A Foreign woman from France named Tiphaine Veron went missing in Nikko, Japan without a trace in 2018. Her family are still looking for her. Her luggage, passport, and phone were left in her hotel room. Her family were upset because once Covid started they were not able to enter Japan for 2 years while she remained missing. They were in Japan spreading awareness last year but still no leads. I remember seeing fliers about her because I was in Nikko shortly after she went missing.
@@caolanhogeweide6555same there were posters everywhere. Tbh I can see how someone can go missing there as I went hiking deep in the mountains and there is big falls and large bodies of water
I went to Japan on a one way ticket multiple times in 2014. Nobody asked for a return ticket. I know when everybody hears about this case, they immediately go to suicide. I was very similar to Skye in my late teens/early 20s, very depressed, quiet, low self esteem, but had huge dreams of living abroad. No support from family who only seemed to just take my life and dreams as a joke. My mom had a huge case of ‘empty nest syndrome’ around the time my brother and I graduated high school. So there was absolutely no support from my parents at all time where moving to Japan was so important to me. When I was 18, I was almost at the point of dropping everything and moving to Japan to settle down with my at the time online ‘boyfriend’ in Fukuoka. As a currently now 30 year old with a fully developed frontal lobe, I understand how ridiculous that sounds! But at the time, I just felt so trapped and empty inside. I had a plethora of friends online in Japan, but felt like I had nobody in my rural hometown in Texas. It felt like my only escape at the time. Thankfully I made a better plan and informed my family when I left. But man…I was close to just risking it all at a chance for happiness. People ask “Why Hokkaido????? It just doesn’t make sense????” It makes perfect sense. She was there with someone. Perhaps a lover? Perhaps a friend? We wont ever know. But I was big into penpal sites in 2008~2011 and it wasnt hard at all to meet Japanese men who wanted to flirt with gaijin women. Idk, maybe because I’ve been in a similar position. But it all seems so plausible to me.
So crazy you popped up! This is like my 2nd or 3rd account that I’ve always kept following you. It’s been easily 8 or 9 years. You seem well! Hope it is
I don' t have anything of value to add, but when you mentioned wondering why she chose Hokkaido, it got my thinking. I'm from Texas, so have had my fill of hot, miserable climates. If I ever were to travel to or by some miracle move to Japan, Hokkaido would be the most ideal place to go -- I also love the vibe of more rural Japan. Though, like you mentioned, I do always associate Japanese people with southern Japan, so I do think it would be fun to see what Japanese people up north are like. Also, as far as anime that maybe inspired her interest in Hokkaido: although it wasn't set in Hokkaido, Kanon (2006) was set during winter and very snowy and until I looked it up to be sure, I had always thought it was set in Hokkaido -- maybe I researched and learned about Hokkaido after watching it. and after so much time my mind just connected the two It definitely imprinted heavily in my mind and made me want to visit a snowy place in Japan. I can't think of any other anime with a similar setting as Kanon and time wise, it could fit, I think.
Another case where a foreigner went missing in Japan is that of Tiphaine Veron, a French woman who went missing in Nikko, Tochigi on a well-planned trip to Japan. Her case is more well known than Skye's, and her parents are still looking for her and asking the public for information.
There are still some online articles from 2008 about it.Really annoying that some sites notice you have an adblocker, and they want you to turn it off. Which I never do.
Yeah the most annoying is when you don’t finish the article cause they ask you to pay for a subscription. I can’t imagine paying a sub for any online zine or newspaper.
As for it being Hokkaido, Hokkaido is one of my top destinations now that I have already been to Tokyo twice and Gunma for Onsens. It has always been in my top 4 places inside Japan, but I love the snow, winter festivals, skiing and wilderness so that may explain it.
That’s so surprising. I’ve been a resident for nine years, and every time I come back to Japan from abroad I’m asked for a return ticket, but don’t need to show one after I show my resident card. Maybe it depends on the quality of the airline and how strictly they follow laws and regulations?
Thank you so much for making a video about this! I hope that one day we can know what happened to Skye. I've been thinking for a while about how we can understand more about Skye and why she decided to go where she did. I think looking into the anime and manga she was into would help (you did touch on this a bit in the video.) It seems that one of her favorite manga and anime series was The Petshop of Horrors (One of her friends wrote a fanfiction for this series and dedicated it to Skye.) I haven't watched Pet Shop of Horrors or read the manga but I've considered reading it. I've listened to Megan's podcast and it's very illuminating on this case. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the podcast episodes.
I've failed in college before, it definitely feels awful. If failing several, it can feel like you're wasting your time/money and can be easily criticized I'm certain. Frankly, she probably had severe mental health issues going on that were a bit hidden and college going nowhere probably just pushed it in further. It's sad to think someone would get that far-gone they'd think to do this and act on it fully, but I suspect it's the case.
I heard from a couple of sources about an email she wrote but didn’t send to a friend that said she was going to “start over”. I didn’t really get “suicide note” from that, but maybe that’s what they’re referring to?
I went to Japan on a 1 year student visa back in 2008, and I hold the citizenship that required an obligatory visa even for touristic purposes. I went in with a one way ticket and was never asked about having a return one. I don’t think there are specific checks for visa waiver countries.
that's what i thought of when i heard a manga set in hokkaido too. it's too new for her to have watched or read it though. i've been trying to look for popular manga that was set in hokkaido before 2007 but got no clue. maybe it really was just a random choice
I think the suicide theory is the most likely; however it almost seems TOO obvious to be that. Especially since NO TRACE of her seems to have ever been found. Even if animals had gotten to her, it seems like SOMETHING would have been found. As young as she was, could definitely be human trafficking…. which we all know is common in JP. I’m an American living in Okinawa & my job covers the human trafficking issue & spot it /avoid it/ report it. The training is mandatory once a yr. There are just far too many unknowns I with her case I suppose. I CAN say this. I arrived in Japan in 2016 (Narita) with a ONE WAY ticket. Not sure how I managed it, but no question were asked about it & I had no issues. I was on a simple 90 day tourist visa. Ended up remaining in Okinawa because I love the island & general culture…. & my job sponsors me here. So once I got sponsored by my work, I was cleared to stay past my 90 days. Not sure how she would have been able to do something similar unless she completely changed her name & passport. But even then, I’m sure her passport would’ve “pinged” authorities; especially Interpol. All that being said, when my daughter came here 2 yrs ago, she was required to purchase a return trip ticket. So we bought the cheapest possible ticket to ANYWHERE USA because she wasn’t planning to go back anyway. So got the ticket refunded. So, not sure why some can get through without a return ticket & others can’t. I mean, they wouldn’t even let my daughter fly out of the U.S WITHOUT the return ticket. 🤷♀️ Definitely an odd case. I had never of this case before now. I left Northern JP in 2001 BEFORE it happened & didn’t make it BACK to JP until 2016. I hope the family can find answers soon though. Maybe the DNA will be useful in finding out what happened. My thoughts are with them!
Yeah, human trafficking is a major possibility. Maybe she had a secret interest in Hokkaido, but I can also see someone guiding her through this process, offering money, and with the intention of meeting up in Noboribetsu- a bit obscure for 2008. If she was attacked by a bear, there’d be blood and a partial body somewhere. And someone would have probably noticed a white foreigner back then walking up to a trail head or taking a bus or taxi to be dropped off. People talk in small towns. The human trafficking almost sounds more plausible because there’s a body that has not turned up in Noboribetsu. And she suddenly had thousands of dollars for her trip. I’m wondering if she met with someone at some location in Noboribetsu, got in their car, and that was that. They could driven 50+ miles out of town.
Human trafficking in Tokyo and Osaka yes…in the snowy country side mountains of Hokkaido? As far as suicide yeah but maybe more so just letting herself be taken by the elements? Good insight and theories nonetheless
Given her age and the weird situation of her suddenly making a trip. I do wonder if there was an influence of a person she met via a website of some kind. Then ended up being human trafficked because of the odd region she went to for one. The suicide note could have been a way to get people not to look for her. It's just strange nothing has ever been found.
Just a week ago a guy named Darren Salerno went missing for a few days. His family set up a gofundme and it generated $14k. Turns out he was detained by police for doing something bad. Thus tells me a scam was planned. Most of the missing in Japan were likely drunker and got held by police. I hope his family gets called out for this crap.
I still remember the case of the guy who ran the You Tube Japan vlog channel Shi-nu Asami. He was a very troubled man who shared some of the worst personal abuse stories I have ever read. He went to Japan to get away from his demons and have a new life but finished up ending himself there in Khobe back in 2016. Not exactly related to the topic here but it just comes back to mind again.
Is there any article, or log of this on the internet? I have never heard anything about this. Edit: researched the name ah I knew her pre transition. She would come to the hanami party for 3 years. Good person but they were dealing with a lot of personal issues that Japan was not a good place for. Sadly I know how all this ended. Sad story.
This is terrible. Can’t imagine what her family has gone through. In the years I’ve studied, travelled and taught in Japan, your channel is the first time I’ve heard of this. This sounds tactless, but if this was turned into a Netflix documentary like “Tinder Swindler,” you’d get some people talking or perhaps anonymous tips. Like there’s probably Japanese people who saw a white chic, out of the blue, in Noboribetsu but had no idea that someone was missing days later. I attended a Japanese language school over the summer of 2005 in Sapporo (mainly because it’s my hometown of Portland’s sister city and had to check it out). It was a great immersion experience-very few westerners at the time and off the tourist circuit. A Taiwanese student at my school attended because there was some Korean drama that featured chocolate from Sapporo. And maybe there was a Japanese version of this drama. And apparently there’s a Meiji chocolate factory there. Never visited, but did go to the Sapporo beer factory. Skye Lin doesn’t sound like Sapporo beer person. In terms of anime, there was an anime set at Hokkaido university about a guy going into the ag or vet school and working with animals (not sure about the date.) You could find Internet cafes in Sapporo, but it was not a Wi-Fi type of place back then as you explained. I’d call my family using an international phone card from a green pay phone area in the dormitory lobby (way back, lol). And yeah, it’s like Montana beyond Sapporo-rural, rugged. I have to believe that someone saw her walk out of the hotel/inn at some point in Noboribetsu. They would remember a solo white chic in Hokkaido. On the other hand, plenty of places don’t have cameras and say she left at like 2 am, and took a hike into the mountains. That seems plausible. She did sound a bit suicidal after listening to the sister’s testimony. Hotels won’t bother with people till check out. But I wonder what some of these hotel employees picked up. If Skye Linn ever indicated her intentions to stay in Hokkaido, or if she asked about tourist sites, anything, her mood. Is there any information about how long she booked these places or was she just showing up and paying with cash… or a newly opened credit card? You could get cash at a money loan place in the states (with extremely high interest rate), but it seems like those places are going to call a home phone, or send out a bill after a month or so (she’d have to show a driver’s license so they would know her address.) And a credit card would eventually send a bill to her home address unless she faked an address. So the question is, was there foul play? The fact she didn’t tell her family and she suddenly had money seems like a suicide move, but maybe there’s some other actor involved. If she was in an accident in a public area, people would find the body, unless she was dumped in the sea, or something else. Very sad. It just seems there’s more people who know something, who probably saw her in those last days, whether it was going into a store or restaurant. The money thing just sounds very bizarre. Like is this a situation where she suddenly had several thousand dollars deposited into a debit account? If that’s the case, then I’d wonder if she is talking and taking money from someone in Japan who wanted a double suicide thing and happens to be from Hokkaido-that’s more out there, but did any Japanese people also go missing that day?
One last thought to emphasize, was she a Korean or Japanese drama person? (Not just an anime person) After googling there has been some fairly big productions in Sapporo over the decades, and as mentioned before I met a student from Taiwan who specifically came due to some drama which featured insensitive and the pristine lookin landscape and snow festival (although she was out of season for that).
maybe she wanted to start a new life? it was fairly easy in japan that time, there'd be places that hire you and help you find accomondation without passport etc.
Starting a new life for a lone gaijin isn’t quite that easy especially in the country side of Hokkaido where there are not aloy of gaijin. Don’t get me wrong there are communities that do what you are speaking about. They harbor Asians from poorer countries and stick together in small work groups while undocumented and over staying their visa in corners of Tokyo. Americans dont really have such groups and definitely not in country side Hokkaido areas. You gotta remember too Japan is ULTRA STRICT about immigration. Police can and will stop you on the street to see your passport or gaijin card. If you do not have it they will start to look into what your status is in Japan.
Japan is big and lots of people visit the country, so I'm not suprised that sometimes somebody goes missing. And it looks very much as if this person wanted to disappear.
I met a guy from Peru that always wanted to come to Japan and live out his anime fantasy. He came, but was never able to make it, spent all his money, and became depressed. He said that he was going to spend the rest of his money on prostitutes then commit suicide. I never heard from him again. Don't know what happened to him.
I’ve known people who took a year off to travel around Asia without a return ticket but they had a ticket to travel from Japan to Seoul as their next stop. Presumably this was enough to satisfy border control in Japan.
I became aware of the case because of your video. When I saw Skye's picture I felt like I saw her before, like a friend of a friend random quick meeting back in 2008. I doubt it, but just had this feeling. I was in Noboribetsu a month before Skye was. Snow was still everywhere. What bothers me the most is, why Hokkaido? My friends and I wanted onsen and we were studying abroad in Tokyo so we had our fill of Tokyo. One of my friends left us for a bit to travel north to see a flock of birds that were there that time of year... a month before Skye though. Why is someone, at the time with what anime and what not were out, going straight to Hokkaido on their dream come true first trip to Japan? You don't really just pull it out of hat you know. I know everytime came to Japan in 2003-2007 I had to have a return ticket, hotels wanted me to write my flight info as well as the passport copy. You can just make it up I guess.
That’s pretty wild you were there a month before she disappeared. Talk about a small world. I stayed in Sapporo in the summer of 2005 for language classes. It seems most people had a hyper specific reason for being there as Hokkaido was kind of off the tourist circuit: escape the summer heat, study at Hokkudai as exchange student with partner university, visit the site of a Korean drama (one of my peers insisted there was some amazing drama featuring Sapporo and chocolate from the early 2000s (?). But the smaller towns seem pretty obscure as you mention for someone hoping to max out on there anime fantasy and first time visit! This is where I wonder if she was communicating with someone who encouraged her to “meet” in Noboribetsu. This might explain how she was able to make money transfers and easily navigate her destinations like a seasoned traveler as opposed to a homebody (how her sister describes Skye and the rest of the family). It sounds like foul play.
I came to Japan about the same time with no work Visa. It's been a long time, but I swear I bought a one way ticket since I did have a job lined up already. I was on a tourist visa.
Viewers have informed me that if you have a ticket that extends to another country after you can buy the one way ticket. I never even thought of that though
Greetings Scott. Off-topic but since you were kind enough to pray for us, I wanted to inform you that Susy, who was still alive during your last video in Japan, passed away last Friday 19th, before sunrise. She was resting and did not appear to suffer. Three years ago she was the neighborhood cat, living outside the sports center at the entrance, and people greeted her coming and going. Likewise, people came to my home to say goodbye. The director of the sports center allowed me to bury her right behind the wall where she spent most of her life. Now people can leave her flowers where they used to leave her food, and they have.
What a sweet gesture by all involved. I’m sure she is happy and comfortable in the place cats go. In Japan cats are mostly considered more spirit than animal and when they pass Japanese say “of course they wanted to fully return to the spirit world because it is easier to jump and spring and leap about when they can shed their mortal coil.”
@@unrested this is what makes your channel special: you managed to turn the death of my cat into an interesting story about Japan. Ii's not a diversion as it doesn't take my head off the subject, but it helps to think about it in a different, less sad way. IIRC, Tolkien did something similar: he wrote Roverandom to ease his kids pain after their dog passed. Again, thanks.
Super interesting case! Well, in 2008 we already had the first iPhones and Android devices with internet connection. But yes, she might have had just a simple flip phone with no international reception. The Nintendo DS was probably pretty useless in this regard. When it comes to the return ticket, I guess there might be some explanations. The Japanese are strict when it comes to this stuff but also cooperative. Let's say you tell them that you were planning to take a certain flight back home but the flight agency messed up and that you need to book the flight later on when you're already in Japan. Something like that or even some printed out sheets with connections and a flight number you're trying to book. I mean we're talking 2008 here.
For work visas you don't need a return ticket. For being a tourist you don't need one as it's like you said, they will turn you away if they think you are going to come to work on a tourist visa
I traveled to Japan in 2008 on a one-way ticket. When they asked at the airport I just gave them info for the ship I was planning to take from Kobe to Osaka 2 months later. Maybe she did something similar. One would think they would be more kibishii but in my experience they weren’t.
Yes, but in listening to her sister’s tik tok and further vids, it sounds like she didn’t have the gpa to attend her university’s study abroad program in Japan. A couple of F’s will really sink a gpa… it can take like 10 solid A courses to get back to a B average. She also clearly didn’t want to discuss this issue, so if she re-took the course, her family would start asking why or she’d have to lie more.
Btw aren't there like a bunch of cults in Japan and Korea? Couldn't she have been groomed while there by cult members who seemed nice and joined a cult? I am just throwing ideas out there. You know, naming posiibilities. There is a ton of stuff that could jave happened. She could have also had an accident while hicking and falling and no one finding her. That last one tends to happen more than people think it does. Sometimes the remains being found years later even in places where search parties did search before. No one knows until they find her or her remains.
Meh…I can’t say about Korea. In Japan not so many cults after the aum shinrikyo attack. Of course there are a few but they aren’t really big on getting gaijin to join as we don’t come with great jobs or lots of money. Hokkaido too isn’t really a cult hot spot as cults often recruit in big cities
It is possible a Bear may have attacked her. Bear attacks are very very rare, but they do live in rural northern Japan and there have been a few reports of fatal bear attacks in rural japan. If a bear did attack her when she was all alone deep in the woods depending on where she was it would explain the sudden disappearance without a trace. Not sure what remains would be left, especially if it was years later before another person came across the remains. Since the prepared note was never sent she may have been looking for a spot to do the act and spending the last few days in nature when it happened.
Black bears and brown bears are found in Hokkaido. Brown bears live in more open areas, and are less likely to stumble upon a human. Black bears are responsible for more attacks because they keep to areas that are wooded, and so can be easily surprised by a hiker on a trail.
Bear attacks are a thing in Hokkaido, but rescue teams typically find a blood trail and a partial body. Noboribetsu is a coastal onsen town, and I imagine to have an actual bear encounter at the time, you’d have to get to the outskirts, to a trailhead to the mountains…in which case someone would have noticed a white foreigner back then dropped off from a bus or taxi or walking through town to the outskirts. And in that cold weather you’re going to get far without major supplies, snow/camping gear. They would have found a partial body within a tight radius of the town. Was there foul play? If this is the case-if someone encouraged her to meet up in Hokkaido (over anime-esqueTokyo, or temple-filled Kyoto, etc), and they picked her up…then they could have driver 50+ miles out of town. Much bigger radius to cover with human trafficking cases.
Very possible. She likely didn't know anything in terms of scaring bears off, let alone self defense items. Also a small chance she could've seen cubs. Cubs get curious and sometimes want to play when they spot you, but moms are always around without fail and will 100% attack if they see you too close. I used to live in a place with lots of bears, and have had to scare off multiple black ones.. always steered clear of brown though they are a different beast. Other comment is correct, though, often fatal attacks result in remains or blood somewhere. However, with snowfall it's possible to be covered and washed away. I've seen some bear attacks result in near total consumption of the body.
Now, that date, 1 April... Are you absolutely sure this isn't some sort of elaborate April fools joke? This not to disrespect anyone or whatever. It's a fair question, there are some really messed up individuals out there that would make some really insane things and call it a joke. The scary clown pranks for example being one of such things. It wouldn't be weird to think it might have been a sick joke. I do not say it is, I just say it might be fair for police to take that in consideration at least. This coupled with the odd one way ticket thing, visa, etc. It seems to be rather odd. It might be a very good thing to check the family itself. Was there really a sister, did she indeed leave the US to start with or did she get stopped on her way by someone? Why is her sister so calm, which perhaps after so long might not be too surprising, but it still raises some questions in my mind. This wish all due respect of course. This case might be part of the US and with that the FBI for example should be checking and not the Japanese police. It sure would be a great thing to see both parties work together to see if they can crack this case together and indeed find a way to solve it. Now, something that doesn't sit right with me is that the family, if I understood this correctly so please do correct me if I got this wrong, went to Japan the next day they found out. Which would be a huge problem if it comes to visa's to start with. And let's be fair, anyone traveling outside the US needs a passport. You don't get that within a few hours either, those things can take weeks easily. There for, both for the missing person in this case as her family, there are some major questions that need to be answered. This might also bring the case closer to closure. Sapporo would be home of "snow Hatsune Miku". Now, "anime" could mean a wide range of things which also would include Vocaloids. The date she went missing might be falling straight into the Hatsune Miku start which got released on August 31, 2007 and blew up world wide pretty much instantly. It might be well worth it to check into that. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku Now the disproval for this would be that "Snow Miku" on itself is no sooner then 2010. Or at least would disproof the link with Hokkaido and Sapporo specifically for the "snow Miku" part. Source: snowmiku.com/2022/info_snowmiku_en.html Another option would be a bear encounter, which is a fair chance in Hokkaido as you also mentioned. And yes the weather would have been a major factor, however that doesn't mean a body will disappear into thin air. I think it would have been found rather quickly if it were close enough to a village, town or city. Since she didn't send her letter, I think she wouldn't be there to self delete. That would probably make no sense at all in that perspective.
