Tires Humming Along (Auditory Imagery)
In Chapter 3, Kafka wakes up on the bus out of Tokyo. Murakami writes: "The bus plows down the highway at a set speed, the tires humming along, never getting any louder or softer." In this example of auditory imagery, Murakami immerses the reader in Kafka's perspective by detailing the consistent humming sound of the bus wheels on the wet road.
Faint Warmth (Haptic Imagery)
When Kafka ventures into the forest while staying in Oshima's cabin, he finds a clearing where the sun shines through the trees. He sits "in the sunlight and let[s] the faint warmth wash over" him. In this example of organic imagery, Murakami describes the feeling of the sun falling over Kafka by describing it as a warm sensation that washes over his skin.
Bathing the Room In A Weird Color (Visual Imagery)
While Miss Saeki and Kafka speak in her office, a lightning storm is brewing outside. Murakami writes: "There's another flash of lightning outside, bathing the room for an instant in a weird color." In this example of visual imagery, Murakami emphasizes the ominous effect of the lightning flash by describing how its sudden light momentarily changes the color inside the room.
Strong Grassy Odor (Olfactory Imagery)
When Hoshino follows Colonel Sanders over a low hedge and into the woods to find the entrance stone, Hoshino finds himself under a tangle of ancient tree branches where "a strong grassy odor [comes] from the ground below." In this example of olfactory imagery, Murakami enhances the realism of the fictional world he creates by describing the scent of the forest Hoshino enters.
