Sayaka Murata is a celebrated Japanese novelist known for her quietly subversive worlds and razor-sharp insight into what it means to exist outside of convention.
I had the honour of photographing her for VOGUE Korea’s “J ISSUE”, a feature marking the 60th anniversary of Korea–Japan diplomatic ties.
The portrait and interview appear in the September 2025 issue of VOGUE Korea.
Murata’s presence was as intriguing as her prose — calm, soft-spoken, yet utterly compelling. Even the smallest gestures seemed to carry the atmosphere of her writing. She was, truly, unforgettable.
Her quietly radical world is best glimpsed through her writing —
notably in Convenience Store Woman, a subtle rebellion against societal norms;
Earthlings, a darker, unflinching look at survival and otherness;
and Life Ceremony, a collection of speculative stories that challenge our ideas of love, death, and the body.
Words by Gayoung Ryu
Photography by Hyojin Jeong
Contributed by Ina Kong
Hair & Makeup by Miyazaki Keiko