Let's make this birthday one to remember.

76 years old (Born on January 12, 1949)

Happy Birthday, Haruki Murakami! May your day be filled with jazz records spinning endlessly and cats mysteriously appearing in unexpected places. Your novels have transported us into surreal worlds where talking sheep make sense, spaghetti is a profound metaphor for life’s complexities, and running marathons becomes an existential journey.

Congratulations on continuing to captivate readers worldwide—your recent works remind us that reality can always use more whimsy (and perhaps fewer wells). Here's hoping this year brings you plenty of inspiration—and maybe even another literary masterpiece or two. Keep writing; the world needs its daily dose of delightful weirdness!