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Midori Kobayashi
Naoko’s roommate at the Ami Hostel who becomes both her and Toru’s close friend. A woman in her late thirties whose lifelong battle with depression has caused her to “snap” and lose her mind several times, Reiko has a kind, frank, congenial demeanor but is hiding a dark, traumatic past. In spite of her own fears about living in the world and participating in life—fears that mirror Toru’s and Naoko’s but run much deeper—Reiko is happy and at peace with herself and determined to share her gift of music with those she loves. An accomplished guitarist and former piano prodigy, Reiko eventually reveals to Toru that a sordid incident from her past, in which one of her young piano pupils seduced her, then claimed Reiko raped her, has torn Reiko from her life and made her too ashamed to rejoin society. By the end of the novel, however, after Naoko’s suicide—and with the support of Toru’s friendship—Reiko decides to live in the “real world” and take a job in the far north of Japan in a town called Asahikawa. Reiko travels to Tokyo to stay the night with Toru, and she tells him that Naoko left her all of her clothes. The two of them mourn Naoko by playing her favorite Beatles songs all night, and then have sex. The next day, Reiko leaves for Asahikawa, and Toru bids her a tearful goodbye, promising to visit her soon. Asahikawa is a spiritual place in Japan, often viewed as the door between the world of the dead and the world of the living—a more avant-garde interpretation of the novel suggests either that Reiko, too, is planning to kill herself and journey to the realm of the dead along with Naoko and Kizuki. Or, it could be that Naoko, in bestowing her “clothes” upon Reiko, somehow possessed Reiko’s body after her death and has finally achieved her desire to enjoy sex with Toru once again before departing at last to the spirit world. Jovial, talented, and often lewdly or provocatively funny, Reiko represents an externalization of Toru’s fears about participating in life to the fullest and making himself vulnerable to others in spite of what the costs may be down the line.
Reiko Ishida Quotes in Norwegian Wood
The Norwegian Wood quotes below are all either spoken by Reiko Ishida or refer to Reiko Ishida. 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:
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Chapter 6 Quotes
“You’re one of us while you’re in here, so I help you and you help me.” Reiko smiled, gently flexing every wrinkle on her face. “You help Naoko and Naoko helps you.”
“What should I do, then? Give me a concrete example.”
“First you decide that you want to help and that you need to be helped by the other person. Then you decide to be totally honest. You will not lie, you will not gloss over anything, you will not cover up anything that might prove embarrassing for you. That’s all there is to it.”
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“That song can make me feel so sad,” said Naoko. “I don’t know, I guess I imagine myself wandering in a deep wood. I’m all alone and it’s cold and dark, and nobody comes to save me. That’s why Reiko never plays it unless I request it.”
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Chapter 11 Quotes
Gripping the receiver, I raised my head and turned to see what lay beyond the telephone booth. Where was I now? I had no idea. No idea at all. Where was this place? All that flashed into my eyes were the countless shapes of people walking by to nowhere. Again and again, I called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place.
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Reiko Ishida Character Timeline in Norwegian Wood
The timeline below shows where the character Reiko Ishida appears in Norwegian Wood. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...grown and harvested on the Ami Hostel’s property, the woman tells Toru to call her Reiko. He asks if she is Naoko’s doctor, and Reiko explains that though the others call...
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The place is not, Reiko says, as much about treatment as it is about convalescence. There are doctors on staff...
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Toru stops Reiko and asks her why she’s been at the hostel for so long, since it seems...
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Toru asks how Naoko is doing, and Reiko says she’s “headed in the right direction” but laments that Naoko didn’t get help for...
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Inside Reiko and Naoko’s apartment, Reiko shows Toru to a sofa bed in the living room and...
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Around five thirty, Naoko and Reiko return to the apartment. Toru greets Naoko as if he’s meeting her again for the...
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After dinner, Toru showers in the apartment while Reiko and Naoko visit the communal bath. He sits in the dark waiting for them to...
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As Reiko continues playing, Naoko and Toru talk about their lives. Naoko asks a lot of questions...
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Half an hour later, Toru returns to the apartment to find Reiko playing guitar on the floor—there is no sign of Naoko. Reiko tells Toru that Naoko...
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Reiko warns Toru that if he truly wants to be with Naoko, he may have to...
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Reiko says she understands Toru’s dilemma—she was once a 20-year-old herself. Reiko begins reminiscing about her...
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After several stints in and out of mental hospitals, Reiko began taking on students at home. Soon, one of her pupils, a man just a...
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When Reiko was 31, her daughter had just entered kindergarten, and Reiko decided to start playing again....
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Toru asks Reiko to go on with her story, but Reiko suggests they check on Naoko. Reiko promises...
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After their intense discussion, Reiko makes Toru and Naoko some cocoa, and then all three of them get ready for...
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In the morning, Reiko steps out of the room while Naoko makes breakfast. Naoko asks Toru how he slept,...
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After lunch, Toru, Reiko, and Naoko check out with the guard at the front gate and head out on...
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After a while, Reiko suggests Toru and Naoko go for a walk. Though they aren’t supposed to be alone...
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Back at the apartment that evening, Toru and Naoko play cards while Reiko serenades them on the guitar. After a while, Reiko asks Toru if he’ll take a...
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Reiko explains that she was giving her new pupil lessons every Saturday morning. Reiko was a...
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One afternoon, in the middle of her lesson, Reiko’s pupil said she felt sick and began sweating. Reiko brought the girl into her bedroom...
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Reiko describes how her pupil touched her, inserted her fingers into Reiko’s vagina, and even performed...
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The following Saturday, Reiko’s pupil did not show up for her lesson. After several weeks went by, Reiko was...
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Reiko told her husband her version of events and was relieved to find that he believed...
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Reiko stubs out her cigarette and tells Toru that her terrible past is the reason she’s...
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Back at the apartment later that night, after Naoko and Reiko have gone to bed, Toru is surprised when Naoko enters the living room and crawls...
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In the morning, after breakfast and chores, Toru packs up his things. He walks with Reiko and Naoko to the front gate of the property, where they bid him goodbye and...
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Chapter 9
...birthday, Toru receives a package from Naoko containing a maroon crewneck sweater. Both Naoko and Reiko have enclosed letters in the package explaining that they worked on the sweater together and...
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Chapter 10
At the winter break, Toru goes to Kyoto to visit Naoko and Reiko at the Ami Hostel. The mountains are beautiful and blanketed in snow, and the three...
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One afternoon, Reiko leaves the apartment to do some chores. As soon as Naoko and Toru are alone,...
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In April, Toru gets a letter from Reiko. The letter explains that Naoko has had trouble writing, and so Reiko has offered to...
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Reiko’s letter sends Toru into a deep depression which lasts for several days. He can’t understand...
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In the middle of May, Toru gets a letter from Reiko. Reiko reports that Naoko’s mother came from Kobe earlier in the week for a meeting...
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Throughout the month, Toru continues writing letters to Reiko, Naoko, and Midori. He begins to feel as if writing letters is the only thing...
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...be with her but doesn’t know how to abandon Naoko. He decides to write to Reiko for advice. In his letter, he tells her about the recent developments in his relationship...
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Several days later, Reiko writes back and says that Naoko has improved greatly in her new facility—the two of...
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Chapter 11
In August, Naoko dies. Reiko writes to Toru several times, expressing her grief and urging him not to blame himself....
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On his fourth day back in Tokyo, Toru receives a letter from Reiko—she says she hasn’t been able to get in touch with him and is concerned for...
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Two days later, Toru arrives at Tokyo Station to meet Reiko and spots her in the crowd almost immediately. He’s comforted by her familiar, wrinkly smile,...
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Toru asks Reiko what she’s planning on doing, and she tells him she’s going to Asahikawa, a town...
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...the walk from the station to Toru’s cottage, he feels a familiar sensation walking beside Reiko. After several blocks, he realizes that walking with her feels just like walking the streets...
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Toru and Reiko arrive at his cottage, and Reiko goes to visit Toru’s landlord to bring him a...
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Reiko asks if Toru wants to hear about the end of Naoko’s life, and Toru asks...
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Reiko helped Naoko sort through and pack up her things and found it odd when Naoko...
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In the morning, Reiko says, she woke to find that Naoko was gone and had taken a flashlight with...
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Reiko requests a special dish, sukiyaki, for dinner, and goes with Toru to the store to...
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After dinner, Reiko asks Toru about Midori. Toru tells her that he loves Midori but can’t stop feeling...
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After a visit to the public baths, Reiko and Toru return home and decide to have their own little funeral for Naoko. Out...
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Toru and Reiko head inside and begin making love. Toru feels that sleeping with Reiko is “the most...
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The next day, Toru walks Reiko to Ueno Station so that she can take a long train ride to Asahikawa. He...
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After saying goodbye to Reiko, Toru calls Midori from a pay phone. He tells her he needs to talk to...
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