Sawaki Koutaro

Sawaki Koutaro is a writer of non-fiction. He is always looking for new possibilities for non-fiction works.

He graduated from the Department of Economics at Yokohama National University. He started as a reporter where his own sense and original style attracted the attention of many people.

After he published "Wakaki Jitsuryokusha-tachi" (The Younger Able People), "Yaburezaru-monotachi" (The Unbeatable People) and so on, he got the Ooyake Souichi Non-fiction Prize for "Teroru no kessan" in 1979 and The Asada Jiro Literacy Prize for "Isshunn no natsu" (Sudden Summer) in 1982.

When he was twenty-six years old, he decided to travel from Delhi in India to London in England by public bus (not coach). Before Delhi, his air ticket allowed him to stop at two cities. Therefore, he stopped in Hong Kong where he rode overload by bus and train towards his destination. He wrote about this trip in "Shinya tokkyu" (Midnight Express). This story was filmed in 1998 and the famous actor Osawa Takao played the role of Sawaki.

He does not write about things except what he has seen by himself. His methodology thoroughly makes his writing full of interesting facts.

References: Koudansha "Shinya Tokkyu"

Reported by: Kinoshita Tomoko
Data verified by: Kaminishi Mihoko
Date of Report: December 1999
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