid awarding it to the most obvious candidates because, well, they’re so obvious (and really, does Murakami need the attention versus the tiny national organizations and their tinier working budgets?). What else could explain Miyao Hayazaki not winning the award until 2005?