Acclaimed Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is set to host a radio special next week in a bid to alleviate the nation’s struggles amidst the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In a two-hour show which will air nationwide on May 22, the author of books like Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle will answer listener questions and play some of his favourite songs. “I’m hoping that the power of music can do a little to blow away some of the corona-related blues that have been piling up,” Murakami wrote.

According to The Guardian, Murakami has sporadically hosted a prerecorded one-hour show on Tokyo FM – his music includes jazz and pop music like the Beach Boys, Joey Ramone and Hall and Oates.

“It has been my hobby to collect records and CDs since my childhood, and thanks to that, my house is inundated with such things. However, I have often felt a sense of guilt toward the world while listening to such amazing music and having a good time alone,” Murakami wrote before his first broadcast in 2018, according to the news outlet. “I thought it may be good to share such good times with other people while chatting over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.”