Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche

Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche documents the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system through interviews with survivors, victims' families, and medical professionals. The book emerged from Murakami's return to Japan after the attack to conduct these interviews and investigate the impact on his home country. The narrative presents firsthand accounts of the attack from multiple perspectives, constructing a minute-by-minute chronicle of events. Through direct testimony, it captures the initial confusion, the emergency response, and the lasting effects on those who experienced the tragedy. The second half of the book features interviews with former members of Aum Shinrikyo, the cult responsible for the attack. These conversations explore the mindset of those who joined the organization and their reflections after the events. The work stands as an examination of Japanese society, exploring themes of collective trauma, individual responsibility, and the relationship between religious faith and violence. The interview format allows for a raw exploration of how extreme beliefs can develop within an orderly society.

Readers appreciate Murakami's approach of letting victims tell their stories directly through interviews, bringing humanity to what could have been dry reporting. Many note the book provides cultural context about Japanese society's response to terrorism. Readers highlight: - Detailed first-person accounts that capture the chaos and confusion - Inclusion of both victim and perpetrator perspectives in Part 2 - Clear picture of how the attack impacted average citizens Common criticisms: - Repetitive nature of victim interviews - Lack of broader analysis about Aum Shinrikyo - Second half feels disconnected from first - Some interviews meander without clear purpose Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (24,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (280+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (1,400+ ratings) Several readers noted the book works better as a historical document than a narrative, with one Goodreads reviewer calling it "more archive than literature."

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🗿 Murakami interviewed both victims and members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult for this book, marking his first major work of non-fiction after establishing himself as a renowned fiction writer. 🚇 The sarin attack on the Tokyo subway occurred on March 20, 1995, during the morning rush hour, affecting three different subway lines simultaneously. 📚 The book was originally published in two separate volumes in Japanese: the first focusing on victims' accounts and the second on cult members' perspectives. 🇯🇵 Despite being one of Japan's deadliest acts of domestic terrorism (13 deaths, over 6,000 injured), many victims faced discrimination afterward because Japanese society often views victims of violence as somehow "tainted." 🎤 The interview style Murakami used was deliberately simple and direct, with minimal editing, to allow subjects to tell their stories in their own words—a technique he called "giving a voice to the voiceless."