Tomoka Shibasaki was born in Osaka in 1973 and started writing while still in high school. Her first book, Kyō no dekigoto (A Day on the Planet), became a hit movie, catapulting her to fame. For his novel Sono machi no ima wa (Today, in that city) he received the Ministry of Culture award for best novel writer, the Sakunosuke Oda award and the Sakuyakonohana award. Years later, in 2014, with Haru no niwa (The Spring Garden) he won the coveted Akutagawa Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Japan. Others of his books are Nete mo samete mo (Night and day), Furu taimu raifu (Full-time life), Birijian (Viridian), and the collection of Dorīmāzu stories (Dreamers). Shibasaki is admired for her unique ability to capture situations with crisp, evocative photographic precision.