Documentary explores supernatural encounters in tsunami-hit Japanese city
Katharine Round's film captures taxi drivers' accounts of phantom passengers and spectral sightings in Kamaishi after the 2011 disaster.
At a glance
- Taxi drivers in Kamaishi report picking up phantom passengers who later disappeared
- Some residents describe visions of spectres and supernatural occurrences following the 2011 tsunami
- The film explores how the disaster has affected residents' understanding of grief, loss and the supernatural
- Accounts vary, with some passengers sceptical of paranormal explanations
Ghost Town, a documentary by Katharine Round, follows taxi drivers and passengers in Kamaishi, a Japanese coastal city devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Through nocturnal journeys, conversations between drivers and fares explore the disaster's lasting impact, with some recounting encounters with phantom passengers who vanished from vehicles and visions of spectres.
The film blends accounts of supernatural experiences with reflections on grief and loss. While some drivers report picking up mysterious fares and witnessing ghostly figures, others question whether such phenomena are real or products of the subconscious. The documentary examines how the disaster has shaped residents' perceptions of the boundary between the living and the dead.
Why it matters
The documentary examines how major disasters can shape communities' collective memory and psychological responses, using supernatural narratives as a lens to explore unresolved grief.
Original reporting
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