The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster - Epidemic of Ghosts 

Thanks for watching, and for all the feedback. I’m really proud of this series.

“Ghosts are more tolerable than the void created by death” *damn*

You forgot to mention the elderly people who enlisted to clean up the mess. 😢 They were willing to sacrifice themselves so young people didn't get exposed to radiation. Some true heroes.

There was one town who spared from the tsunami with only a single death, Fudai, Iwate. It was all because of one of the previous mayor, Kotoku Wamura's, decision to have an Extremely controversial floodgate built. It was because of him knowing how much death and distruction a tsunami could cause that he managed to save his town years after his death.

That poor man who doesn't like the rain because he sees the faces of the dead in the puddles is so chilling. It shows the trauma all survivors suffered and will suffer for the rest of their lives. The world has moved on but those survivors will always have the events of that day imprinted on their minds for the rest of their lives. God bless them all. 🙏

The most powerful story from this disaster has got to be the legion of retirees and elderly who volunteered to do cleanup because they didn’t want youngsters to suffer the long term effects of radiation exposure.

i've heard that cab drivers who pick up ghosts still drive them to the destination even after theyve visually vanished, open the door for them to let them out, and continue on. japanese tales of spirits and their culture of respect never ceases to break my heart.

I remember the cab driver story's end, he completed the trip as a sign of respect, and even opened the door for her to get out when he got to the area, in order to be sure to please the ghost.

"Ghosts are more tolerable than the void created by death" is such a powerful line

“A sign at the front forbids playing Pokémon Go” Nature is healing

“Ghosts are more tolerable than the void created by death," what a powerful quote

The last minute story not only gave me chills, but broke my heart into pieces... I'm so deeply sorry for everyone who's lives changed by the unforseen disaster😭

I was in Chiba, Japan when this happened, I was trapped on a train for an hour and then had a 3 hour walk home as all the trains stopped. My wife had a seven hour walk home from Tokyo. As she left her work building she saw huge pieces of concrete that had fallen off the building. Luckily not hitting anyone. I remember the train screeching to a halt then rocking so violently I thought it would roll over. The lamp posts I could see on the street outside were vibrating very quickly. We all then got off the front of the train and had to walk along the tracks to the nearest station ahead. It had severe damage to the signs, roof, a lift had fallen through the shaft and water was pouring out of walls and pipes. I then went down on to the street and it was eerie, no electricity, cars bumper to bumper and not moving, buses packed like sardine tins and women buying pairs of trainers to walk home in from the few shoe shops that were still open and discarding their high heels. People were on the street with hard hats on. I got home to my 9th floor flat and the place looked like it had been in a washing machine. All night long there were aftershocks and the building was swaying. No sleep that night. The next morning I stood on the balcony as an aftershock hit, it was like a roller coaster and a few hundred metres away a neighbours old wooden house burst into flames. They must have been cooking breakfast and spilt oil or a gas pipe burst. What made things worse was a law that said a national disaster couldn't be announced until all parliamentary members were present in the diet building and agreed to it. This slowed things down somewhat as politicians had to travel to Tokyo to declare this and travel was severely restricted. However, they did manage to sneak in a law overnight that made the radiation level in a nuclear reactor the same legal level on the street anywhere in Japan. Then they could say everything was safe and therewas nothing to worry about. Radiation was found all over the country, in grass, in cows milk and in human breast milk. People who had money quickly fled to Okinawa. The French Government laid on planes for it's citizens to get out. The UK government advised it's citizens to get out then did absolutely nothing to help them. There are stories of how calmly people reacted but believe me it wasn't like that. I remember standing in a queue outside a supermarket to buy a bag of rice and as the doors opened at 10am, people just rushed in and grabbed what they could. A free for all. Supermarket shelves were empty and opened only for a few hours each day. They put limits such as one bag of rice and one loaf of bread per person but people got round that by having families spilt up and target different supermarkets. They had to ban shellfish for a time and tuna in America was found to have radiation in it as it is a fish that travels back and forth across the Pacific. Then other fish that feed on tuna were found to have radiation in them. The terrible thing was that not one prefecture in Japan agreed to take the waste from Fukushima for recycling or disposal. It had to shipped out of Japan to developing countries who agreed to take it. People were homeless for years and lived in school sports halls. The Government really failed people and still are. I did a radio interview with a station in the UK explaining how the immigration office was packed with people trying to get re-entry visas, which were required at the time for people to leave Japan and come back later if you were a resident. Usually the wait for a re-entry visa was half a day but they were smashing them out in 30 minutes at about £30 a pop. On my walk home I saw lots of damage, a burning oil refinery, burst water mains, cracked walls. I remember the newspaper story about a building site that had a crane overhanging a main road in Tokyo, a really brave Korean worker climbed the tower crane as it was shaking and turned it round so if it fell, it wouldn't fall across the main road. We should remember the Fukushima 57. They knew they would die shortly after going in to clear the site at Fukushima but they still did it. The part about ghosts reminds me of all the ghost sightings during WWI and WWII. People just trying to make sense of things and their imagination takes over.

I never realized a scientist could be so great at telling ghost stories. This gave me chills. Also, thank you for mentioning that part about "ghosts are real enough to the people who [experience] them." When my sister passed, hearing her laugh was the only peace I knew for months.

With regards to TEPCO and trying to sit it out: the prime minister at the time (Naoto Kan) drove to their head-office (unannounced), walked in, and proceeded to shout at the representatives in frustration over their lack of action. Pretty much unheard of in Japan, but at least it got them to slowly start doing something.

Watching this reminded me of how I was seeing my deceased friend for 3 months after his death.He took his own life violently and we were close. I saw him in car windows as I walked by and in water reflecting on the ground when it rained. He was always smiling and it never scared me. In fact it helped me grieve to know he was alright. I think of him every day.

I feel like with this being such a small and subtle meltdown compared to Chernobyl, and it being the second worst nuclear disaster in human history, it speaks to how stable and controlled nuclear power plants have become, when handled properly. Especially since this was set off by a natural disaster.

“The man now hates the rain, because he sees the faces of those who’ve died, in the puddles” This quote is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine

I love it that they ran the scenarios and assesst the risk and 5 years later it happened. I guess it doesn't matter where you live, your boss never listens.

Chilling story at the end. My cousin saw a deceased relative on the side of the road with his wife. They didn't talk the whole way back home cause they knew what they saw. They are both down on earth and would never normally tell me this kind of story.

As someone suffering from PTSD, I am not surprised to hear that survivors now see "ghosts." In a way flashbacks are like the ghosts of memories, coming back to haunt us. Sometimes mine are so real I can see, smell, hear, and feel everything that happens in a flashback. So seeing and speaking to the "ghosts," of potential victems in the water could easily be flashbacks of the tradgedies they've endured.

Imagine being the enginner who built this place, you literally did everything you can, designed so many safety protocal, and nature throws a 50ft wave at your power plant

ghost stories told by a scientist who respects the context of the story hits extra hard because it leaves you mind racing with more thoughts and questions

My Buddy was one of the Marines that went to help. He fell and got impaled by rebar while looking for survivors. He lived but had a gnarly scar.

I was stationed in Japan for 4 years up as a Marine, up until last year. This is just my opinion and observation: Japan has an eerie, calm, and often depressive atmosphere to it that I could never quite explain. It seemed that no matter how positive the occasion was, something still lingered in the air. This, plus the fact that there are often more cloudy/rainy days in that region compound to the austere atmosphere. I befriended some really great young Japanese friends out there obviously and many would confide and tell me they were not happy with life or the country. I believe that this country-wide feeling is what primarily explains the "ghosts". Rampant depression + environmental conditions + traumatic events. The mind is a powerful thing.

The ghosts are real enough to those who see them. This doc gave me chills

"The man now hates the rain, because he sees the faces of those who died in the puddles." An incredibly apt statement about trauma

I forgot what it was, but I was watching a docuseries set in Japan a year ago, and it didn't really have anything to do with natural disasters, but they were in that area for an episode and they interviewed a woman who had lost her husband and most of the rest of her family in the tsunami. The way she talked about the ocean was so amazing to me. The Japanese, especially along the coast, have always had a deep and complicated relationship with the ocean. For thousands of years, it's been a source of food and life and protection from foreign invaders, but it has also rained down death and destruction from time to time. They have a deep love and respect for it, but they also know and fear what it can do. It's beautiful in a bittersweet sort of way.

That taxi driver story just gave me chills. Whether you believe in ghosts, or you don't... I hope that girl finds some peace in whatever is beyond.

The elderly people who came back to feed the stray cats/dogs (pets?) in the area daily have my eternal respect and admiration.

The bit with the taxi and the young woman asking "have I died?" strikes me as so immensely sad.

This is no mumbo jumbo. It is real. When I visited NYC after 9/11 I walked toward Ground Zero, at that time already completely excavated, but I still felt the presence of people who have lost their life there without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. I felt the dispair and a huge pressure on my chest.

I was in rural coastal Japan not long ago and was shocked and impressed by the sheer size and scale of the tsunami protection along the coastline. Every single town near there is virtually abandoned, but those who aren’t have heavy duty and large scale tsunami barriers, fencing and signage. Was a very eerie feeling driving through those areas

After my grandpa died, my grandma saw him sometimes, for a few weeks. She knew it wasn't real, she always said. One morning for example, she walked into the living room, he was just standing at the window, looking outside. She asked "What are you doing" and he answered "Just looking." She closed her eyes, opened them again and he was gone. She knew it was just in her head but had no control over it.

Engineers: hey, uhh, the generators might be vulnerable to waters specially in an event of flood TEPCO: just install a door to prevent it Engineers: ohh, you mean water tight doors? TEPCO: no, just doors

there needs to be a movie made about this mass haunting.. just listening to the facts gave me such an eerie feeling..

The elderly people going back to feed animals and clean up the mess have my respect

well okay, I guess I can mark "Kyle Hill made me ugly-cry on my lunch break" on my list of things I never saw coming but happened anyway.

“unfathomable energy fathoms below”…nice touch.

Having lived in Japan, there's something there that makes it easier to experience the paranormal I think. In my 4 years in Okinawa I had 4 separate experiences, my friends had several others (with us sharing 1) and none of us were really believers up to that point. I've lived a lot of places, but that's the only real place I experienced anything like that

Thank you to our elders for making the ultimate sacrifice in order to prolong our youth. Thank you, Kyle, for highlighting that as well. As a Nikkeijin, I am always proud to represent my Japanese brothers, sisters, jii-chans and baa-chans. Our elders’ actions repeatedly exemplify, in times of desperation and crisis, how brave and honorable they/we are as Japanese. I hope it injects inspiration in others to be courageous in crisis. “You may abandon your physical body, but you must always preserve your honor.” - Miyamoto Musashi

"Im afraid of the rain because I see the faces of the dead in the puddles"- that one gave me chills

To people saying “he shouldn’t have insinuated that ghosts are real”, 1) it’s a big metaphor 2) he said it himself: it’s besides the point. No matter if you believe in real ghosts, the grief of Japan is a ghost that haunts the public. Grief manifests in strange ways, and Kyle was simply pointing out a trend of ghost stories among people who were affected by the Tsunami.

That final anecdote you shared at the end - absolutely haunting. I hope all those who survived can eventually find peace. May those who perished in the disaster be able to rest easy.

“This unfathomable energy fathoms below the ocean surface.” I’m having a tough time fathoming that.

This is my favorite so far of the half-life histories. This event hasn't been covered much on youtube, not nearly as popular as Chernobyl. It has unknown dangers to it, so I think it's important for people to understand what happened and what problems it could cause in the present and future.

I was living in Tokyo when the earthquake hit. It was my five year wedding anniversary. The next several days and months were some of the most surreal of my life. Thank you for making this. Amazingly well done.

I've been learning more and more about the Japanese culture while learning the language, and something I found interesting is that Japan has a sort of time period where they are visited by their ancestors. I had discussed this with my tutor and it was explained to me that it's usually about a few days or a week long where for example, say, at dinner they have a framed photo of someone who has passed on at the table and will still be served food as though they were visiting. That it's a period to be visited by those they have lost and it is typically during the changing of the season. So hearing stories about people in Japan seeing ghosts of family/friends/loved ones after such a tragic event isn't a big surprise, at least to me, since they have a culture in which they are concious of those that have passed on. Perhaps it's because of that, they may be more susceptible to experiencing these events?

I don’t know much where to start but I have so many emotions flooding back after these years. I remember where I was standing when the earthquake hit. I remember seeing hundreds of people people sway back and forth like dolls as the floor beneath me rumbled violently. I remember the sirens blaring and announcement made as the tsunami approached. My luck was my location within a shipyard in Tokyo Bay, which was fairly well sheltered from any direct impact. We did, however, have ships with thousands of tonnage swung around like plastic in the wind, brows collapsing and the impact absorbed by rubber guards on the pier. I remember bracing as the swells impacted our vessel. I remember the news reports constantly flooding in over the next few days. I remember receiving our orders to cease repairs and get to sea to avoid further contamination. I remember, a few years later, visiting the evacuated areas around the plant. I remember observing the takeover of plants and animals and witnessing the black mountains of contaminated top soil which had been bagged and stacked in fields and stadiums. I remember seeing remote monitoring stations staged around the town as me and a friend drove around. Most of all, I remember seeing a few other people- the locals who remained- driving around as well. Almost seemingly out of place in a place which looked as abandoned and desolate as it was. Walls still collapsed. Rubble still littering the roads and sidewalks. Bags on porch stairs which were left in the rush to evacuate. Quite and eerie sight. I also, however, greatly appreciate you bringing to light some of the hard facts about the scales comparison, or lack thereof, to the Chernobyl event and how it’s really hard to remotely make that comparison. As someone who understands nuclear power after being involved in operation of a power plant, I appreciate that an awareness can be made to both how well in the present and how horribly in the past that this was handled by TEPCO despite the glaring disaster that it was. I mere 3 years from the anniversary of a day I will never forget I was able to get within 3km of the plant. Much closer than anyone could say of a place like Chernobyl and Pripyat. I hope the souls and spirits less fortunate on that day can find peace once again.

"It doesn't really matter whether or not you think ghosts are real or whether spirits exist. They were and are real enough to the survivors." This is the correct response. Whether something spiritual really is going on or if we're simply seeing a response that the human brain fabricates to deal with overwhelming trauma and loss, the important thing is that we meet and accept grieving people wherever they are in their grief.

I was stationed in Japan when the disaster happened. I gained so much respect for the Japanese people. Their resilience is unmatched in the face of death, starvation & dehydration. I'll never forget the faces on the bodies I moved.

this was so difficult to watch because my grandparents and aunts/uncles and cousins was getting hit hard during those times while I was in Hawaii crying with my mom when we saw it on the news. they were running out of food and it was frustrating that we couldnt send anything until things were cleared.

Nuclear power has a bad rep because of a few events. To date it is still the safest and cleanest source of energy. The only mistakes are human error.

I can't even comprehend how traumatic this must have been for the people affected even to this day. My heart goes out to them

I was very close to someone in the military, they were stationed in Japan when this happened. He told me how horrible it was, for over a week he and other units were fishing people out of irradiated water. Just trying to help damage control while their government figured out what to do. Out of everything he had seen from tours elsewhere he said this was the one of the worst because this wasnt a warzone. This was were he lived.

This was absolutely fascinating and very well done! I have so much respect for RU-vidrs like this.

This might be your best work yet. Got literal chills from the ending.

Dude I think I speak for everyone when I say we love these documentaries. Could you do 3 mile island next? Edit: thanks for the gold kind stranger!

I've never heard someone talk about this disaster in a way that gave me chills. Something about how you tell stories just hits harder than most, Kyle.

That last cab story gave me goosebumps. Love your videos. Thank you!

I really have to say, this video touched me. I remember watching this closely as a child as it was happening. This was really an amazing video, and had one of the best first minutes I've seen in a piece of media. Thank you.

This series really does wonders for hitting that science craving, and that gritty realism behind legitimate tragedies

I don't know why, but the comment about the clock nearly had me crying. I saw another video on this topic, but it focused almost solely on the plant and the workers rather than the surrounding area. The people who worked around the clock to suppress and contain the reactors are heroes.

My first visit here, and impressed on how well you told the story and facts that were told. I can only imagine the nightmare those people suffered.

A very sad and tragic day for the people of Japan. Thanks for putting this video together.

I can't believe it has been 10 years since this happened. I still remember it well.

"Ghosts of the Tsunami" by Richard Parry is an unforgettable book. In it he explains, in part, the problems that a parent group encountered bringing to justice a cowardly teacher who abandoned children to be swept away, make a local school board aware and confront them, and many more individual stories. Japanese cultural norms and customs were examined in their responses and actions, and then, the psychological role of ghosts is examined. Excellent book that lets you into an intimate lives of a culture of privacy, propriety and scrupulous regard for one another, facing disaster and crisis.

I miss your old "Because Science" videos, but I'm really enjoying these longer form informational/documentary store videos. Keep up the good work my dude!

I was waiting and waiting for the ghost stuff and heck you delivered with that story at the end. I'm tearing up.

“TEPCO installs doors.” What a reaction.

The clock being stuck at 2:47 in itself is probably the biggest of ghosts. I'd do the same as the man if I was in his place only I'd never reset it even if people returned. It would serve as the reminder of how precious our lives are and serving others is a humble honor.

Man, the part he talked about the ghost gave the chill through my bones

When I was a preschool kid I had a book about volcanoes and earthquakes; inside it was a picture of a tiny looking house in front of an enormous wave over twice its height. The caption read: "Tsunami means 'Big Harbour Wave' in the language of Japan, where, due to the geological circumstances, this phenomenon is well known and has been observed multiple times in history. Tsunamis can reach a height of ten meters and even more." I never understood how anyone at Tepco could be so ignorant of something I had read in a science book for children.

“Every man is put on earth condemned to die. Time and method of execution unknown.” - Rod Serling

This was like watching a love letter, poem and a horror story being read all in one I loved it

Absolute chills as you talk about that clock I had never thought about ghosts like that.

This series is so fascinating and thought provoking and genuinely human. How did I just find out about it??

When reading all the times T.E.P.C.O had ignored the warnings, you sounded mad like it was personal. I liked it, that's how it should be. That might be the bigging intentional fuck up ever.

Note to self: Put emergency generators on roof

What a tragedy. I couldn’t imagine being a victim to that, let alone a survivor.

Thank you for taking the time to make these videos, you make it convenient and fun to educate myself on history and I appreciate that!

This was very well presented and I thank you for that. You captured the essence of the Japanese people, the culture, and the tragedy. My mother was Japanese. I'm 1/2 Japanese born in Japan but raised in the States. My mother very seldom talked about her childhood living in Tokyo during the war, but she did one day after having a bad argument with my father. She said that he would never know what it would be like, as a 6y/o child running through the streets of Tokyo trying to make it to the bomb shelter. Her father and brother were carrying her mom and they were jumping and running over dead bodies. Or the sound of grasshoppers jumping against a pan lid while being cooked 'cause that was the only thing to eat. Her father sent her to her grandparents farm in the country just before Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. Friends and family lost. The horrors that she eventually saw. She passed away many years ago, but she is always with me. Her altar (per Buddhism) sits in my husband's great, great grandparents china hutch in our dining room. She eats with us, hears our stories and days events, her grandson (our son) always talks to her.... Again, thank you.

Man it was such an unfair tragedy against japan, huge earthquake and tsunami is beyond devastating by itself, but to then have a nuclear meltdown. My heart goes out to all that died from that

Imagine if we could produce a controlled release of these fault line stresses and capture a fraction of that energy.

I've enjoyed all of your HLH episodes, but this one is a real work of art. I learned something, and I'm in tears.

"Have I died?" Wow, how utterly heartbreaking.

"The cab driver, now terrified, turned around to look at the young woman, but no one was there until next time." Commas can turn this bit into a horror plot.

The amount of research in all your videos is OUTSTANDING! this one made my heart hurt for those souls who were ripped too fast.

This is an excellent RU-vid channel. Subscribed. Thank you, this is genuinely informative material.

17:56 "A sign at the front entrance forbids playing Pokemon Go" There's always that one guy who tries to catch them all.

"Ghosts are more tolerable then the void created by death" That sentence put a tear in my eye.

I think its really understated about the loss of approximately 120,000 buildings and almost 20k people. Like that level of loss and devastation is unfathomable. Then to have this nuclear disaster occur as a cause of it is just horrific.

Not me taking notes for my school project on ghosts I failed-

I was living along the Tohoku coast when the tsunami hit. I watched the wave come in. The first clip you see of black water overwhelming a roadside barrier? That was from my town. To say it haunts me to this day, eleven years later, is an understatement.

"Ghosts are more tolerable than the void left by death" Goddamn

It's interesting to note the context. Yes, Fukushima is the second worst nuclear disaster to have happened, but it's like comparing a hurricane to a bad rainstorm.

This is really incredible work. Thank you.

"A sign at the front gate that forbids playing Pokemon Go." I did not expect that little bit of levity. Amazing series Kyle.

I think the most interesting thing was the graduate student who based her thesis on the taxi cab ghosts following the tsunami. She interviewed countless drivers and many had similar stories of picking up ghost passengers, looking back when it was time for their stop and they were nowhere to be found, but the cab fare was still running and the drivers had the receipts of the unpaid fare to back it up. Whether it was more of the same social phenomena occurring or more of a collective psychological defense mechanism in order to process the grief, or actual paranormal encounters, the taxi cab accounts still remain fascinating.

Wow, this was an excellent episode. Great graphics and great narration. Definitely a new sub in me.