The narrator introduces himself as Ryousuke Akiyama, a thirty-year-old man who works at a public company in Japan. He has just returned from a trip to India, where he spent the night at a friend's house. The narrator tells the other diners that he is from a small town in the country of Kanagawa, and that he prefers bread over rice. He also tells them that he has recently been listening to jazz, classical music, and other kinds of music.