The mystery of hallucinations 'ghost passengers' in Japan

Some taxi drivers said they had met ghost passengers in Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, which was devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

According to Asahi Shimbun, Yuka Kudo, a senior in sociology from Tohoku Gakuin University, interviewed over 100 drivers in Ishinomaki City for graduation thesis on unusual manifestations after the disaster occurred at here in March 2011.

Taxi waiting for guests in Japan.(Photo: Reuters).

While many drivers ignore or get angry with Kudo, seven drivers say they see "ghost passengers" after the earthquake and tsunami disaster. A 50-year-old driver tells the story of a woman on his taxi near Ishinomaki station. She told him to take him to Minamihama district. "That place is almost empty. Are you alright?" , the driver asked. "Am I dead?" , the female passenger replied with a trembling voice. The driver turned to look and saw there was no one behind.

Another driver at the age of 40, said he met a young man in his 20s, got in the car and pointed forward. When the driver asked back to the destination, he answered "Mount Hiyoriyama" . However, when the car arrived, the young man disappeared.

All 7 drivers turn on the meter when meeting "ghost passengers" . A driver told Kudo that in his minutes a note was paid.

The 9-magnitude earthquake with massive tsunamis devastated many provinces in Japan and killed more than 18,000 people.

The phenomenon of encountering ghost passengers may be an illusion. Psychiatrists think that "mournful illusion" is the reaction of losing loved ones . According to a 2007 study published by Agneta Grimby, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, a survey of 14 men and 36 women in the first year after the death of a spouse shows that the aftermath of mourning occurs. regularly.