Exhibition Closing Talk | Why Japan Still Needs Ghosts

Join us for an exhibition closing talk, "Why Japan Still Needs Ghosts," with Professor Michael Cronin.
About this Event


This event is free and open to the public.
Registration is required.
Doors open at 6:00 PM.
Talk begins at 6:30 PM and runs approximately 45–60 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.


Exhibition Closing Talk | Why Japan Still Needs Ghosts with Professor Michael Cronin

Presented by the Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan

In this program, Professor Michael Cronin from the College of William & Mary will explore what supernatural stories reveal about the hopes, apprehensions, and experiences of the people who tell them—including how modern ghost stories have helped communities process grief and collective trauma.

What do supernatural tales reveal about the hopes and apprehensions of the societies that share them?

Join Professor Michael Cronin of William & Mary for an exploration of Japan's enduring fascination with yokai, ghosts, and the supernatural. Drawing on his popular course Japan's Ghosts and Demons, Cronin traces how familiar supernatural figures have been continually reimagined—from Edo-period legends of vengeful spirits to contemporary anime, film, and folklore.

The lecture will explore how stories of yokai and ghosts evolve to address changing social concerns. Audiences will discover how classic tales inspired modern works such as The Ring, how supernatural processions like the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) transformed chaos into order, and how contemporary anime series reinterpret Japan's spirit world for new generations. The program will also explore modern ghost narratives that emerged after the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster, including accounts of "ghost taxis" and other supernatural encounters. These stories demonstrate that ghost tales continue to serve an important role in helping communities process grief, memory, and collective trauma.

Presented in conjunction with , this lecture offers a compelling look at the ways Japan's supernatural traditions continue to shape contemporary culture and imagination.

About the Speaker

Michael P. Cronin

Michael P. Cronin is an associate professor of Japanese Studies at the College of William & Mary. His research concerns the role of the local in Japanese literature, cinema, and other popular culture. His first book, Osaka Modern: The City in the Japanese Imaginary (Harvard East Asian Monographs, 2017), analyzes stories of Japan's merchant capital. His next book will examine the Kobe Earthquake and the pivotal year of 1995 in literature, film, anime, and manga. It is under contract with Bloomsbury Academic. Michael is also a translator. He has translated Tanizaki Jun'ichirō's final novel, The Maids (New Directions, 2017), and a collection of essays by Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows and Other Essays (Tuttle, 2026). Michael joined the faculty of William & Mary in 2009. He teaches courses on anime and the posthuman, Japan’s alternate histories, cultures of catastrophe, and his most popular course, "Japan's Ghosts and Demons."