“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”

A sequel to the Rat Trilogy, Dance Dance Dance was, in fact, a response to the unexpected fame that Norwegian Wood had brought to Murakami. There are references to trends and capitalism and consumerism and the vacuous concept of celebrity status and also the usual Murakami themes of alienation and the sudden discovery of a human connection. Also, there are references of mortality and the downsides of the "celebrity" image.

Dance Dance Dance has our anonymous narrator, suffering from existential dread, going back to some of the thematic venues of A Wild Sheep Chase in search of a past connection. He receives cryptic instructions from the enigmatic Sheep Man and goes on to strike up a friendship with a teenager who suffers similar emotions of alienation. He makes acquaintances of a number of celebrities, some quite eccentric, and comes across some unusual metaphorical visions (or are they portals to other worlds?) during his adventures. There are many recurring lines and metaphors, almost repetitive, but in a good way.