1 00:00:09,708 --> 00:00:11,416 [alarm on] My name is David Farrier. 2 00:00:11,708 --> 00:00:13,458 [alarm on] I'm a journalist from New Zealand, 3 00:00:13,541 --> 00:00:17,125 and I'm investigating dark tourist hotspots around the world. 4 00:00:17,416 --> 00:00:19,625 This time, I'm traveling in Japan. 5 00:00:20,041 --> 00:00:23,083 [group screaming and running] 6 00:00:23,166 --> 00:00:25,458 [narrator] Dark tourism can be hazardous, 7 00:00:25,541 --> 00:00:29,875 so what better way to start my trip than a disaster training course? 8 00:00:29,958 --> 00:00:31,375 The quake starts 9 00:00:32,666 --> 00:00:33,666 Quite intense. 10 00:00:34,375 --> 00:00:38,708 But I'm not really sure this is going to prepare me for what's to come. 11 00:00:40,125 --> 00:00:43,458 As I visit the world's most popular suicide spot... 12 00:00:43,541 --> 00:00:46,125 -[David] There's something on that tree. -[jake] That's not good. 13 00:00:46,250 --> 00:00:47,250 [dance music] 14 00:00:47,375 --> 00:00:50,708 ...I step into a bizarre future run entirely by robots... 15 00:00:50,791 --> 00:00:53,000 [robot speaking] Please enjoy your stay in Henn na Hotel. 16 00:00:56,666 --> 00:00:58,583 [narrator] ...explore a ten-story ghost island... 17 00:00:58,666 --> 00:00:59,958 This is amazing. 18 00:01:00,291 --> 00:01:03,708 ...and I indulge in a spot of nuclear tourism. 19 00:01:03,791 --> 00:01:05,666 -So what are you seeing here? -[Anya] Oh, my God. 20 00:01:05,750 --> 00:01:08,583 The level of radiation is higher than around Chernobyl, 21 00:01:08,666 --> 00:01:10,083 where no one is allowed to go. 22 00:01:11,291 --> 00:01:14,583 Life can be dangerous when you're a dark tourist. 23 00:01:14,750 --> 00:01:16,750 [series music] 24 00:01:38,250 --> 00:01:42,333 [narrator] I start my trip at the center of one of Japan's worst disasters. 25 00:01:42,833 --> 00:01:45,958 The atomic meltdown in the province of Fukushima. 26 00:01:50,375 --> 00:01:54,083 Nuclear tourism. Who would have thought it would be a thing? 27 00:01:54,708 --> 00:01:58,125 Most normal people wouldn't go near a radioactive nuclear site, 28 00:01:58,583 --> 00:02:01,416 but it sounds perfect for a dark tourist 29 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,583 and I'm in a bus full of them. 30 00:02:04,291 --> 00:02:06,833 [earthquake trembling noise] 31 00:02:06,916 --> 00:02:09,958 [narrator] In 2011, this province was devastated [movement of wave] by a massive earthquake and then a tsunami, 32 00:02:13,833 --> 00:02:18,750 which caused an explosion and radiation leak at the Daiichi nuclear power station. 33 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:21,833 [movement of waves] Over 20,000 people were killed. 34 00:02:21,916 --> 00:02:25,625 Much more of the province was evacuated because of the radiation. 35 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,666 Until now, this has been a restricted area, 36 00:02:30,166 --> 00:02:33,875 but the government says it's now okay for residents to return. 37 00:02:35,166 --> 00:02:38,958 I had to come and see for myself what a nuclear disaster looks like. 38 00:02:39,916 --> 00:02:41,583 Is it even safe to be here? 39 00:02:42,375 --> 00:02:45,416 [Yo,] Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am your tourist guide. 40 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:47,875 [narrator] Our guide for the day is Yo. 41 00:02:47,958 --> 00:02:50,666 So I have to be careful with my right and left 42 00:02:50,750 --> 00:02:52,666 because to you it's switched. 43 00:02:53,583 --> 00:02:57,750 So I have to say, "On your right," and, "On your left." 44 00:02:57,833 --> 00:02:58,875 [Yo laughing] 45 00:02:58,958 --> 00:03:02,750 [narrator] It seems like just another walk in the radioactive park for Yo. 46 00:03:03,291 --> 00:03:06,208 He certainly doesn't seem concerned about any danger. 47 00:03:06,833 --> 00:03:09,458 What are the levels you'd be concerned about, Yo? 48 00:03:09,916 --> 00:03:12,583 So for living in the area... [geiger beeping] 49 00:03:12,916 --> 00:03:15,041 ...0.20 worries me. [continuous beeping] 50 00:03:15,750 --> 00:03:16,583 [David] Okay. 51 00:03:16,875 --> 00:03:20,000 It's funny. It's very hard. Because you're such a happy person, 52 00:03:20,208 --> 00:03:24,750 it's very hard to know, for me and for us, how dangerous it is. 53 00:03:25,125 --> 00:03:28,500 I'm not growing extra horns or extra fingers. 54 00:03:28,750 --> 00:03:30,750 [passengers laughing] 55 00:03:33,750 --> 00:03:38,375 [narrator] My fellow dark tourists include a group of equally fascinated foreigners. 56 00:03:38,791 --> 00:03:42,916 [Anya] I heard that vitamin D helps offset the effects of radiation. 57 00:03:43,166 --> 00:03:46,250 Keeping yourself safe any way you can. 58 00:03:46,333 --> 00:03:47,166 Yeah. 59 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,625 [narrator] Our first stop on the disaster tour is the town of Tomioka. 60 00:03:55,958 --> 00:03:59,958 The tsunami didn't get this far, but the town did get hit by the 'quake 61 00:04:00,541 --> 00:04:02,500 and then the radioactive cloud. 62 00:04:02,583 --> 00:04:04,500 [Yo] Okay, let's get off the bus. 63 00:04:04,791 --> 00:04:08,333 [narrator] This is one of the towns the government says is safe, 64 00:04:08,416 --> 00:04:11,208 but the residents don't seem keen on returning. 65 00:04:11,791 --> 00:04:14,833 In fact, it's still completely abandoned. 66 00:04:15,166 --> 00:04:17,166 -[David] There's not a lot of people here. -Yeah. 67 00:04:17,916 --> 00:04:18,833 [David] Pretty quiet. 68 00:04:20,208 --> 00:04:23,125 [narrator] I'm surprised that thieves haven't looted the place. 69 00:04:24,333 --> 00:04:26,375 Maybe they know something we don't. 70 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:27,708 [geiger beeping] 71 00:04:27,791 --> 00:04:28,916 [Anya] Oh, my God! 72 00:04:29,750 --> 00:04:32,208 -[Anya] 0.7. -[David] We're going up. 0.72. 73 00:04:32,625 --> 00:04:34,875 [narrator] We've all brought our own Geiger counters, 74 00:04:35,208 --> 00:04:38,250 the equivalent of metal detectors for radiation. 75 00:04:38,708 --> 00:04:40,583 Suddenly, they all start pinging off. 76 00:04:40,875 --> 00:04:44,875 The radiation here is way higher than anything I was warned about 77 00:04:44,958 --> 00:04:47,583 and immediately the nuclear tourists are concerned. 78 00:04:47,708 --> 00:04:50,708 [Anya] You told us before that the level of radiation 79 00:04:50,791 --> 00:04:54,458 at which you'd start being worried is 0.2. 80 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,958 My Geiger meter is showing 0.75. 81 00:04:58,041 --> 00:05:01,583 That's higher than around Chernobyl, where no one is allowed to go. 82 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:06,583 How do you tell people that it's okay to come here when it's such a high level? 83 00:05:07,166 --> 00:05:10,416 Because they had declared state of emergency, 84 00:05:10,500 --> 00:05:15,500 that means they can raise the maximum amount of radiation allowed. 85 00:05:15,583 --> 00:05:20,083 And they want to make the appearance of being safe here. 86 00:05:20,166 --> 00:05:21,166 [tourist] But it's not. 87 00:05:23,583 --> 00:05:25,958 -You can find it yourself. -But... 88 00:05:26,250 --> 00:05:28,750 -[tourist girl] In how many years? -In how many years, yeah. 89 00:05:29,166 --> 00:05:32,166 It will probably take more than 200 years 90 00:05:32,458 --> 00:05:36,375 to bring everything back to normal, so to say. 91 00:05:36,458 --> 00:05:37,916 -[tourist girl] 200? -200. 92 00:05:40,416 --> 00:05:41,416 [narrator] Suddenly, 93 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:44,541 nuclear tourism doesn't seem like such a great idea. 94 00:05:45,083 --> 00:05:49,166 It's a little unsettling when this thing starts beeping more and more, 95 00:05:49,833 --> 00:05:54,708 especially when you're seeing stores with broken shop fronts and everything. 96 00:05:55,166 --> 00:05:58,750 And some little kids' bikes inside. It's pretty eerie. 97 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,416 I can see why it's hard to get people to move back, you know? 98 00:06:04,875 --> 00:06:06,333 [narrator] And it gets better. 99 00:06:07,208 --> 00:06:10,583 Yo tells us the dust is particularly radioactive. 100 00:06:10,916 --> 00:06:14,125 He warns breathing it in could give us cancer. 101 00:06:14,583 --> 00:06:18,208 I'm not sure this is the kind of thrill these dark tourists were hoping for. 102 00:06:20,166 --> 00:06:22,833 I notice you've got your mask on now. 103 00:06:23,583 --> 00:06:25,666 [tourist] Well, it's so dusty in here. 104 00:06:25,875 --> 00:06:28,166 You're making me think I should put one on as well. 105 00:06:28,250 --> 00:06:31,291 -I sort of forgot we had them. -[tourist] Well, they are available, so... 106 00:06:33,375 --> 00:06:34,333 [sighs] 107 00:06:35,791 --> 00:06:38,583 -[tourist girl] You have to open it. -I've got to open it up? 108 00:06:38,875 --> 00:06:41,500 Oh, I see. Never had to put one on before. 109 00:06:41,583 --> 00:06:44,250 [Yo speaking] 110 00:06:44,333 --> 00:06:47,666 It's just really dusty in here. I figured it was a good time to put it on. 111 00:06:47,750 --> 00:06:50,416 But, as you can see, it fogs up my glasses, 112 00:06:50,541 --> 00:06:54,125 so now I can't see anything. Got a real fog problem. 113 00:06:57,791 --> 00:07:01,000 [narrator] We head out of Tomioka along Route Six, 114 00:07:01,083 --> 00:07:03,125 into the heart of the nuclear disaster. 115 00:07:03,458 --> 00:07:06,458 We are passing through areas which still remain part 116 00:07:06,541 --> 00:07:08,833 of the feared radioactive exclusion zone, 117 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,250 though, in a cunning act of rebranding, 118 00:07:12,333 --> 00:07:16,791 the government now prefers to call it the "difficult to return to" zone. 119 00:07:17,041 --> 00:07:20,291 -[Yo] This is a gate street. -[David] Gates on every entrance. 120 00:07:21,083 --> 00:07:22,458 [Yo] Look at those gates. 121 00:07:22,541 --> 00:07:24,708 [narrator] There are barriers blocking entrances 122 00:07:24,791 --> 00:07:27,750 to any possible way into the no go zone. 123 00:07:28,541 --> 00:07:30,916 This is now looking more like a military zone 124 00:07:31,166 --> 00:07:33,416 and the bus isn't even allowed to stop here. 125 00:07:35,125 --> 00:07:37,750 But Yo is prepared to try and get us in. 126 00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:43,166 [Yo speaking Japanese] 127 00:07:44,166 --> 00:07:47,208 [Japanese guard] This is a "difficult to return to" zone. 128 00:07:47,291 --> 00:07:48,625 Go back to the bus. 129 00:07:48,708 --> 00:07:53,916 This area is closed, except for vehicles. 130 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,625 You need to leave quickly. 131 00:07:56,875 --> 00:07:57,833 What's the problem? 132 00:07:57,916 --> 00:08:02,166 This is the area that's designated as the "no returning" area. 133 00:08:02,666 --> 00:08:06,166 So we're not supposed to park around here and let the people out. 134 00:08:06,291 --> 00:08:07,625 -Okay. -[Yo] Only passing through. 135 00:08:07,708 --> 00:08:10,500 How long have you worked here for? 136 00:08:10,583 --> 00:08:12,583 -[Guard] Five years. -Five years? 137 00:08:13,750 --> 00:08:15,125 You enjoy your job? 138 00:08:15,208 --> 00:08:16,625 [guard] Hurry up and leave already. 139 00:08:16,708 --> 00:08:17,791 Okay. 140 00:08:18,750 --> 00:08:22,375 [narrator] If job satisfaction comes from getting rid of people like us, 141 00:08:22,958 --> 00:08:24,583 he should be a happy man. 142 00:08:27,166 --> 00:08:30,000 But I still want to look inside the forbidden zone, 143 00:08:30,666 --> 00:08:34,625 so I convince Yo to let me out on the side of the road for a sneaky peek. 144 00:08:34,833 --> 00:08:37,375 [Yo] No more than five minutes if possible. 145 00:08:38,458 --> 00:08:39,291 [Yo] Get ready. 146 00:08:40,125 --> 00:08:42,125 -[Yo] Okay, go. -[tourist] Go, David. 147 00:08:42,208 --> 00:08:43,958 [Anya] Go, David. 148 00:08:44,041 --> 00:08:45,291 [tourist] Now. 149 00:08:45,458 --> 00:08:52,166 [geiger continuous beeping] 150 00:08:54,083 --> 00:08:57,916 [narrator] The amusement arcade has been left untouched since the 'quake. 151 00:08:58,125 --> 00:09:02,708 [David] It's pretty eerie... just seeing these toys just lying down, 152 00:09:04,666 --> 00:09:06,000 just kind of done. 153 00:09:07,083 --> 00:09:09,958 [David] Let's try upstairs. Let's try looking through... 154 00:09:10,166 --> 00:09:12,000 [geiger continous beeping] 155 00:09:12,083 --> 00:09:13,125 [David] Wow! 156 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:15,333 [David] This is totally wrecked. 157 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,666 [geiger beeping] 158 00:09:17,750 --> 00:09:20,333 There's a lot of dust in here, which is unsettling. 159 00:09:20,958 --> 00:09:23,083 [narrator] Unsettling is an understatement. 160 00:09:23,750 --> 00:09:27,041 The objects and dust in here are especially radioactive 161 00:09:27,125 --> 00:09:31,625 as rain and wind can't get in to wash any radioactive particles away. 162 00:09:33,333 --> 00:09:34,916 [David] We've already been warned once, 163 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,208 so I don't particularly want them to see us in here. 164 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:42,708 [geiger beeping] 165 00:09:43,041 --> 00:09:44,625 [David] Watch the glass, guys. 166 00:09:46,166 --> 00:09:47,958 [narrator] But we've pushed our luck too far. 167 00:09:49,166 --> 00:09:50,791 [David] We don't speak Japanese. 168 00:09:50,916 --> 00:09:53,208 [guards speaking] 169 00:09:53,291 --> 00:09:55,416 -[guard] Passport? ID? -[David] In the bus. 170 00:09:55,500 --> 00:09:57,291 -[guards speaking] -[narrator] We're sprung. 171 00:09:58,208 --> 00:10:01,666 But Yo comes to our rescue and tries to smooth things over. 172 00:10:01,750 --> 00:10:04,375 -[Yo] So what is going on here, sir? -[guard] You are not allowed... 173 00:10:04,458 --> 00:10:07,166 -[Yo] I understand we can't stop here. -[guard] Yes, you got it, sir. 174 00:10:07,250 --> 00:10:09,416 [geiger beeping] 175 00:10:09,541 --> 00:10:13,041 [narrator] After what seems like an eternity, and a stern warning, 176 00:10:13,416 --> 00:10:17,541 we are sent on our way, but Yo's not happy with my excursion. 177 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:21,500 [David] Is there a risk of getting arrested, do you think? 178 00:10:22,208 --> 00:10:24,791 Just now? We were lucky. 179 00:10:25,666 --> 00:10:26,500 [Yo] I say. 180 00:10:28,416 --> 00:10:29,291 [David] Okay. 181 00:10:30,791 --> 00:10:32,583 -[David ]All right. Thanks, Yo. -[Yo] Sure. 182 00:10:34,833 --> 00:10:38,000 [narrator] I'm beginning to feel bad that Yo had to bail us out. 183 00:10:38,625 --> 00:10:42,458 To be honest, this tour is more stressful than I thought it would be. 184 00:10:46,416 --> 00:10:48,666 Lunch comes as a welcome break. 185 00:10:49,291 --> 00:10:52,291 We stop in Namie at a cafe called Grandma's, 186 00:10:52,541 --> 00:10:55,625 which is run, unsurprisingly, by grandmas. 187 00:10:55,708 --> 00:10:57,708 -[waitress] Konnichiwa. -[David] Arigato. 188 00:10:59,041 --> 00:11:02,583 [narrator] It's part of the government initiative to lure people back into town. 189 00:11:03,208 --> 00:11:06,125 But when I find out that none of the grandmas live here, 190 00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:07,708 something doesn't sit right. 191 00:11:09,291 --> 00:11:11,291 [David] Who's eating? Do we all want to eat? 192 00:11:11,583 --> 00:11:14,708 -What is the food, though? Where is-- -How safe is it? 193 00:11:15,250 --> 00:11:18,250 [narrator] I love Japanese food, but like the others, 194 00:11:18,333 --> 00:11:21,666 I'm nervous about eating anything that comes from around here. 195 00:11:21,750 --> 00:11:23,750 -Have you eaten here before, Yo? -No. 196 00:11:23,833 --> 00:11:25,291 -First time. -First time. 197 00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:32,291 [people speaking japanese] 198 00:11:32,458 --> 00:11:33,666 -[David] Yo? -Yes? 199 00:11:33,875 --> 00:11:37,208 Is all this food from this area? So it's all grown locally? 200 00:11:38,458 --> 00:11:40,208 -I have no idea, actually. -[David] No idea? 201 00:11:40,791 --> 00:11:44,791 -It's difficult to know about everything? -Well, I'm not going to worry about it. 202 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:46,333 [Yo laughing] 203 00:11:46,458 --> 00:11:48,458 [narrator] But we're starving and we give in. 204 00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:52,416 -[passengers talking] -It may be radioactive but it's delicious. 205 00:11:52,541 --> 00:11:54,541 [passengers talking to each other] 206 00:11:54,666 --> 00:11:58,708 Yo, do you ever worry about anything? It seems like you don't worry, ever. 207 00:11:59,375 --> 00:12:01,458 We have to live in this country. 208 00:12:02,250 --> 00:12:04,000 I have to live here day to day. 209 00:12:05,208 --> 00:12:11,125 And worrying about it too much is really not good for your mental health. 210 00:12:11,208 --> 00:12:12,750 -[David ]Hm. -[Yo] Yeap. 211 00:12:13,250 --> 00:12:14,708 Life is full of dangers. 212 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:17,208 That's the thing, right? 213 00:12:17,291 --> 00:12:19,958 -You might get hit by a bus tomorrow. -[Yo] That's right. 214 00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:22,166 [tourist] Ah! 215 00:12:22,416 --> 00:12:27,541 -[squeaking of balloons] -[David] Ugh! 216 00:12:29,041 --> 00:12:31,458 [narrator] The government have even hired street performers 217 00:12:31,541 --> 00:12:35,333 to attract people back to the area and I'm quickly roped in to help. 218 00:12:36,041 --> 00:12:37,625 I have no idea what's going on. 219 00:12:37,750 --> 00:12:39,750 [David] Wow! 220 00:12:39,916 --> 00:12:44,833 [Street performer speaking Japanese] 221 00:12:45,375 --> 00:12:49,708 See? There's nothing to worry about here. How can you worry when this is going on? 222 00:12:52,208 --> 00:12:53,583 -Does it suit me? 223 00:12:53,666 --> 00:12:55,291 [japanese woman laughing] 224 00:12:55,375 --> 00:12:56,833 Boink! 225 00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:03,916 [narrator] After lunch, we hit the coast, 226 00:13:04,666 --> 00:13:07,666 to where the giant tsunami wave first came ashore. 227 00:13:08,833 --> 00:13:13,291 This was once a landscape of little towns, full of people, 228 00:13:15,041 --> 00:13:18,750 but all that has been wiped away and is now a wasteland. 229 00:13:24,416 --> 00:13:27,500 So where are we now, Yo? What's the situation here? 230 00:13:27,875 --> 00:13:31,291 This is the tsunami-inundated area. 231 00:13:31,583 --> 00:13:33,375 So this is where the tsunami swept across? 232 00:13:33,458 --> 00:13:35,333 [Yo] Tsunami stripped the whole town. 233 00:13:36,958 --> 00:13:40,166 [Yo] When the tsunami overcame the sea wall, 234 00:13:40,541 --> 00:13:42,416 it was 15 meters high. 235 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:47,666 [Yo] And about 260 people... died in this area. 236 00:13:50,208 --> 00:13:54,416 [narrator] I can't comprehend what a 15-meter wall of water looks like 237 00:13:54,916 --> 00:13:56,250 or where I'd run to. 238 00:13:58,833 --> 00:14:01,583 The people here would have had no chance. 239 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,583 This is all that's left of homes, shops, lives. 240 00:14:13,208 --> 00:14:15,583 Just reduced to rubble and ruin. 241 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,958 [David] It's pretty surreal 242 00:14:18,083 --> 00:14:22,916 seeing just personal items all just dumped, essentially, to rot. 243 00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:26,750 [David] It does bring it all home. 244 00:14:30,041 --> 00:14:34,416 [narrator] The only objects heavy enough to stand their ground were gravestones, 245 00:14:36,333 --> 00:14:39,875 mute testament to all the people who lived and died here. 246 00:14:43,541 --> 00:14:46,166 I find the place profoundly sad. 247 00:14:48,916 --> 00:14:51,375 But not everyone has the same reaction. 248 00:14:53,333 --> 00:14:55,333 [japanese speaking] 249 00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:56,708 [tourist] Okay, not even... 250 00:14:56,791 --> 00:14:59,250 [tourist] The radio reactor just exploded. 251 00:15:00,208 --> 00:15:03,625 -[tourist 1]Your face should explode, too. -[tourist] I don't know what that means. 252 00:15:03,708 --> 00:15:06,083 [tourist 1 laughing] Be masculine! 253 00:15:10,708 --> 00:15:14,125 -[David] You got good photos in there? -We have good selfie, I think. 254 00:15:15,208 --> 00:15:18,791 I could have pulled my second look, but it's fine. 255 00:15:18,875 --> 00:15:21,083 -I can live without it. -[tourist 1] Paris Fashion Week. 256 00:15:22,041 --> 00:15:25,708 We can laugh a little bit, but I think it's pretty serious. 257 00:15:27,833 --> 00:15:30,208 -Do you? -Yeah. No, I completely agree. 258 00:15:30,291 --> 00:15:34,166 It's a thing you kind of laugh to cover up your nerves sometimes. 259 00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:35,083 [Anya] Yeah. 260 00:15:38,916 --> 00:15:43,541 [narrator] Earthquake, tsunami and then, finally, radiation. 261 00:15:44,791 --> 00:15:48,791 A nuclear disaster is the unwanted gift that keeps on giving. 262 00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:52,958 And here lies the motherlode. 263 00:15:54,708 --> 00:15:59,666 Under the green tarp, there's piles of those flexible container bags. 264 00:16:00,875 --> 00:16:04,833 [Yo] They contain the low-level radioactive soil 265 00:16:04,916 --> 00:16:06,708 or the plants. 266 00:16:08,333 --> 00:16:11,666 [narrator] The government scraped off the radioactive topsoil 267 00:16:11,750 --> 00:16:13,583 and stored it, "temporarily". 268 00:16:14,333 --> 00:16:17,291 These dirt dumps are all over the province. 269 00:16:17,625 --> 00:16:21,916 It seems unbelievable that there are more than nine million bags of this stuff 270 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,416 just lying around. 271 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,791 I just wonder what the hell they are going to do with it all. 272 00:16:26,875 --> 00:16:29,333 [Anya] So how long can this concoction survive? 273 00:16:29,416 --> 00:16:30,625 -[Yo] Two to three years. -Yeah. 274 00:16:30,708 --> 00:16:33,875 [Yo] As you can see, some black bags are kind of deteriorating. 275 00:16:33,958 --> 00:16:37,625 [Anya] So they're probably covering it to hide the fact that it's deteriorating. 276 00:16:37,708 --> 00:16:40,208 [Yo] That was probably so. 277 00:16:41,416 --> 00:16:44,000 [narrator] They were designed to last three years, 278 00:16:44,291 --> 00:16:45,833 but that was six years ago. 279 00:16:46,458 --> 00:16:48,791 Their order and precision is beautiful 280 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,958 and, dare I say it, a nice Instagram post, 281 00:16:52,833 --> 00:16:57,166 but that doesn't change the fact that the radioactive soil is still here. 282 00:16:57,250 --> 00:16:58,083 [geiger beeping] 283 00:16:58,166 --> 00:17:00,916 I wouldn't want my adult children, 284 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:05,125 who haven't had their families yet, to come here. My daughters. 285 00:17:05,208 --> 00:17:07,541 'Cause there is that thing about what sex you are. 286 00:17:07,625 --> 00:17:11,666 I feel like there's probably more danger for females to come in than males. 287 00:17:11,750 --> 00:17:12,583 [tourist lady] Right. 288 00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:15,958 [geiger continuously beeping] 289 00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:22,333 [narrator] As we drive, 290 00:17:22,416 --> 00:17:25,833 the scale of this shit-show starts to dawn on me. 291 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,458 Town after town is like this. 292 00:17:34,583 --> 00:17:35,541 Wrecked... 293 00:17:36,125 --> 00:17:37,500 radioactive... 294 00:17:37,875 --> 00:17:38,875 abandoned. 295 00:17:39,750 --> 00:17:45,791 This point, this is designated as "difficult to return to" zone. 296 00:17:46,250 --> 00:17:50,208 [Yo] That means you need to have a special permit to go through this area. 297 00:17:50,791 --> 00:17:53,208 -[geiger beeping] -[narrator] No one's really listening now. 298 00:17:53,291 --> 00:17:56,833 Instead, everyone is focused on their Geiger counters. 299 00:17:57,333 --> 00:18:00,500 So what are you seeing here? I'm going up to 1.43 now. 300 00:18:00,583 --> 00:18:01,666 -[geiger beeping] -1,55. 301 00:18:01,750 --> 00:18:04,583 -1.89. -What the hell! That's a lot. 302 00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:06,375 Yeah. It's going up. 303 00:18:07,125 --> 00:18:11,916 Yeah, I'm not sure if it is higher than Chernobyl. Is it? 304 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:13,708 [geiger beeping continuously] 305 00:18:13,791 --> 00:18:17,500 [Anya] Basically, I looked at Safecast and it has the whole area's map. 306 00:18:17,875 --> 00:18:22,041 [Anya] And it was saying the highest we'd get here is about 0.4. 307 00:18:22,791 --> 00:18:25,375 But this is four times the amount of that. 308 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:26,375 [geiger beeping] 309 00:18:26,458 --> 00:18:29,833 So I'm actually very, very uncomfortable with the situation. 310 00:18:29,916 --> 00:18:31,916 [geiger beeping continuously] 311 00:18:32,291 --> 00:18:34,166 -[geiger beeping] -And I'm not sure this is safe. 312 00:18:34,541 --> 00:18:35,916 [geiger beeping] 313 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,625 [narrator] I'm starting to worry as well. 314 00:18:39,416 --> 00:18:41,708 [David] Is everyone happy to keep... going? 315 00:18:41,791 --> 00:18:45,125 If that was honestly the highest it was going to be, then I'm fine, 316 00:18:45,208 --> 00:18:49,625 but, you know, I take this stuff really seriously as well. 317 00:18:52,375 --> 00:18:55,000 [narrator] The truth is, Anya's just said aloud 318 00:18:55,125 --> 00:18:57,375 what's going through everyone's minds. 319 00:18:57,625 --> 00:19:00,041 We're all paranoid about the radiation, 320 00:19:00,875 --> 00:19:05,208 especially as Yo told us anything over 0.2 was unsafe. 321 00:19:07,250 --> 00:19:08,208 [David] Here we go. 322 00:19:08,583 --> 00:19:09,625 [David] 1.9. 323 00:19:10,125 --> 00:19:12,166 -[Anya] 2.3. -2.8. 324 00:19:12,250 --> 00:19:14,541 [geiger beeping continuously] 325 00:19:14,666 --> 00:19:19,125 [narrator] The levels keep rising. Everyone is seriously on edge. 326 00:19:19,208 --> 00:19:21,208 [geiger beeping] 327 00:19:21,291 --> 00:19:23,833 [narrator] No one was expecting readings this high, 328 00:19:23,916 --> 00:19:25,416 not even our own crew. 329 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:30,208 So what we just experienced wasn't even the highest? 330 00:19:30,291 --> 00:19:31,125 No. 331 00:19:31,291 --> 00:19:34,708 -So that wasn't a hotspot? -No. You know that. 332 00:19:34,791 --> 00:19:35,916 I'll stay on the bus! 333 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:39,500 [narrator] Even the bus doesn't feel like a shield any more, 334 00:19:39,583 --> 00:19:41,833 and the levels continue to get higher. 335 00:19:42,291 --> 00:19:44,833 -Oh, my God. 1.87. -[Anya] Oh, my God! 336 00:19:44,916 --> 00:19:46,500 -[tourist lady] 3.75. -Oh, my God. 337 00:19:46,583 --> 00:19:49,166 -[Anya] 7.19. -[tourist lady] Oh, my God. 338 00:19:49,250 --> 00:19:53,666 [narrator] The readings are fifty times over the 0.2 threshold. 339 00:19:54,458 --> 00:19:57,666 I don't want to stay another minute here, and I'm not alone. 340 00:19:57,833 --> 00:19:59,625 -[Anya] I have 9.71 now. -Scare point. 341 00:20:00,541 --> 00:20:02,583 -[tourist lady] All right. -[tourist ]We are scared. 342 00:20:02,666 --> 00:20:05,083 -[Anya] We have officially been scared. -[David] Yeah. 343 00:20:05,166 --> 00:20:06,666 -[Anya] Let's go. -Let's do that. 344 00:20:06,750 --> 00:20:09,666 -[Anya] All in favor? -[David] Okay, who wants to go? 345 00:20:09,916 --> 00:20:12,458 -[many tourists] I'd like to go. -[Yo] Okay, let's go. 346 00:20:12,750 --> 00:20:15,041 [tourists talking] 347 00:20:15,166 --> 00:20:17,166 The driver just turned off the engine! 348 00:20:18,208 --> 00:20:20,916 It's just not the place to break down. 349 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:21,833 [geiger beeping] 350 00:20:25,041 --> 00:20:28,750 [narrator] By unanimous decision, this tour is over. 351 00:20:30,250 --> 00:20:35,125 They say it's safe to return to Fukushima, and good luck to anyone that does, 352 00:20:35,708 --> 00:20:39,666 but this place is still way too radioactive for my liking. 353 00:20:40,875 --> 00:20:43,958 It's been a real buzz seeing a nuclear wasteland first hand, 354 00:20:44,458 --> 00:20:47,291 and I can see why dark tourists get a thrill out of it, 355 00:20:47,833 --> 00:20:50,166 but one tour is enough for me. 356 00:20:51,916 --> 00:20:55,791 I want to get as far away from the disaster zone as possible. 357 00:20:56,041 --> 00:21:00,291 My hotel isn't known for its comfy beds or creature comforts, 358 00:21:00,583 --> 00:21:02,958 but follows the post-apocalyptic theme 359 00:21:03,041 --> 00:21:05,958 by offering a glimpse into a strange, alternate future, 360 00:21:06,041 --> 00:21:09,208 a future run entirely by robots. 361 00:21:10,791 --> 00:21:13,833 It's probably at the odd end of the dark tourist spectrum. 362 00:21:13,916 --> 00:21:15,083 [David] Hello. 363 00:21:15,166 --> 00:21:16,041 [machine sound] 364 00:21:16,125 --> 00:21:18,375 [robot] Please hold up your passport to the reader 365 00:21:18,458 --> 00:21:21,000 or touch "no passport" if you don't have one. 366 00:21:21,458 --> 00:21:24,625 [narrator] As a card-carrying member of the Jurassic Park fan club, 367 00:21:24,833 --> 00:21:28,125 being served by a velociraptor is pretty damn cool. 368 00:21:28,208 --> 00:21:30,958 [robot] Please enjoy your stay in Henn na Hotel. 369 00:21:31,708 --> 00:21:32,541 [David] Thank you. 370 00:21:36,458 --> 00:21:38,916 [narrator] The hotel promises me a highlight of my stay 371 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:40,625 will be my own personal robot. 372 00:21:41,250 --> 00:21:43,916 [personal robot] Relax and make yourself at home. 373 00:21:44,333 --> 00:21:45,166 Hello. 374 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,083 [personal robot] Oh. Hi, there. How do you do? 375 00:21:49,750 --> 00:21:50,833 Really good. 376 00:21:50,916 --> 00:21:52,458 [David] Can you sing a song? 377 00:21:53,583 --> 00:21:54,583 Just-- 378 00:21:54,666 --> 00:21:56,750 [robot] What time are you going to wake up? 379 00:21:58,833 --> 00:21:59,916 Seven a.m. 380 00:22:01,041 --> 00:22:04,083 But back to the original question, can you sing a song? 381 00:22:05,041 --> 00:22:06,583 [robot] Yes. May I help you? 382 00:22:06,666 --> 00:22:08,625 Yes. Can you sing a song? 383 00:22:09,125 --> 00:22:13,125 [robot] Tomorrow's set an alarm clock at eight-thirty. 384 00:22:15,875 --> 00:22:18,500 [narrator] Things get even more bizarre when I realize 385 00:22:18,583 --> 00:22:24,166 my robot hotel is set smack in the middle of a replica 17th-century Dutch town. 386 00:22:25,458 --> 00:22:27,250 Yes, still in Japan. 387 00:22:29,083 --> 00:22:35,583 [dance music] 388 00:22:35,666 --> 00:22:37,833 [narrator] It's definitely weird, and kind of fun, 389 00:22:37,916 --> 00:22:39,000 [music continous] 390 00:22:39,083 --> 00:22:40,833 [narrator] but why is everyone wearing a mask? 391 00:22:40,916 --> 00:22:47,125 [dance music continous] 392 00:22:49,750 --> 00:22:52,291 [narrator] It's a wonderfully twisted time warp. 393 00:22:54,375 --> 00:22:59,333 21st-century virtual reality on a 17th-century carousel. 394 00:23:04,416 --> 00:23:07,541 I'm not sure if I'm meant to be in the past or the future 395 00:23:07,625 --> 00:23:10,083 or perhaps just a parallel universe? 396 00:23:13,708 --> 00:23:15,541 [personal robot] Turn the lights off. 397 00:23:16,250 --> 00:23:18,000 Is that a question or a statement? 398 00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:19,458 [machine sound] 399 00:23:19,541 --> 00:23:20,958 [robot] May I help you? 400 00:23:25,208 --> 00:23:26,208 [David] Thank you. 401 00:23:27,041 --> 00:23:32,833 [robot singing lullaby] 402 00:23:39,041 --> 00:23:39,875 [David] Shut up. 403 00:23:42,708 --> 00:23:46,500 [narrator] I leave the robot hotel and travel to my next destination. 404 00:23:46,666 --> 00:23:49,416 [wind blowing] 405 00:23:49,500 --> 00:23:53,833 [narrator] Jukai forest nestles on the northwestern slopes of Mount Fuji. 406 00:23:54,291 --> 00:23:57,458 It's a stunningly beautiful and primeval place, 407 00:23:59,166 --> 00:24:02,291 but the forest is also famous for a darker reason. 408 00:24:03,250 --> 00:24:06,875 It's the world's most popular place to commit suicide. 409 00:24:08,208 --> 00:24:11,625 Authorities find over 100 bodies here a year. 410 00:24:16,166 --> 00:24:19,875 And while most people come here for the postcard scenics and serenity, 411 00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:24,833 an increasing number of dark tourists are drawn here by the body count. 412 00:24:25,916 --> 00:24:28,583 I want to see what's so special about the forest 413 00:24:28,666 --> 00:24:31,791 and why tourists are drawn to such a morbid place. 414 00:24:32,833 --> 00:24:38,666 I needed someone to show me around, so I called again on the unflappable Yo. 415 00:24:39,083 --> 00:24:41,708 What I hear from the statistics 416 00:24:41,791 --> 00:24:48,166 is that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in industrialised nations. 417 00:24:48,916 --> 00:24:50,791 [David] Why do you think that is? 418 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,958 I guess it's a lot of social pressure, the obligations, and things like that. 419 00:24:57,625 --> 00:24:58,500 Honor, maybe. 420 00:24:59,125 --> 00:25:01,416 We've been thinking about people drawn to places 421 00:25:01,500 --> 00:25:04,416 because they are a bit darker that's why we're interested. 422 00:25:04,791 --> 00:25:09,625 Jukai was made famous for that... because of a novel. 423 00:25:11,041 --> 00:25:14,583 [narrator] Yo says Jukai became a popular suicide spot 424 00:25:14,666 --> 00:25:19,541 because of the popularity of a book from the 1960s, The Black Sea of Trees, 425 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:25,333 a sort of Japanese Romeo and Juliet, and we all know how that ended. 426 00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:31,916 Immediately, I spot a lone car in a corner of a car park. 427 00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:36,125 According to Yo, it's been sitting here, abandoned, for weeks. 428 00:25:36,875 --> 00:25:39,166 Already my mind is jumping to conclusions. 429 00:25:39,250 --> 00:25:41,083 So one car in the car park. 430 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,208 [David] This could be someone who's wandered in and hasn't come back. 431 00:25:46,958 --> 00:25:48,125 [Yo] Could be. 432 00:25:49,250 --> 00:25:52,250 -[Yo] And nothing to prove that. -[David] No. Just don't know. 433 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:55,083 It's surreal, though, the idea of something being left here. 434 00:25:55,166 --> 00:25:59,333 [Yo] Yeah. Maybe he decided to leave... somewhere else. 435 00:25:59,750 --> 00:26:02,291 [Yo] Maybe he's living happily at someplace else. 436 00:26:04,333 --> 00:26:08,708 [narrator] Yo is keen to play down the forest's association with suicide, 437 00:26:09,291 --> 00:26:11,291 but the signs suggest otherwise. 438 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:16,666 "Your life is something you received from your parents. 439 00:26:17,625 --> 00:26:22,250 Think again. Think about your parents, your brothers. Think about your children. 440 00:26:22,708 --> 00:26:26,666 And don't take your problems all to yourself." 441 00:26:27,625 --> 00:26:30,083 [narrator] I soon spot some fellow dark travelers 442 00:26:30,166 --> 00:26:31,625 loitering in the car park. 443 00:26:32,125 --> 00:26:35,083 Are these pale foreigners here for the same reason I am? 444 00:26:35,166 --> 00:26:39,041 We're here just looking into the whole idea of this being a suicide forest. 445 00:26:39,125 --> 00:26:41,250 -Is that why you came? -Yeah. 446 00:26:41,333 --> 00:26:42,958 Right. What had you heard about it? 447 00:26:43,041 --> 00:26:46,208 We heard on videos and YouTube and whatnot 448 00:26:46,291 --> 00:26:49,958 that it's a place where a lot of people come and contemplate suicide. 449 00:26:50,041 --> 00:26:52,791 An interesting place to come and check out. 450 00:26:53,166 --> 00:26:55,333 What was the motivation? That's why I came as well. 451 00:26:55,416 --> 00:26:59,500 I can't actually decide if I'm here because I want to see like... a body 452 00:26:59,583 --> 00:27:03,791 or I'm just curious about the area. I mean, what motivated you? 453 00:27:03,875 --> 00:27:07,541 I like the atmosphere. It's a really sort of creepy, 454 00:27:07,625 --> 00:27:11,041 almost isolated vibe. Then if we look into the forest, 455 00:27:11,125 --> 00:27:13,958 you can see the ropes that people drag in with them. 456 00:27:14,041 --> 00:27:16,416 We didn't actually see any bodies. 457 00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:19,583 -This is my first time out of Ontario. -[David] Seriously? 458 00:27:19,666 --> 00:27:23,625 [David] So first time out of Ontario, straight to suicide forest. 459 00:27:23,708 --> 00:27:25,541 Yeah! Pretty much, yeah. 460 00:27:25,625 --> 00:27:28,250 No kidding. It sounds bad when you say it that way. 461 00:27:28,333 --> 00:27:29,958 -[David] It does, doesn't it? -Yeah! 462 00:27:32,750 --> 00:27:34,958 [narrator] I want to go for a walk in the forest, 463 00:27:35,416 --> 00:27:37,666 but Yo has an unusual briefing. 464 00:27:37,750 --> 00:27:41,125 [Yo] So there are a couple of things you need to know or you should know. 465 00:27:41,708 --> 00:27:44,333 There may be something... 466 00:27:44,958 --> 00:27:49,416 other than us lurking around, looking at us right now. 467 00:27:50,375 --> 00:27:56,250 But it... can be seen only with higher perception. 468 00:27:56,708 --> 00:27:59,833 [Yo] If you feel or see something, 469 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,041 [Yo] don't freak out. 470 00:28:02,125 --> 00:28:04,125 [Yo] Okay? They're just curious. 471 00:28:05,291 --> 00:28:07,833 [narrator] Strangely, Yo seems more worried 472 00:28:07,916 --> 00:28:09,625 about the spirits I might encounter 473 00:28:09,708 --> 00:28:11,500 than he did about the radiation. 474 00:28:12,083 --> 00:28:14,291 At least I could measure the radiation. 475 00:28:17,708 --> 00:28:20,458 This is truly a beautiful place, but it's deadly silent and empty. 476 00:28:25,458 --> 00:28:28,000 The forest is also incredibly dense. 477 00:28:28,083 --> 00:28:32,000 Stray off the path and you could easily get lost in here. 478 00:28:32,375 --> 00:28:35,000 I'm nervous about what I might stumble across. 479 00:28:35,125 --> 00:28:38,375 [crows croaking] 480 00:28:40,583 --> 00:28:45,208 [narrator] I've arranged to meet Jake, an American expat who runs a nearby cafe. 481 00:28:45,791 --> 00:28:48,041 He says he found a corpse here just last year. 482 00:28:48,500 --> 00:28:51,458 [Jake] It was a little pile of bones 483 00:28:52,208 --> 00:28:55,291 and a skirt, like a Japanese schoolgirl. The blue uniform. 484 00:28:56,041 --> 00:28:57,458 It had been there a while. 485 00:28:58,208 --> 00:28:59,958 [Jake] And my dog sensed something was up. 486 00:29:00,041 --> 00:29:02,500 [Jake] I don't know how she knew, but I just followed her out. 487 00:29:02,583 --> 00:29:04,125 [David] Really lucky you had the dog. 488 00:29:04,333 --> 00:29:07,000 Yeah, you wouldn't want to get stuck in here at night. 489 00:29:07,625 --> 00:29:09,708 [David] 'Cause that's the other danger here. 490 00:29:09,791 --> 00:29:11,958 [David] People come in here to explore... 491 00:29:12,333 --> 00:29:14,958 because they've heard about it and then they end up... 492 00:29:15,041 --> 00:29:18,916 Yeah. When you see a body out here, you've got to wonder if it was somebody 493 00:29:19,625 --> 00:29:21,208 who'd meant to kill themselves 494 00:29:21,708 --> 00:29:23,958 or changed their mind and didn't make it out. 495 00:29:25,166 --> 00:29:28,833 [narrator] Jake believes he can find some evidence of what goes on here, 496 00:29:29,375 --> 00:29:31,666 but then things take a funny turn. 497 00:29:33,625 --> 00:29:36,250 [Jake] You don't feel that? You don't feel a little winded? 498 00:29:36,541 --> 00:29:39,375 [Jake] When you run and you're just a little low on oxygen, 499 00:29:40,083 --> 00:29:42,083 [Jake] your vision's just a little bit dark. 500 00:29:42,166 --> 00:29:46,000 -It's a bit of a spacey feeling almost. -[Jake] Yeah, it's that, but I've had it, 501 00:29:46,625 --> 00:29:50,000 at times when it's... really it's like tunnel vision. 502 00:29:50,333 --> 00:29:53,666 And... you can't quite focus on anything. 503 00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:57,458 I don't feel dizzy, I don't have tunnel vision, like you have. 504 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:00,833 That hit you pretty much immediately when you got in here. 505 00:30:00,916 --> 00:30:02,208 It's really subtle. 506 00:30:02,291 --> 00:30:03,166 [David introspecting] 507 00:30:03,250 --> 00:30:07,666 It's not quite tunnel vision, but it's... I think it's the magnetism. 508 00:30:08,250 --> 00:30:09,083 You know? 509 00:30:09,541 --> 00:30:12,500 [birds tweeting] 510 00:30:12,583 --> 00:30:14,833 But it's just enough. That's what's dangerous about it. 511 00:30:14,916 --> 00:30:18,416 It's just enough that it's there, but you don't really notice it. 512 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:21,833 [Jake] That's how most people get in trouble in the forest. There is a... 513 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,458 [Jake] You think you're okay. 514 00:30:24,041 --> 00:30:25,916 -[David] But you're not. -[Jake] Yeah. 515 00:30:26,625 --> 00:30:28,416 [narrator] I don't know what to think. 516 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:32,708 Everyone seems to be telling me about invisible forces and spirits. 517 00:30:33,333 --> 00:30:36,041 I'm starting to feel like I'm missing something important. 518 00:30:41,750 --> 00:30:42,833 [Jake] Look at this. 519 00:30:42,916 --> 00:30:45,625 [narrator] And then Jake spots what we've been searching for. 520 00:30:47,458 --> 00:30:49,458 [branches cracking] 521 00:30:49,625 --> 00:30:52,833 -[David] There's something on that tree. -[Jake] That's not good. 522 00:30:53,708 --> 00:30:56,791 [crows croaking] 523 00:30:56,958 --> 00:30:59,708 [narrator] He says it's the remains of a makeshift noose. 524 00:31:00,291 --> 00:31:02,291 [birds tweeting] 525 00:31:02,583 --> 00:31:04,958 [crows croaking] 526 00:31:05,083 --> 00:31:08,208 [narrator] Looking at the rope, I'm glad it's all I've found. 527 00:31:08,291 --> 00:31:10,083 [Jake] In and out without seeing any bodies, 528 00:31:10,166 --> 00:31:11,208 that's a good thing. 529 00:31:11,291 --> 00:31:13,500 [crows croaking] 530 00:31:13,625 --> 00:31:15,375 [narrator] I wonder what would drive someone 531 00:31:15,458 --> 00:31:17,666 to end their life in this beautiful place? 532 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:22,125 Yo suggests I meet his friend Noriko. 533 00:31:24,583 --> 00:31:26,583 She came here 30 years ago 534 00:31:26,666 --> 00:31:30,250 intending to kill herself after a fight with her boyfriend. 535 00:31:34,500 --> 00:31:37,958 She wanted to take her life in an isolated part of the forest 536 00:31:38,041 --> 00:31:39,583 by a small cave, 537 00:31:39,958 --> 00:31:42,958 hoping her boyfriend would feel sorry when he saw the body. 538 00:31:43,750 --> 00:31:49,250 [Noriko] But as I started walking in, I had another voice telling me to stop. 539 00:31:49,916 --> 00:31:52,458 A man was standing over there. 540 00:31:52,791 --> 00:31:55,791 [Noriko] Then I realized that he wasn't human. 541 00:31:56,375 --> 00:31:57,583 So I ran away. 542 00:31:59,958 --> 00:32:03,916 [narrator] Noriko says she saw a ghost who warned her not to take her life. 543 00:32:04,750 --> 00:32:08,291 She insists I go through a ritual to ward off any bad spirits or Yūrei as they're called here, that might still be lurking. 544 00:32:12,791 --> 00:32:17,208 I don't know that I believe in any of it, but I agree to go along anyway. 545 00:32:17,291 --> 00:32:19,958 [Yo] You've got to pinch the salt using three fingers. 546 00:32:20,041 --> 00:32:22,833 -[Noriko] No. -[Yo] Eat it first. 547 00:32:24,125 --> 00:32:26,375 -[Noriko speaking] -[Yo] Take a swig, all the way. 548 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:29,000 -[Noriko speaking] -[Yo] Don't let your hand drop. 549 00:32:29,291 --> 00:32:30,875 -[Yo] Drink. -[Noriko speaking] 550 00:32:33,166 --> 00:32:35,875 [Noriko] Okay. 551 00:32:36,333 --> 00:32:38,500 [narrator] I'm keen to go further into the forest, but Noriko starts acting strange. 552 00:32:41,666 --> 00:32:44,958 [Noriko laughing] 553 00:32:45,041 --> 00:32:46,000 [Noriko sighs] 554 00:32:46,125 --> 00:32:48,166 [David] We can turn around if you want to. 555 00:32:48,958 --> 00:32:50,708 [David] We can turn around if you need to. 556 00:32:50,875 --> 00:32:52,875 [Noriko mumbling] 557 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:54,416 Is she okay? Just tired? 558 00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:56,083 Tired, no. 559 00:32:56,666 --> 00:32:58,791 [Noriko speaking indistinctly] 560 00:32:58,875 --> 00:33:01,125 -[Noriko in pain] -[David] Where are you sore? In here? 561 00:33:01,250 --> 00:33:04,833 [narrator] Noriko says the invisible Yūrei are attacking her. 562 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,333 I feel awkward and don't quite know what to do. 563 00:33:07,875 --> 00:33:08,791 [Noriko sighs] 564 00:33:08,875 --> 00:33:09,708 Thank you. 565 00:33:09,791 --> 00:33:11,333 -[David] No good? -No, thank you. 566 00:33:11,416 --> 00:33:13,208 Good. Thank you. 567 00:33:13,708 --> 00:33:17,125 -[David] Was it the energy down there? -Something's happening down there 568 00:33:17,208 --> 00:33:18,958 that's affecting her this way. 569 00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:24,041 And those are things that we wouldn't feel, but you do? 570 00:33:24,291 --> 00:33:27,083 They are here. They are here. 571 00:33:27,166 --> 00:33:29,166 [Yo speaking japanese] 572 00:33:29,625 --> 00:33:32,000 Even if I drink the salt, they still come for me. 573 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:35,666 [Noriko] How should I describe it? 574 00:33:35,791 --> 00:33:40,291 It is as if they are trying to take me. 575 00:33:41,041 --> 00:33:44,708 Am I safe being here? I've had the salt, but am I okay being here? 576 00:33:45,166 --> 00:33:47,916 Yes, no problem. Everyone is fine. 577 00:33:48,416 --> 00:33:51,958 Everyone except me. 578 00:33:53,083 --> 00:33:54,875 [birds tweeting] 579 00:33:54,958 --> 00:33:56,958 That's the Jukai. 580 00:33:57,791 --> 00:34:00,416 [birds tweeting] 581 00:34:04,833 --> 00:34:06,541 [narrator] I don't believe in ghosts, 582 00:34:06,625 --> 00:34:09,916 but everyone here seems to genuinely feel their presence. 583 00:34:10,833 --> 00:34:12,000 I'm not going to argue. 584 00:34:13,083 --> 00:34:16,125 If Noriko's beliefs stopped her from taking her own life, 585 00:34:16,208 --> 00:34:17,541 then that's a good thing. 586 00:34:18,166 --> 00:34:22,083 And after seeing the forest for myself, and meeting Noriko, 587 00:34:22,708 --> 00:34:26,458 I've decided there's nothing romantic about looking for dead bodies 588 00:34:26,541 --> 00:34:28,166 or the idea of suicide. 589 00:34:29,166 --> 00:34:31,875 I don't think Jukai is haunted or cursed, 590 00:34:32,208 --> 00:34:35,125 but the forest certainly does live up to its reputation 591 00:34:35,208 --> 00:34:37,625 as a strange and eerie place to visit. 592 00:34:42,666 --> 00:34:45,250 I travel a thousand kilometers west. 593 00:34:45,416 --> 00:34:49,416 My final destination is a short boat ride off the coast of Nagasaki. 594 00:34:49,958 --> 00:34:51,666 It's the ultimate ghost town. 595 00:34:52,250 --> 00:34:56,958 [sound of sea hitting the shore] 596 00:35:00,333 --> 00:35:01,416 [David] Oh, wow. 597 00:35:05,333 --> 00:35:08,708 [David] You can see the whole structure going down to the water. 598 00:35:11,375 --> 00:35:12,666 [David] It's unreal. 599 00:35:15,375 --> 00:35:18,916 [narrator] Abandoned places are like magnets for dark tourists, 600 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,291 especially if they are as haunting and spectacular as Hashima Island. 601 00:35:26,958 --> 00:35:30,958 Hashima is also called Battleship Island because of its distinctive shape. 602 00:35:32,375 --> 00:35:37,458 Sixty years ago, this was the most densely-populated place on the planet. 603 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,541 Five and a half thousand people lived here, 604 00:35:45,791 --> 00:35:49,250 crammed into an area the size of a few football fields. 605 00:35:49,916 --> 00:35:54,375 Now it's completely empty. I want to know what happened. 606 00:36:03,250 --> 00:36:06,458 I arranged to meet two former residents to find out. 607 00:36:06,541 --> 00:36:07,875 [David] Hi, nice to meet you. 608 00:36:08,416 --> 00:36:10,791 -[Ishikawa-san] Hi. -[Kenoshita-san] Nice to meet you. 609 00:36:11,208 --> 00:36:15,041 [narrator] Ishikawa-san and Kenoshita-san lived here in its heyday. 610 00:36:15,750 --> 00:36:19,666 They offer me special access to the crumbling buildings on the island. 611 00:36:19,750 --> 00:36:21,875 [David] So do you know exactly where we're going? 612 00:36:21,958 --> 00:36:23,708 [Kenoshita speaking japanese] 613 00:36:23,791 --> 00:36:25,750 [Ishikawa] We're going up to the ninth floor now. 614 00:36:25,833 --> 00:36:27,333 [David] All right. A lot of walking! 615 00:36:28,333 --> 00:36:30,625 [David] Well, I'm game if you are. 616 00:36:31,291 --> 00:36:33,708 [narrator] There were no elevators in this place. 617 00:36:33,791 --> 00:36:38,791 I wonder what it was like walking up and down nine floors several times a day. 618 00:36:39,083 --> 00:36:41,000 And the ceilings are very low. 619 00:36:41,375 --> 00:36:43,125 [Ishikawa] Watch your head there. 620 00:36:43,916 --> 00:36:45,541 -[David] All right. -[Ishikawa] So wet. 621 00:36:46,125 --> 00:36:48,458 [narrator] It looks like everyone left in a hurry. 622 00:36:48,541 --> 00:36:49,958 There's stuff everywhere. 623 00:36:50,041 --> 00:36:51,500 [David] It's a real mess. 624 00:36:52,416 --> 00:36:56,250 This is my room, my house. 625 00:36:56,541 --> 00:36:58,958 -[noise of ruins cracking] -[David sighs] 626 00:36:59,041 --> 00:37:00,250 [noise of ruins cracking] 627 00:37:00,458 --> 00:37:02,875 [David] Where are we standing now? It's so small. 628 00:37:02,958 --> 00:37:04,750 [David] How many of you lived in here? 629 00:37:05,083 --> 00:37:07,500 My family and I, the six of us lived here. 630 00:37:09,208 --> 00:37:11,208 It was very crowded. 631 00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:17,541 We used to sleep in the closet, right here. 632 00:37:18,916 --> 00:37:21,041 [David] Was it a place that people wanted to live? 633 00:37:21,125 --> 00:37:23,791 Out here? Was it somewhere quite exciting to be? 634 00:37:24,291 --> 00:37:26,583 [Ishikawa] For us, this is where we were born. 635 00:37:26,666 --> 00:37:29,166 It was the norm for us and I didn't know anywhere else. 636 00:37:30,083 --> 00:37:33,000 [narrator] In fact, Hashima was the first of its kind. 637 00:37:33,708 --> 00:37:36,125 Japan's first concrete apartment complex. 638 00:37:36,333 --> 00:37:39,541 And it offered a better standard of living compared to the rest of the country. 639 00:37:40,708 --> 00:37:46,916 There were shops, sports facilities, a public swimming pool and a school. 640 00:37:50,125 --> 00:37:53,750 Hashima is here because there's a coal mine underneath the island. 641 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:55,875 They built the town right on top. 642 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:02,208 The men say the mine became uneconomic in the late 1970s 643 00:38:02,291 --> 00:38:04,500 and everyone left in the space of a week. 644 00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:12,708 -[Ishikawa] This is where we played a lot. -[Kenoshita laughing] 645 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,666 [narrator] They take me to the highest point on the island, 646 00:38:15,750 --> 00:38:17,791 to a Shinto temple they used to visit. 647 00:38:18,666 --> 00:38:19,750 [Ishikawa] Ah! 648 00:38:21,625 --> 00:38:24,458 Fifty years. 649 00:38:25,250 --> 00:38:28,583 I haven't been up to this temple for 50 years. 650 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,250 Very nostalgic. I thought it would be larger. 651 00:38:34,375 --> 00:38:38,375 [narrator] It's inspiring up here and I feel moved to join in. 652 00:38:38,458 --> 00:38:40,625 -[Ishikawa] There's nothing here! -[Kenoshita laughing] 653 00:38:40,708 --> 00:38:43,666 This brings back memories. 654 00:38:43,916 --> 00:38:46,500 -[ japanese laughing ] -[David] What is the clap? 655 00:38:46,583 --> 00:38:50,500 [translator] It's two bows, two claps, and then... another bow. 656 00:38:50,708 --> 00:38:52,875 -Okay, so two bows... -[translator] Two. 657 00:38:53,166 --> 00:38:55,916 -...two claps and then another bow. -[Ishikawa] Okay. 658 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:56,833 [Japanese laughing] 659 00:38:58,333 --> 00:39:02,583 [David] This is amazing. You can see the whole place from up here. 660 00:39:03,541 --> 00:39:04,541 It's incredible. 661 00:39:05,875 --> 00:39:11,458 [sound of sea hitting the shore] 662 00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:17,750 [narrator] This island is absolutely epic. 663 00:39:19,458 --> 00:39:22,583 It's haunting to be in a place that was once home to so many, 664 00:39:23,083 --> 00:39:25,291 but is now completely desolate. 665 00:39:26,541 --> 00:39:30,125 All that remains are memories and ghosts of the past. 666 00:39:40,125 --> 00:39:46,833 [sound of plane taking off] 667 00:39:47,375 --> 00:39:50,333 [narrator] On this trip, I've flirted with radiation, 668 00:39:50,625 --> 00:39:52,750 desolation and death. 669 00:39:53,750 --> 00:39:57,791 I've been forced out of my comfort zone and had my beliefs challenged. 670 00:39:58,875 --> 00:40:02,375 And somehow it's made me feel even more happy to be alive.