This is the seventh in a series on influential figures in the Heisei Era, which began in 1989 and will end when Emperor Akihito abdicates in April. In Heisei, Japan was roiled by economic excess and stagnation, as well as a struggle for political and social reform. This series explores those who left their imprint along the way.
"It's a beautiful night for moon-viewing, isn't it?" the character Tamaru says to the female assassin Aomame in Haruki Murakami's novel "1Q84" (2009-10) as they flit in and out of dialogues.
Aomame has visions of an alternative reality that causes her to see not one, but two moons, and takes exception to anyone who suggests that there is just one moon in the sky. The fact that nouns are not distinguished into singular and plural in Japanese adds a sense of ambiguity about the number of moons being discussed.