The light shone down from several directions. It had been carefully adjusted to not be too bright, but there was nothing they could do about the heat.
I sat in a corner of an elaborately decorated set, feeling the sweltering heat as I quietly began to speak.
“To scientifically prove the existence of ghosts!”
A TV studio is a very special space. It’s a world of dreams, but also a world of fakery. It’s both of these things at the same time.
All you had to do was look in a slightly different direction, and you’d see a whole different world. The boundaries were clearly drawn.
There was a huge difference in the world you saw looking in on the set and world you saw looking out. That difference sometimes felt deep and profound.
“Will it make me the greatest fool of the century, or will I become a 21st century Galileo?”
A whole row of celebrities, fellow university professors, and psychics were listening to me.
“Either way, I think it’s a scientist’s duty to give it a try.”
I’d been spending a lot more time on TV over the past year. It had all started when they’d asked me to do a little commentary about the supernatural on a variety show. The viewers seemed to have taken a liking to me, and ever since then, I’d been asked to appear on a lot of different programs.
As long as it didn’t interfere with my real work as a college professor, I never turned them down. Part of me loved the attention. And so far, my personal theories had been quite well received on almost all of the programs. It felt good to be able to talk about whatever I wanted to such a large audience.
But this program today was different.
The topic was “A Heated Debate About Supernatural Phenomena,” but...
“Dr. Isayuki Hashigami is a man motivated by only the highest of ideals!”
The male announcer, a man famous for his stern and severe personality, glanced down at his script. “Dr. Hashigami, I’m told you’re the only official member of the SPR, or Society for Psychical Research, in Japan, yes?”
“That’s correct.”
“Can you tell us a little about the SPR?”
“It’s an organization devoted to promoting scientific investigation into spiritual and supernatural phenomena, you see. It was founded in 1882, at Trinity College in the University of Cambridge, which makes it over a hundred years old. Several of its members are Nobel Prize winners. Jung, Freud, and Lewis Caroll were all members as well.”
The guests gave a small gasp of amazement. It was understandable. The organization was completely unknown in Japan.
“For example, they’re researching direct mind-to-mind communication. Some of you might know this by the name ‘telepathy.’ They also do research into hypnosis, spirit mediums, ghosts, spirit summoning, and the history of spiritual phenomena.”
Mr. Sawazaki, who was sitting to my left side, interrupted me. “Any scientist will tell you that the SPR has a long and distinguished history in their field. However...”
I’d been told about Mr. Sawazaki before the program aired. He was a scientific fundamentalist, you could say. He appeared on these programs often, just like I did. Today was my first time meeting him.
“However, the SPR’s golden age was over a hundred years ago. Is it correct to say that in the scientifically advanced era of the 21st century, they’re now considered heretics?”
I chuckled a little at his accusation.
“You may be right. The stance of every member of the SPR, including myself, is that the occult can and should be proven by the scientific method. But what you have to understand is that many scientists outside Japan are seriously pursuing this research.”
“That’s true, but it’s also a fact that there is not a single university in Japan that offers courses on parapsychology.”
I nodded in agreement.
“For example, the souls of the dead do not physically exist. Science has denied their existence for centuries. And this history of denial is what modern science is built on. Am I wrong, Dr. Hashigami?” He chuckled, as if he were mocking me.
“Is that really true?” I decided to argue with him. The studio seemed to be expecting us both to lay out our positions.
“There is no proof of the non-existence of the soul. Personally, I’m sick of science sweeping things it can’t explain under the rug.” I looked out over the rest of the panelists, and took special note of the position of the camera as I spoke.
“Listen to me, everyone. The soul does exist.”
A murmur went up within the studio. The off-camera staff were whispering in loud, deliberate tones.
Very few shows these days were filmed in front of a studio audience. The only ones that did were in Kansai.
“Mmmm... Spiritual!” One of the guests, a young celebrity named Mako Utsumi, whispered like she was drunk.
The off-camera staff gave a loud burst of laughter.
Utsumi was a popular talent on these sorts of programs lately. She had the composed looks of a model, but her comments were funnier than those of most comedians. TV stations loved her.
The announcer decided to move the conversation to her.
“Miss Utsumi, what’s your take on this?”
“I don’t really know, but Dr. Hashigami sure is handsome, isn’t he? How do you take care of that long hair of yours? It goes all the way down to your waist. Most girls don’t even have hair that long. I’d love to hear how you take care of it. I can practically see your cuticles!”
The staff burst out laughing again.
“That’s Utsumi for you. She always has the most unique comments. Very unique. But we’re not really talking about cuticles right now, okay?” The announcer tried to bring things back on topic.
Mr. Sawazaki leaned towards me to continue. “So you say the soul exists, Dr. Hashigami? So, what, do our souls leave our bodies after death? If you’re saying they do, then what you’re describing is no different than an old ghost story.”
Mr. Sawazaki’s tone had become heated. He was much less calm than he’d been a moment ago.