When Kafka wakes up in the middle of a blackout, where has he sleepwalked to?

• A. A religious shrine
• B. The gym
• C. A cafe
• D. The river

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how a blackout can drive Kafka’s sleepwalking to a sacred, symbol-rich setting, revealing his inner pursuit and vulnerability. In Murakami’s world, such moments merge waking life with memory and desire, and a religious shrine during a blackout serves as a quiet, charged space where Kafka confronts himself and his choices. This shrine scene functions as a portal to meaning and memory, giving the moment emotional and thematic weight beyond a mundane location. The other settings wouldn’t carry the same symbolic pull: a gym emphasizes physicality, a cafe anchors him in ordinary social life, and the river, while meaningful in other parts of the story, isn’t the locale for this particular sleepwalking moment.