Yoru no kumozaru

1995's Yoru no Kumozaru (The Night of the Spider Monkey) is part of an ongoing collaboration between writer Murakami Haruki and graphic artist Mizumaru Anzai, which began back in 1987 with Murakami Asahido (Murakami's House of the Rising Sun), and continues today with the 2006 release of the verbosely-titled 'Kore dake wa, Murakami-san ni itteokou' to seken no hitobito ga Murakami Haruki ni toriaezu buttsukeru 330 no shitumon ni hatashite Murakami-san wa chanto kotaerareru no ka? ('Let's Mention this to Mr. Murakami,' and, Will Mr. Murakami Really be Able to Properly Answer 330 Questions Presented to Him Without Interruption by the World's People?).

A collection of Choutanpenshousetsu (ultra-short stories, or 'flash fiction'), these stories were originally part of an advertising campaign commissioned by a Japanese stationery company. The stories, with Mizumaru's accompanying illustrations, appeared as full-page spreads in magazines and as poster adverts on commuter trains. Their short length (1-2 pages, on average) enabled commuters throughout Japan to briefly enter Murakami's fantastic, dream-like world, even if for just a short time, before returning to the bland reality of daily life.