Sakura Character Analysis in Kafka on the Shore

Sakura is a young woman visiting friends in Takamatsu. Sakura and Kafka meet on a long bus ride to Takamatsu. Sakura, who is a few years older than Kafka, is kind and friendly. Kafka finds her extremely attractive—but because of this and her age, he worries that she could be his older sister, and that his attraction fulfils the Oedipal prophecy. Nonetheless, Sakura and Kafka both believe they were destined to meet. Kafka occasionally meets with Sakura during his time in Takamatsu—but more often he is plagued by sexual dreams about her that fill him with confusion and guilt.

Sakura Quotes in Kafka on the Shore

The Kafka on the Shore quotes below are all either spoken by Sakura or refer to Sakura. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Vintage edition of Kafka on the Shore published in 2006.

“‘Even chance meetings’… how does the rest of that go?”

“‘Are the result of karma.’”

“Right, right,” she says. “But what does it mean?”

“That things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 33

Explanation and Analysis:

“I appreciate it,” I say. “But that’s just a dream too.”

Related Characters: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 466

Explanation and Analysis:

Sakura Character Timeline in Kafka on the Shore

The timeline below shows where the character Sakura appears in Kafka on the Shore. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...arrives in Takamatsu, Kafka introduces himself to the girl next to him, who is named Sakura (a different name, he notes, from that of his older sister). She gives him her... (full context)

The Virtues of Self-Sufficiency Theme Icon

...to calm down and plan his next steps. With effort, he calms down and calls Sakura, then takes a cab to her apartment. (full context)

Kafka and Sakura discuss the blood on his shirt. Kafka worries that he has committed a horrible crime... (full context)

In Sakura’s apartment, Kafka tells Sakura about running away from home and that his mother and sister... (full context)

Before long, Sakura tells Kafka he can get into bed with her, but that they can’t have sex... (full context)

The next morning, Kafka wakes to find that Sakura has gone to work, leaving him alone in the apartment. He cleans the apartment and... (full context)

...his dreams, even if he has no control over them. He also thinks about asking Sakura if he could imagine her naked, and decides again that what he imagines is very... (full context)

...watched and helpless, a feeling he worries he will never outrun. He falls asleep wishing Sakura were his real sister. (full context)

Feeling guilty about his abrupt departure from her apartment, Kafka calls Sakura to let her know he’s ok. She’s a little annoyed, but glad to hear from... (full context)

...Saeki would appear, but again, she does not. Instead, he has a vivid dream about Sakura—a dream so realistic he wonders if it might be reality. In the dream, Kafka slips... (full context)

Kafka’s mind wanders back to Sakura and the night before. Again, he thinks that if he’s already killed his father and... (full context)

At the train station, Kafka calls Sakura to tell her he’s going home. She tells him she had a dream about him,... (full context)