Chapter summaries The City and Its Uncertain Walls Haruki Murakami

Chapter 35: The Subterranean Office and the Handless Watch

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

At the start of December, the first real cold front arrives with snow flurries. The protagonist decides to move his head librarian’s office to a square subterranean room that contains a woodstove. He informs Mrs. Soeda, who responds with a brief, weighty silence before agreeing without questions. The protagonist arranges for the chimney to be cleaned and, after two days, begins using the room. He brings firewood from a garden shed, lights the stove, and makes tea. While sipping tea, he closes his eyes and vividly recalls the walled town—especially the girl brewing bitter herbal tea for him. He forces himself to focus on library work, selecting books to purchase for the month. Three days after moving in, Mr. Koyasu visits the new office. He is dressed in his usual style (wine-red skirt, tights, beret, scarf) and warms his hands by the stove. They discuss library operations. During their conversation, the protagonist notices that Mr. Koyasu’s antique wristwatch has no hands—only a dial with numbers. He is startled by the similarity to the handless clock tower in the walled town. Mr. Koyasu seems about to say something important, but a log crumbling in the stove startles him, and the words are lost. He soon leaves. Later, the protagonist asks Mrs. Soeda if she saw Mr. Koyasu leave; she replies flatly that she did not see him. The protagonist returns to his office, disconcerted by the mystery.

Key Events

  • The protagonist moves his office to the square subterranean room that contains a woodstove.
  • Mrs. Soeda reacts with an unusually heavy silence but eventually agrees to the move.
  • The protagonist lights the stove, makes tea, and becomes absorbed in memories of the walled town.
  • He creates a book purchase list, fighting the urge to dwell on the other world.
  • Mr. Koyasu visits three days later, dressed in his characteristic skirt, beret, and scarf.
  • The protagonist notices Mr. Koyasu’s wristwatch has no hands, mirroring the handless clock tower in the walled town.
  • A crumbling log in the stove interrupts Mr. Koyasu just as he is about to speak important words.
  • Mr. Koyasu leaves; Mrs. Soeda claims she never saw him.

Character Development

  • The Protagonist: His longing for the walled town intensifies. The stove’s warmth and the applewood fragrance pull him into illusion, and he must consciously resist. His curiosity about Mr. Koyasu grows, as does his unease about the boundaries between worlds.
  • Mr. Koyasu: Remains enigmatic and offbeat (skirt in winter, thin tennis shoes). His watch without hands suggests a connection to the timeless walled town. He appears knowledgeable and affectionate toward the library, yet harbors secrets he nearly reveals.
  • Mrs. Soeda: Her terse, evasive responses hint that she knows more than she says. She deliberately avoids discussing the new office and denies having seen Mr. Koyasu, creating a subtle tension.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Fire and the Stove: The woodstove becomes a portal to memory and the other world. Its warmth and the applewood’s scent evoke the walled town’s apple grove and the girl’s cooking. The fire both comforts and endangers, destroying words and interrupting revelations.
  • Handless Watch / Timelessness: Mr. Koyasu’s watch without hands mirrors the walled town’s clock tower. It symbolizes a reality where time flows differently or stands still, blurring the line between the two worlds.
  • Silence and What Is Unsaid: Mrs. Soeda’s heavy silence, Mr. Koyasu’s lost words, and the library’s quiet zone all emphasize the power of withheld information. The log’s deliberate‑seeming crack disrupts a potential confession.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery surrounding Mr. Koyasu and the connection between the protagonist’s reality and the walled town. The handless watch provides a concrete, physical clue that the two worlds may be merging or that Mr. Koyasu himself is a bridge between them. The protagonist’s struggle to resist the pull of the other world highlights his growing sense of dislocation. Mrs. Soeda’s denial about seeing Mr. Koyasu suggests that her loyalty or knowledge extends beyond the surface. The chapter ends on a note of unresolved tension, propelling the reader forward.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does the protagonist decide to move his office to the subterranean room, and what does that decision reveal about his state of mind?
    He is drawn to the room’s stove and its silence, which allow him to feel closer to the walled town. This shows his increasing desire to reconnect with that lost world, even as he tries to fulfill his library duties.

  2. What is the significance of Mr. Koyasu’s watch having no hands, and how does it relate to the walled town?
    The watch mirrors the handless clock tower in the walled town, suggesting that Mr. Koyasu may exist outside normal time or that he is a messenger from that world. It blurs the boundary between the protagonist’s current reality and his memories.

  3. Why does Mrs. Soeda claim she did not see Mr. Koyasu, even though the protagonist just spoke with him?
    Her denial could indicate that Mr. Koyasu’s visit was not part of ordinary reality—perhaps only the protagonist could perceive him. It also raises the possibility that Mrs. Soeda is deliberately hiding something, adding to the atmosphere of uncertainty.

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