At first I was like ‘oh goodie they found the two hikers’ then I was quickly reminded that i’m a fan of the Strange, Dark and mysterious delivered in story format..
i don't understand why there aren't markings on the hiking trail... isn't that a common thing in every country? a simple marking on that rock would save lives...
It would have been a struggle on his own if the logs were freshly cut. They'd weigh a lot. But it's not that unbelievable, especially if the logs were cut previously by someone else and left behind. Maybe they wanted to build themselves a cabin and gave up. Who knows. But what isn't likely is that the lost hiker had an axe to cut them with. My guess is the logs were cut years prior, left to rot and dry out, which made them much easier to handle. Unlike most areas in Japan, Hokkaidō isn't affected by the rainy season so summers tend to be drier there. Just speculating from experience working in the woods.
I just watched this again. Even without signage there's a huge warning that you've gone onto the wrong trail. That warning is the bamboo forest. If you're on a trail and you come to a bamboo forest after passing what looks like Safe rock, then you know you're on the wrong trail. Don't enter that bamboo forest; turn around instead and go back.
I tend to think that these people purposely took the wrong trail to see where it would go. Lord knows I've done it a few times. Wait. I have a much better story of my scout friend and I getting lost in Ressica Falls Scout Reservation in the Pocaco Mountain range, Pennsylvania. We made it out eventually by following moss on the trees to the north. Good thing we were scouts but this trip took us a day and a half and there were many moments where we thought we would never get out.
The "bamboo forest" mentioned here is actually sasa, it looks more like thick, tall, dense grass, which can grow to different heights. Which is why it's so effective at trapping hikers - it grows in a downward direction, so it's not impossible to follow its path, but if you try to go back up, it pushes against you. In the recording the man says "The sasa is deep, can't go up", so it wasn't that he ignored the "forest" to get trapped by steep cliffs; most likely he started to descend via what seemed an innocent enough growth, and by the time he realized this is not the right path, he could turn around. Interestingly enough, there were two Japanese reporters covering the case who got trapped in exactly the same way and had to get airlifted from their position.
You have to punch it with your fist then make a planks than make those planks into a crafting table then make some sticks with planks then get three planks and 2 sticks to make a axe
@@lemr88 they probably think that if someone dug or recovered those body they will do another work for some dead people anyway 😅 they are really lazy like most police are 😂
@@lemr88 There are volunteers that sweep for bodies and people who haven't acted yet.. no need for police to get involved (unless I suppose there's something suspicious about a death). Also it's time consuming.. can't just blindly go wandering around looking for bodies lest you get yourself lost.
the one issue is that the Japanese are very spiritual and because this was in the "mountain of the gods" one can assume that the land is somewhat sacred to them and any "man made" items could be seen as bad luck or something else to anger the gods. Or this was in the 1980s with very poor safety measures in place unlike today where if you climb 2 meters without being trained can get you in trouble
It's incredibly sad to think that whoever built that SOS signal perished despite their best efforts, but it really is incredibly fortunate that that signal saved the lives of those two men years later.
@@alpine_newt A sign would ruin the natural wildness look of the mountain. Which is more important than saving idiots from a dramatically horrible death.
I like that he converts measurements and places them in the subtitles, additionally, the fact they hang around for a decent amount of time is nice too. Overall, Mrballen is the best 😂
Stories like this one and the previous one (where the man got trapped in a ravine while hiking) about people being saved by the tragedy of the person before them, always get me worked up. It makes the person's death mean something in the end and that it wasn't for nothing. A bitter-sweet ending.
true but i was sent by the way that pilot said "it's a good thing you made that sign, if you hadn't done that you probably would've died!" *cut to the guy that made the sign*
I've hiked this range several times. The trail up to the top is completely obvious. No way you could get mixed up now. I guess that event has forced them make more efforts to mark the trail. So don't be afraid to go here. It's a very simple, straight forward, walk up without any requirements for mountaineering skills.
Coming from someone who lives in a massively forested area (interior Alaska), and the way the entire clearing is described, along with the logs.. VERY much sounds like it was a logging area in the past, where they cut down birch.. hence the fairly equal length logs, and the big open clearing… Nobody in a dire survival situation would bother to cut equal length anything, they would simply get whatever they could find. The voice on the recorder was also definitely male and not female.. it’s just a crappy ancient recording plus it’s damaged by the elements. My money says Kenji found a bunch of tree tops, left behind from previously logged birch where the logging company had kept just the best parts of the tree and left the tops. He used his final bits of strength to drag those logs into the open clearing and made his sign. Think about it… It’s his tape recorder, he went alone, it was found with all his belongings, and the voice on the recorder is male and is already verbally stating SOS.. and then that was also the signal found in the clearing made out of birch logs, with a partial skeleton next to it that turned out to be him.
A good deduction but it still doesn’t account for two things - why would the birch logs be stacked up in a clearing over 100m away from the actual cutting site? From the dense description of the forest it seems like there hadn’t been any vehicles in the area, so it’s certainly confusing why people, likely on foot, chose to move these logs over 100m by themselves. That area was still quite deep into the National park, so I don’t think it can be surmised as a logging operation because they’d have to lug these logs incredibly far, even through dangerous terrain, by hand. Geographically, there are also different routes you could take to said birch forest that wouldn’t require you to lug the logs so far, all the way to that clearing and then all the way out from there. The other thing I find odd is his cause of death not being published. Dying of animal attacks, dehydration or starvation, even poisoning are all things reported about lost hikers. I don’t see a plausible reason why they’d withhold the information surrounding his death, and confuse the body for a female with type O blood. It might be possible they never actually found his body, and instead found the body of a woman that was missing, and decided just to say it was Kenji’s in an effort just to “solve” the mystery.
Okay got you but after all this mess of trying to figure out how these logs were made shouldn't the people at said logging site come forward to lessen the confusion? And shouldn't the police know about said logging area? But regardless you make good points, I'm just confused about this
@@KaiWills Oh, oh! I can at least partially answer this; my father used to haul logs for a local sawmill, and when logs or trees are too far from the truck - usually due to impassable terrain - they'll use a yarder. A yarder is basically a cable with ropes and pulleys used for pulling logs uphill or out of difficult terrain. When a yarder is disassembled, it leaves very little behind to indicate it was there, and police would have to know what to look for. There is a great diagram on the usda dot gov slash forestmanagement slash equipment-catalog slash cable dot shtml that shows what a particular kind of yarder, called a skyline, would look like and the terrain it's used on... valleys. Now throw in the fact that this is a national park in Japan and protected by The National Parks Laws, any logging could be considered illegal if it targets a native species. But that doesn't mean illegal logging taking place in a remote region outside of the prying eyes of government officials isn't taking place. The logs could have been abandoned in a hurry, left the 100 meters away because that's where they were being gathered by one line to be picked up by another. Still relatively far-fetched but still within logical reasoning.
@@Blinkbmj27683Most definitely but if the logging site was still successful someone would be there. I'm guessing they might have done it illegal because of the bamboos and normal tress and had something big to make in mind. It automatically failed and they just decided to wind up leaving a few of those birch trees. Birch trees can reach up to 40-50 years and someone mentioned in the comments the decomposition might have slowed down and that's why they still look white and neatly done. Trees don't disappear that fast. Personally, as someone that tried cutting tree logs in the age of 14-15 the axe was pretty heavy and I was cutting the actual tree logs. I'm guessing birch trees would have been a bit easier since they have soft bark and can be pretty thin. Imo, it could have been Kenji and police just didn't search enough to find the axe. You can get a relatively small axe, means way more energy to cut but it's still possible.
Some 15 to 20 years ago, I went out with my friends and got to know this young lady. Her brother had just gone missing on a hike through a natural park up to a volcano in Borneo. Her eyes were red from crying and she was obviously in a very bad state. Her parents were on tv all the time, and they got the money to start a huge rescue operation. The jungle around that volcano was very thick and it was easy to get lost. The rescuers did not find the boy, but they found FOUR other hikers who also had gotten lost. Two of them were still alive, and two were skeletons.
@@jellyfishi_ I have done a lot of joking and I will say that with most mountains in the US, it’s fine, but some mountains are certainly more “hostile.” Indeed the mountains seem alive in that sense, and so I do wonder with some calamities if some people have angered the spirit of the mountain so to speak.
@@jellyfishi_ so I'm going to ignore the rest of it because I'm not getting into a debate on personal beliefs but you are aware there's a lot more to climate change than just forest reduction right? In fact, currently the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees do, albeit with dangerous effects (it causes acidification of the water). Yes forests help reduce carbon dioxide therefore offsetting (a tiny amount) of our own pollution but we're the reason climate change is happening so quickly, cutting down forests really just adds insult to injury.
There were many disapperances. Even a simple hike can end as a disaster. So many high profile cases and last case, a boy missing for 10 days in Grik jungle, Malaysia. Pity the boy only 10 years old. The search still conducted looking for him
I’ve read about the bodies left on Everest. I can’t imagine just hiking over dead bodies and maybe see the bodies and opt to *not* do the mountain but that’s just me.
Not just chopping that many trees - even if they’re under a foot diameter, bucking and dragging them is a whole different deal. (You should do a story on the coral castle - look it up, it’s nuts).
When I was a kid, the Coral Castle was locally known as "Ed's Place". I'm from Homestead, and know that it's built on nine intersecting ley lines. Very fun place to visit!
@Poppa Perc Yessery!! Hahahaha! I had that joke popping back in my head (but without the going hungry' part) when I was reading the first 250 comments!!
My theory: there was some illegal logging in the area and after the op was abandoned, some trunks were left behind, which Kenji then (by superhuman desperation) managed to drag into alignment. Whatever happened, I'm glad the SOS helped those two hikers later.
hey Mrballen just wanna say thanks for not having any swear words in all your videos. it allows me to comfortable chill out with the fam knowing that nothing rude is going to come out of your mouth. thanks man. love from Australia 🦘
I LOVE how he adds sound affects and “real images” of whatever it is that he’s telling. Just makes you play it all in your head how it’s going, with out having to make up scenes or faces in your own head. And the sounds affects just put all together! Thanks for the great content man💪😉
Fun fact: John wears his baseball cap backwards to make himself more aerodynamic in order to control his accidental takeoff when he uses too many “air quotes”.
The SOS signal may have been constructed by professional loggers to mark the area where hikers are most likely to get lost. This would aid the Search and rescue teams to find the area faster.
Yeah, the first thing I thought when I saw the picture was that it’s weird that the trees are cut on both ends and trimmed if he was in the state he was in.
Yeah a good way for the first two people who notice the SOS sign to look into it and then ignore because they know that was already there.... Not sure how that would be helpful besides the first person found there
@@ErimlRGG Common sense on both sides. If I was a lost hiker and came upon an SOS sign constructed in an obvious clearing on the side of a mountain, I'd be making myself as comfortable as I can in that spot until search helicopters can be heard and seen. Of course Search and Rescue will be aware of that clearing and that clue to search that area first. Common sense saves lives.
@@xWingzTV i would say the two people were trolls, they made the sos sign and send some signals and told the searcher that wasn't them.. as for kenji he died of himself bcs pf exhaustion idk about the tape.. There are a lot of case like this in Japan that's just looks dodgy.
@@Heyhunniesbuffytimmons8513 sooner or later, someone will think "x marks the spot" and it will do more harm than good. A massive red NO, maybe some Japanese 'no entry' sign?
After watching so many of these hiking and diving gone wrong stories, I will happily sit on my couch and eat snacks. Mr Ballen can eventually do a story about a girl who blew up eating too many couch Funyons. Lol Love this channel !
Until society crumbles and you're forced to find sanctuary in the woods. Complacency will get you killed, you better start practicing bushcraft skills asap because the world-"humanity" is only getting uglier
The fact that the SOS was in the middle of a large clearing makes me think that clearing was an old abandoned logging site. Old logging practices were not done with preserving the forest in mind, so those cleared sections of forest can remain that way for decades. The fact that they were expertly cut could mean that a logging operation cut them down. As someone who lives near an active logging area currently, walking through those areas I see many quite old cut trees left behind. From talking to locals/asking around, they are typically left behind if they don't meet inspection standards after they are cut. Not always can you see how damaged/rotted a tree is from the outside. Those 19 birch trees could have had been infested with insects, fungus, rot, or a host of other conditions not obvious from the outside. I could be wrong, but it's a really slim possibility that Kenji stumbled across an old abandoned logging site, found some scattered abandoned trees, then proceeded to drag them into the SOS formation. Still seems unlikely he would have the strength/energy to do so, but it's a slim chance. Adrenaline can do some crazy stuff, seeing an opportunity to make a signal to be rescued could have pushed him to do it, but he likely would have collaped from exhaustion right after and possibly succumbed to it.
I thought the same thing or maybe some locals decided to construct the sos signal because they knew it was easy for people to get lost and so they thought if the missing people/ person would find the signal they would just stay near it hoping a helicopter would see it and come rescue them. Idk just a thought
People do tend to get bursts of adrenaline when they know their life is actually at stake. It’s not that inconceivable to believe he was able to make the sign. Also have you ever heard of stories of mothers lifting cars to save their children. Humans are capable of some crazy shit when put to the test.
@UC04_tpJwgm_rCfwjdqPJJAA because it’s a rock and doesn’t introduce itself to you bRuH. There is no sign and they look exactly the same. Unless you were a local how could you know that?
I've taken the wrong routes on mountains in Japan a few times (even landed in a really sketchy situation once). The routes are often only marked with a little bit of pink cord tied to a tree or something. Easy to miss and aren't alays clear which way they mean for you to go.
@@spookyactionatadistance1316 are you seriously trying to gate keep walking through the woods, acting like its a survival scenario anytime theres dirt underneath your shoes? Holy shit bro, you have to be a boomer
I remember this story from my Navy days in Japan in the early '90s. There were a lot of stories about the incident, including that Yeti built the signal, I guess since Yeti were the most likely to be familiar with the international distress signal. That said, the most prevalent story I heard was about a hermit who lived near the Bamboo Valley. He had shunned his own village because of survivor guilt. He and all of the young men in the area had either been conscripted or had volunteered to fight for the Emperor in the years leading up to WWII. However, while the others fulfilled their pledges to die for the Emperor, he had not. In fact, he had been knocked unconscious during American naval gunfire on Iwo Jima and had awakened to find himself surrounded by U.S. Marines. After the war, he and other survivors were repatriated back to Japan, where they were looked down upon by their elders just for surviving. This man went back to his village but there, he also was looked down upon in shame by village elders. He built himself a small shack on the edge of the Bamboo Valley because few dared to travel through there. Over the next few decades, he participated in rescues of lost hikers. However, this always brought intense police attention and he did not want it, so he stopped helping. Supposedly, his conscience got to him and he went out and cut down birch logs. Then, he either made the SOS signal or he meant to build a log cabin for lost hikers to take shelter in and never finished it and someone else made the signal. It was hearsay and mentioned in a story published on the back page of a minor newspaper in Tokyo, so who knows the real answer?
Wow, thanks for sharing that little tidbit. Whether it’s true or not, it’s still really interesting and plausible. Honestly, I’d like to think it was a hermit from WWII. I’m sure he’s long dead now, but kudos to him if he really lived there and helped list hikers.
I was wondering why wouldn’t anyone bother to just spray paint it “false safe rock” … and that could have saved all the tragedies that happened to lost hikers.
@rezmoir then how about a big warning board infront of the rock! Or maybe even engraved on wood plank placed at front of the rock. Any sign or indication even beside that could have helped achieve the same purpose i.e to save these human tragedies. Agree?
Rest In Peace Kenji. Such a sad story! Be safe everyone! Even the smallest venture into the wilderness can end up being harrowing. Make sure to double up on your research on trails and such. Tell all your family and friends where you are going and when you should be back. Bring all the proper gear, even if you don’t think you will need it. Two is one, and one is none. Much love Ballen fans.
It's probably just because I am not an explorer or anything like that and don't go into the wilderness, but I am unfamiliar with the phrase 'two is one, and one is none.' Would you mind explaining it please?
@@cateliebenberg5296 Absolutely, "Two is one and one is none." This idea simply emphasizes the importance of a backup plan. That having one of something is like having none at all and that having two of anything is the same as what you think having one is. Example: I bring a lighter and fire steel with me. The lighter fails, I still have the fire steel. If I only bring the lighter and it fails, I’m screwed.
Yea, i went for a walk in the woods to find a place to draw. I got lost, but it was fairly easy to back track, if you do get lost stay calm, and if you get lost in the woods climb a high place to get an idea of your surroundings.
@Alvina Pemberton That is also a great point! Yes, having another person with you is great! A lot of people like to go solo though. So one must be very prepared!
I sometimes think that people are getting dumber, but then I realize humans are generally not too bright and are actually getting slightly more clever? I mean read all the comments suggesting that, are you telling me that NOBODY had though of that until relatively recently? (apparently it's pink with reflectors now)
@@dandy-dani that's what I gathered from the comments here, I don't know if they put sings at the flase rock telling people they got it wrong, but apparently they made the real rock visible in day and night time. I would love to hear all the reasons why this was not done earlier.
This dude is perfect for his podcast! Even if you're not aware of the YT channel, I could understand getting addicted to his podcast due to his natural story teller voice!
Just found this video. Has anyone addressed how the giant SOS that they say was there for 5 years went unnoticed by anyone or did I miss something? Also, did they immediately make a false SOS to keep the theme going?
I actually been watching and reading abt this recently and it says that no, the SOS sign wasnt there the whole time. The tape recorder was returned to Kenji’s fam but they said the voice in that recorder wasn’t his. So the police, stressed, checked satelite photos of the area. The SOS sign appeared around 3-4 years after Kenji went missing.
Me too. Take both of the original rocks down, build a new rock which has the words 安全な岩 Anzen'na iwa painted on it, then build another rock which has the words 偽の金庫の岩 Nise no kinko no iwa painted on it.
Mr Ballen video I have watch so many times over, over and over again 🤣 Just the best storyteller ever... I've looked for more like him but never tops Ballen. Always looking forward to new videos.
This could all have been avoided. All they needed to do is place a sign by “Safe Rock” identifying it. Then people would know they are on the right path.
@@candycane1744 That'd be equivalent to removing physical landmarks referenced to the 'Donner Party' debacle. Quite understandable from a, solely, safety perspective, yet a very bitter pill to discard a national memory.
EXACTLY ! like many of our Parks you can follow a blue Trail Mark or a green painted trailmark and look for the trees as you go....... Time to tear down the False rock !!
I got lost in a big national forest, for 2 days with an old friend of mine, in my early 20's. Everytime I hear a story like this it terrifies me and I feel so bad for them. I just can't imagine never being found and just waiting out there till you die. I really feel bad for all the people that are never rescued. Another great story @MrBallen !!
Damn! Im so sorry! What a nightmare.... Did you give up outdoor adventures?? Im so glad you and your friend have a happy ending (sorry to use this term. Why did it have to be used and twisted to mean weird sh*t!?). Even though you were lost for 2 days, I hope that what happened during that time has left you intact and not in any category that would cause Ballen to tell your story.
It’s insane how easy it is to get turned around when hiking. I once hiked for a few hours on a larger loop with branch offs in the Olympic National Forest in WA, but the markers were really worn 1/2 through the loop. It started to get ambiguous and overgrown & you could no longer discern what was a branch off and what was the main loop. It was getting later in the day and I was so close to turning back around to retrace our steps- but thankfully we decided to walk legitimately around the next corner and it was the start of the loop 😩
Moral of the story: always be sure you have a way to climb back up, before jumping down and getting trapped. This is at least the third Mr Ballen story where this has happened.
A collegue of mine got in a similar situation in South America, when he decided to go for a solo hike in a non-tourist area. Fortunately he was spotted by a helicopter and saved after two days. Being native to western europe he told me he had not realised how quickly you can get off the grid in a dangerous situation in an unknown country.
You'd think that would just be a natural instinct but there always has to be a few idiots who have no sense what so ever. Remember the guy who died inside a sculpture cause he dropped his phone inside the leg of it and went after it even though it was very very obviously no way to get back out? Crazy. But not as crazy as the SIX people in China who went in to a pit toilet after a phone. A woman dropped it and her husband went to get it for her. He passed out so his mother jumped in. She passed out so the wife jumped in too. Three more people followed, all had to be rescued cause there wasn't a way out and the husband and his mother died.
My theory is it was built a long time ago by a large group of travelers. They had enough supplies and equipment to survive long enough to build a nice SOS that they thought was to big to not be seen. That skeleton was one of the travelers that stayed behind at the SOS while the stronger of the group kept hiking for help.
I think they got saved, probably the locals knew about this sign, a helicopter flew past by Kenjii remember. So this place is not rare having aircrafts flying by. Thus the sign is visible. A group of people, maybe a school trip in the 1970s or maybe tourists went lost and they did the SOS, Kenjii could not have pulled this out. They got saved, and either it was embarrassing for the school and they covered it up or they did mention it to the authorities but it was somehow ignored, it happen more than you think and I dont know why. The skeleton of the girl perhaps was somebody kenjii met on the trip and they went together. She at end the died, and he put his backpack away and did a last action for survival and went in the wilderness never to be seen again.
I agree I think kenji and that woman probably met and found that audio recording of another person. Or maybe the skeleton they identified was of another person who made the recording, kenji just stumbled across it and put it in his back pack.
I’ll always say how much I dislike unsolved mysteries because they drive me insane, yet I will still watch every single creepy mystery story he uploads, and still act surprised at the end when I can’t figure it out.
@@PhilRewa MrBallen’s videos from two years ago contain a hidden secret, like a little pop up. If you find it you post the time stamp of where you found it. I’ve only found a few myself.
@@tajavillasenor5923 In MrBallen’s shows from two years ago there is a hidden secret, like a tiny pop-up that shows up. You’re supposed to post the time stamp and what the pop-up is. He doesn’t mention it until the end of the story. The contest is obviously over, but I have found a few! Have fun looking!
The voice recording also specifies that the man in the recording "can't move" because he's "stuck in bamboo". "Kenji's" body was found laying on the ground. If Kenji was trapped to the point of immobilization, how did he put the recorder back in his backpack and under the tree roots, far away from his "body"?
i think it was three different people but in the same situation because he wasn't his voice and it was a female body but it was his stuff in the bag so kenji mite still be on the ledge
I love listening to the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format which is uploaded 2,3, even 4 times a week. Luckily I’ve come to the right place given that’s all we do.
I’m becoming addicted to these videos lol. I work at a gas station and always have these videos playing while I’m working and it really makes time fly. Sometimes get a little nervous being alone at the station at night then I remember I live in yee yee tweaker Hicksville and I feel better
Hell I'd rather work in the hood/ghetto because there's so much more traffic but in a yee yee town you could dissapear and nobody would notice for a while
I really enjoy when Mr.Ballen starts his normal joke on the “Like Button”… but then laughs at his own joke midpoint. It makes me laugh and I like him even more, because he’s so genuine. Definitely my favorite RUclipsr :-)
@@chloevaughn9755 it truly is. He’s so real and that’s why I watch his vids. Before I stumbled upon his channel (by accident mind you), I NEVER binge watched RUclips channels. Now…. It’s my go to 😊
I love that he laughs too, but I may be bursting a bubble here... On the mrballen reddit sub there is a thread about what he is going to do to the like button next. Quite a lot of the joke he use are actually fan submissions, so not his jokes... But sweet nonetheless.
@@cycl0ne199 Either way, him telling it and then laughing midstream without editing that portion out is really enjoyable. I also like that he uses other people’s jokes about the like button. Just a good guy all around 😄
@@enchantriss4213 agree. It's cute when he chuckles at his own joke 😂😂. He tries hard to keep a straight face tho lol. He's a cutie pie! And seems like a genuinely nice man.
U spoiled me with 2 or 3 episodes a week & while I'm proud of u that u have a podcast, I honestly hate that u now only have 1 vid per week. My solution, starting my binge from epi 1. Ty again 4 all u do & may God continue 2 bless & keep u. ❤❤
That seems like a good place to put an emergency shelter. Several people have been lost and ended up there. Some were found and obviously others were not. If there is a safe place for them to shelter with supplies and a signal more of them would be found alive. Or at least a big sign that says "WARNING CLIFF AHEAD! YOU ARE ON THE WRONG TRAIL" in several different languages
“Safe rock” and “False Safe rock”…hmmm.. you’d think the island authorities would maybe put a SIGN on each of them instead leaving people to wonder which one they’ve found. 🤦🏻♂️
They can develop solar panels but not a simple wooden sign in 1980s? Idk,but maybe the height of the mountain is the main reason they don't want to just go and build a sign there?
Hokkaido is the second biggest island of Japan, it's not run by a different group of people. There is also a chairlift that goes most of the way to the summit.
@@kyotorobato - That’s good, but it seems to be a thing in every society to always wait until something bad happens to make changes. Know those two rocks look very similar, signs should have been there so this kind of thing wouldn’t have happened to begin with. 🤷🏻♂️
@@_Yeeboi_ true, but the rock may be protected on the area of endangered species. Or removing the rock could start a landfall. Nature is difficult to control
I’ve been binge watching for like the last two weeks, and just was thinking about how scary hiking is but I live in the black hills in South Dakota and I bet there is some pretty wild stories from the area, I hope you see this and hope to hear a few stories about them. Keep up the great work!
Well, what IF, those men were related to Kinje and KINJE’s spirit is the one that made the SOS on the side of the mountain, I mean they were ALL Japanese, I mean hey STRANGER things HAVE happened & if ANYONE can find the story to tell about it, it’d be @mrballen 🤷♀️ I’m JUST sayin……
@@lindadaniels0725MASSIVELY GIRTHY KOK SEEN POKING THROUGH A TOWEL AT THE COMMUNITY POOL. THE KOK LOOKS LIKE AN ENORMOUS SNAKE WRIGGLING AROUND IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE. SPECTACULARLY HUGE GIRTHY VEINY ERECT KOK
@@davidearea242PEENUS FLAVORED SPORTS DRINK. LOGAN PAUL COMES OUT WITH A PEENUS FLAVORED DRINK AND SELLS TO HOMOSEXUALS! MASSIVE VEINY KOK ON THE LABEL. ONLY INGREDIENTS ARE PEENUS SWEAT AND GROUND PUBES!
Another follow up, but on the "Bamboo" referred in the video. There are roughly two types of bamboo in Japan. The tall tree-like bamboos as shown in the video (Genus "Bambuseae") , and their grass-like counterpart that crawls on the ground with no thick stems (Genus "Sasa") . The tall bamboo originates in the tropics and are most likely ancient imports to Japan. The grass-like bamboo which is officially named "the broad leaf bamboo" in English is the ones indigenous to Japan. Tall bamboos only grow as north as Aomori prefecture (northernmost area of Honshu) and do not grow in high altitudes, where as broad leaf bamboos grow even in Hokkaido (the northernmost part of Japan, where the incident occurred) and high altitudes. So, the Bamboo Valley in the video is not a forest of tall bamboos, but "a terrain covered with broad leaf bamboo (sasa-hara in Japanese) ". Its not the sight that is impaired in a Sasa-hara, it's the footing. It's like walking in an intermingled net made of hard wire where the openings of the mesh are just large enough for a human foot or toe to fit in.
Heard a story about a little girl who went missing in the Hoia-Baciu for 5 years and then somehow came back home and was never the same again. I’d like to hear a story about this.
What if the birch trees had already been cut down by a logging operating or someone preparing a cabin site? I know from experience; it is perfectly reasonable to think one person can muscle around a limbed birch tree, and if the area he built the SOS sign was cleared, but surrounded by overgrown forest, I think it's pretty obvious the trees were already cut down.
@@scottricklaroque7428 being that he was stuck on a cliff ledge, it's extremely unlikely that were trees on it for him to make a ladder with even if he had the tools and strength/energy
And if the “other person’s” bones were ID’d as female, that doesn’t correlate w/the unknown male’s voice heard on the recorder. So either there were 3 ppl out there, or the female’s bones are unrelated, and Kenji’s remains are still missing. It’s understandable, tho inexcusable, why the police chose to alter their original findings/story.
I have another few question. 1. What if the sign was not built by Kenji or the woman, and was made by somebody, or multiple sombodies, who were never found. 2. How did Kenji's bag end up in a hole far away from his body, perhaps the woman died, and he attempted to escape, ditched bag to either return for it, possibly because he was too weak to carry it, or he wanted somebody to find it and know what had happened. 3. If the body was a woman, and the voice on the recorder was not Kenji's, perhaps there were three of them, explaining the construction of such a difficult sign to create, or perhaps the recorder was taken by a separate, unrelated group who found Kenji already dead, and took his belongings to use for themselves, meaning there were two separate groups of people, one being just Kenji, and the other being a man and a woman, presumedly all deceased.
Well, if it wasn't so unusual for people to get lost around this false rock back then, there is no telling how many people actually ended up in this valley and never got back out again. Maybe nobody reported them missing or there was no clue, where to look for them. Those two tourists were very lucky to be found.
Follow up on the two "Safe Rocks". Why the fake one is preserved is actually because it's also a landmark to keep one's trail. Though the hiking trail is nearly a straight line, it does have two minor break points which are marked by the two Safe Rocks, accordingly. And the "Safe" stands not for safety but for the metal cabinet used to keep valuables because the square rocks look like one.
I can only imagine that either the logs were previously cut & abandoned &/or he had a bout of last ditch energy, similar to people in other crisis situations. Wouldn’t underestimate him after making it down the cliff safe. Amazing that whatever happened he managed to save two others.
Exactly. Logging is common in National parks in Japan, like it is in most countries. But I do also agree that there's no solid evidence that Kenshi even made the SOS. Definitely sloppy investigating all around.
@@texasbeaver8188 I wouldn't trust the Japanese police to solve a children's mystery book with the answer written on the front cover, let alone a murder case. Theyre more interested in saying they solved the case rather than actually solving it.
Things I have learned from Mr. Ballen: Never hike alone Don't go camping Don't go spelunking Don't try to fit in small spaces Absolutely love your stories and I have been a fan long before you reached 1 million followers!
Here's an even better question: why has no one blocked off this area from hikers after so many tragedies? They say, in Japan, the ppl will say "it can't be helped" about most problems and carry on; seems to me they're taking it a bit too literal. It definitely can be helped, by either destroying "false rock" or just make it inaccessible.
From my experience of living in Japan for several years and being married to one, don't try to understand Japanese people. If you do, you might be disappointed. Rich history, beautiful culture but their thinking is antiquated.
@@geoffreybrown4536 our thinking is not antiquated. Just because we don't destroy a landmark doesn't mean our thinking is antiquated. Perhaps you need to be educated more
@@Lenin941FN No, I think I'm educated enough. And since you don't know my level of education who are you to question it Mr. Sakurai? I'll expand on my previous comment since you seem to be offended. What I meant by "antiquated" is old and unwilling to change. Which you prove my point by defending them not changing the sign because it's a landmark. Which you're right it is a landmark but it's also a safety hazard. To not put a sign up on a trail that's been there for years to stop people from potentially getting lost and dying is completely asinine.
Ive already heard a lot of these stories, but the amount of detail MrBallen goes into, I think its a new story until he reaches a certain part of the story I'm familiar with.
I watch all the time I'm subscribed, I don't know what the secret thing is that is in every episode apparently, it's begining to really annoy me. I really ,really like the story's and the way he presents them. But what is the secret thing to l
Your pacing and tone make me get so entranced by the stories, that I have never stood a chance of finding the secret in Any of the videos on this channel. Sometimes, I re-watch it; thinking "I'll be looking for it this time." Nope, I just start listening along again. So, I have Yet to see one! Ever! 😂
InGen logo 4:24
Congrats
I don’t know what that is, but I do know someone can find a sharpie and mark the false rock. Or more likely chip away at it so it’s not similar!!
Nice one!
Nice mate 👌
thats what i was refering too lol
At first I was like ‘oh goodie they found the two hikers’ then I was quickly reminded that i’m a fan of the Strange, Dark and mysterious delivered in story format..
I was thinking the exact thing 😂
Lmao the best comment
That sums it up just perfect!
Hee hee, me too 🤣🤣🤣
This comment made me actually laugh out loud
The fact that no one has removed false rock or put an engraving on the real one is just mind blowingingly stupid to me
Agreed
i don't understand why there aren't markings on the hiking trail... isn't that a common thing in every country? a simple marking on that rock would save lives...
maybe its a sacred stuff that japanese people believe to not to disrupt the "god's playground"
@@pillaridha the gods played kenji
@@raymondjames9451 bruhh xD
It would have been a struggle on his own if the logs were freshly cut. They'd weigh a lot. But it's not that unbelievable, especially if the logs were cut previously by someone else and left behind. Maybe they wanted to build themselves a cabin and gave up. Who knows. But what isn't likely is that the lost hiker had an axe to cut them with. My guess is the logs were cut years prior, left to rot and dry out, which made them much easier to handle. Unlike most areas in Japan, Hokkaidō isn't affected by the rainy season so summers tend to be drier there. Just speculating from experience working in the woods.
Yet the odds of there actually laying the perfect amount of logs to build SOS.
Crazy.
@@korcidiamond3623 yes, but there could’ve been more logs that weren’t used near the other birch trees.
Thought the same thing - super common actually.
@@cannabiscraftsman1278 he's just saying his Opinion Dumbo,xd
@@korcidiamond3623 There we’re definitely way more logs than be needed if they were cut down previously to harvest later.
I just watched this again.
Even without signage there's a huge warning that you've gone onto the wrong trail. That warning is the bamboo forest. If you're on a trail and you come to a bamboo forest after passing what looks like Safe rock, then you know you're on the wrong trail. Don't enter that bamboo forest; turn around instead and go back.
I tend to think that these people purposely took the wrong trail to see where it would go. Lord knows I've done it a few times.
Wait. I have a much better story of my scout friend and I getting lost in Ressica Falls Scout Reservation in the Pocaco Mountain range, Pennsylvania.
We made it out eventually by following moss on the trees to the north. Good thing we were scouts but this trip took us a day and a half and there were many moments where we thought we would never get out.
makes sense, but these incidents happened years ago, and were not well known, or thought the trail went into the forest,
The "bamboo forest" mentioned here is actually sasa, it looks more like thick, tall, dense grass, which can grow to different heights. Which is why it's so effective at trapping hikers - it grows in a downward direction, so it's not impossible to follow its path, but if you try to go back up, it pushes against you.
In the recording the man says "The sasa is deep, can't go up", so it wasn't that he ignored the "forest" to get trapped by steep cliffs; most likely he started to descend via what seemed an innocent enough growth, and by the time he realized this is not the right path, he could turn around.
Interestingly enough, there were two Japanese reporters covering the case who got trapped in exactly the same way and had to get airlifted from their position.
@@carlrogers8678 Did you also wrong turn behind your Pennsylvania false safety rock in the Pennsylvania forest??🤪😵💫
@@СолнечныйПарус-р7щ yes. Yes I did. I need help. I am turning my life force over to you immediately.
"i can assure you, cutting down a tree with an axe is harder than you think" this guy owns 200 flannel shirts, you have to believe him
😭😭underated
You have to punch it with your fist then make a planks than make those planks into a crafting table then make some sticks with planks then get three planks and 2 sticks to make a axe
It's not as easy as doing it with a chainsaw, But I have done it before, It's a lot more challenging but it is doable.
Lmfaooooo for real
Though I think birch trees would be easier than most at least.
If the SOS has been there for 5 years.... I kinda feel like people haven't been looking very hard, for anyone, or anything.
yeah that kinda sums up Japan's police force honestly
Mhm..5 yrs and all those planes and helicopters that fly over but Nobody saw it... 🤔
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. This isn't someone's back yard they're searching
@@lemr88 they probably think that if someone dug or recovered those body they will do another work for some dead people anyway 😅 they are really lazy like most police are 😂
@@lemr88 There are volunteers that sweep for bodies and people who haven't acted yet.. no need for police to get involved (unless I suppose there's something suspicious about a death). Also it's time consuming.. can't just blindly go wandering around looking for bodies lest you get yourself lost.
Seems like they can save alot of lives by just posting a sign saying "NOT SAFE ROCK" or "FLASE SAFE ROCK"
the one issue is that the Japanese are very spiritual and because this was in the "mountain of the gods" one can assume that the land is somewhat sacred to them and any "man made" items could be seen as bad luck or something else to anger the gods.
Or this was in the 1980s with very poor safety measures in place unlike today where if you climb 2 meters without being trained can get you in trouble
Dynamite works too
Right??? I'm listening to this thinking like bruh just post some signs!
Legit just got done saying that to the person listening to the story with me :😀
Exactly! I keep wondering why park officials do not mark false safe rock in some way.
It's incredibly sad to think that whoever built that SOS signal perished despite their best efforts, but it really is incredibly fortunate that that signal saved the lives of those two men years later.
"Should we put a sign on False Rock?"
"Nah, this'll be funnier"
Hahahahaha..lmao
U whites are hella smart
I was thinking this while watching. There must be a reason they don't.
@@alpine_newt A sign would ruin the natural wildness look of the mountain. Which is more important than saving idiots from a dramatically horrible death.
Caution" death rock", or "unsafe rock " if you prefer subtlety.
"False Safe Rock" sounds way too innocent, I'd go for 'Doom Straight Ahead Rock'.
Fact
DEATH ROCK
Someone needs to blow up false safe rock - it's costing too many lives.
"Bring your own logs rock "
This is not the rock you are looking for .....
I like that he converts measurements and places them in the subtitles, additionally, the fact they hang around for a decent amount of time is nice too. Overall, Mrballen is the best 😂
So, Can the Hokkaido authority chisel " False Rock" on the wrong rock? Just saying.
They really should write "This is not the safe rock" on the rock.
Has to be preventable lmao
Unsafe rock
Simple, yet genius 👏
Fr!!
Duh!!!
Stories like this one and the previous one (where the man got trapped in a ravine while hiking) about people being saved by the tragedy of the person before them, always get me worked up. It makes the person's death mean something in the end and that it wasn't for nothing. A bitter-sweet ending.
true but i was sent by the way that pilot said "it's a good thing you made that sign, if you hadn't done that you probably would've died!" *cut to the guy that made the sign*
Was thinking this exactly!
I've hiked this range several times. The trail up to the top is completely obvious. No way you could get mixed up now. I guess that event has forced them make more efforts to mark the trail. So don't be afraid to go here. It's a very simple, straight forward, walk up without any requirements for mountaineering skills.
That's good
I thought it was a bit strange to rely on clearly misleading natural landmarks, glad it's accounted for now
This is totally a Wendigo, it's a trap.
Ok random forest entity! Heading there now
@@aminimoose3971 I hope your joking lol
Coming from someone who lives in a massively forested area (interior Alaska), and the way the entire clearing is described, along with the logs.. VERY much sounds like it was a logging area in the past, where they cut down birch.. hence the fairly equal length logs, and the big open clearing… Nobody in a dire survival situation would bother to cut equal length anything, they would simply get whatever they could find. The voice on the recorder was also definitely male and not female.. it’s just a crappy ancient recording plus it’s damaged by the elements. My money says Kenji found a bunch of tree tops, left behind from previously logged birch where the logging company had kept just the best parts of the tree and left the tops. He used his final bits of strength to drag those logs into the open clearing and made his sign. Think about it… It’s his tape recorder, he went alone, it was found with all his belongings, and the voice on the recorder is male and is already verbally stating SOS.. and then that was also the signal found in the clearing made out of birch logs, with a partial skeleton next to it that turned out to be him.
Excellent deduction.
A good deduction but it still doesn’t account for two things - why would the birch logs be stacked up in a clearing over 100m away from the actual cutting site? From the dense description of the forest it seems like there hadn’t been any vehicles in the area, so it’s certainly confusing why people, likely on foot, chose to move these logs over 100m by themselves. That area was still quite deep into the National park, so I don’t think it can be surmised as a logging operation because they’d have to lug these logs incredibly far, even through dangerous terrain, by hand.
Geographically, there are also different routes you could take to said birch forest that wouldn’t require you to lug the logs so far, all the way to that clearing and then all the way out from there.
The other thing I find odd is his cause of death not being published. Dying of animal attacks, dehydration or starvation, even poisoning are all things reported about lost hikers. I don’t see a plausible reason why they’d withhold the information surrounding his death, and confuse the body for a female with type O blood. It might be possible they never actually found his body, and instead found the body of a woman that was missing, and decided just to say it was Kenji’s in an effort just to “solve” the mystery.
Okay got you but after all this mess of trying to figure out how these logs were made shouldn't the people at said logging site come forward to lessen the confusion? And shouldn't the police know about said logging area?
But regardless you make good points, I'm just confused about this
@@KaiWills Oh, oh! I can at least partially answer this; my father used to haul logs for a local sawmill, and when logs or trees are too far from the truck - usually due to impassable terrain - they'll use a yarder. A yarder is basically a cable with ropes and pulleys used for pulling logs uphill or out of difficult terrain. When a yarder is disassembled, it leaves very little behind to indicate it was there, and police would have to know what to look for. There is a great diagram on the usda dot gov slash forestmanagement slash equipment-catalog slash cable dot shtml that shows what a particular kind of yarder, called a skyline, would look like and the terrain it's used on... valleys. Now throw in the fact that this is a national park in Japan and protected by The National Parks Laws, any logging could be considered illegal if it targets a native species. But that doesn't mean illegal logging taking place in a remote region outside of the prying eyes of government officials isn't taking place. The logs could have been abandoned in a hurry, left the 100 meters away because that's where they were being gathered by one line to be picked up by another. Still relatively far-fetched but still within logical reasoning.
@@Blinkbmj27683Most definitely but if the logging site was still successful someone would be there. I'm guessing they might have done it illegal because of the bamboos and normal tress and had something big to make in mind. It automatically failed and they just decided to wind up leaving a few of those birch trees. Birch trees can reach up to 40-50 years and someone mentioned in the comments the decomposition might have slowed down and that's why they still look white and neatly done. Trees don't disappear that fast. Personally, as someone that tried cutting tree logs in the age of 14-15 the axe was pretty heavy and I was cutting the actual tree logs. I'm guessing birch trees would have been a bit easier since they have soft bark and can be pretty thin. Imo, it could have been Kenji and police just didn't search enough to find the axe. You can get a relatively small axe, means way more energy to cut but it's still possible.
Some 15 to 20 years ago, I went out with my friends and got to know this young lady. Her brother had just gone missing on a hike through a natural park up to a volcano in Borneo. Her eyes were red from crying and she was obviously in a very bad state. Her parents were on tv all the time, and they got the money to start a huge rescue operation. The jungle around that volcano was very thick and it was easy to get lost. The rescuers did not find the boy, but they found FOUR other hikers who also had gotten lost. Two of them were still alive, and two were skeletons.
@@jellyfishi_ Bombalai volcano in north east Borneo
@@jellyfishi_ I have done a lot of joking and I will say that with most mountains in the US, it’s fine, but some mountains are certainly more “hostile.” Indeed the mountains seem alive in that sense, and so I do wonder with some calamities if some people have angered the spirit of the mountain so to speak.
@@jellyfishi_ so I'm going to ignore the rest of it because I'm not getting into a debate on personal beliefs but you are aware there's a lot more to climate change than just forest reduction right? In fact, currently the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees do, albeit with dangerous effects (it causes acidification of the water). Yes forests help reduce carbon dioxide therefore offsetting (a tiny amount) of our own pollution but we're the reason climate change is happening so quickly, cutting down forests really just adds insult to injury.
There were many disapperances. Even a simple hike can end as a disaster. So many high profile cases and last case, a boy missing for 10 days in Grik jungle, Malaysia. Pity the boy only 10 years old. The search still conducted looking for him
I’ve read about the bodies left on Everest. I can’t imagine just hiking over dead bodies and maybe see the bodies and opt to *not* do the mountain but that’s just me.
Not just chopping that many trees - even if they’re under a foot diameter, bucking and dragging them is a whole different deal. (You should do a story on the coral castle - look it up, it’s nuts).
When I was a kid, the Coral Castle was locally known as "Ed's Place".
I'm from Homestead, and know that it's built on nine intersecting ley lines.
Very fun place to visit!
@Eli Edwards Agreed. That was just cold as ice.
@Poppa Perc Yessery!! Hahahaha! I had that joke popping back in my head (but without the going hungry' part) when I was reading the first 250 comments!!
Probably why the coral castle was removed from its original location its not at the same spot any longer.
I feel like there was something supernatural with that coral castle 🏰🤔👻 facts though, even though it's my opinion lol 😆
My theory: there was some illegal logging in the area and after the op was abandoned, some trunks were left behind, which Kenji then (by superhuman desperation) managed to drag into alignment. Whatever happened, I'm glad the SOS helped those two hikers later.
honestly birch, especially white birch is an incredibly soft softwood, even a rock is sufficient to fell the trees
Gee there are so many people that go missing thier maybe he ran into a group of lost hikers. You know team effort.
There are "survuval saws" made from wire. One of those might have completely rusted away within 5 years.
@@paavobergmann4920 hell, you wouldn't even need that, I shit you not, a shoelace would suffice with white birch
exactly, it's obvious.
hey Mrballen just wanna say thanks for not having any swear words in all your videos. it allows me to comfortable chill out with the fam knowing that nothing rude is going to come out of your mouth. thanks man. love from Australia 🦘
The Why files is another clean good one
Same. And yes the Why Files are awesome too!
Cool, I will check out that channel, thanks!
Fuck yeah dude ❤
I agree!!! I didn't even let people say "shut up in my house"" I do not want my family or myself to be assaulted by such language
Hearing the actual voice clip gave me absolute chills, you can truly hear the despair in his voice
found ya again bruh
Ah, mustacheless guy, we meet again. You've changed your channel's banner?
Oh hey it's you
Oh no, you're a magician that magically appears everywhere
@@jynx3978 😂
I LOVE how he adds sound affects and “real images” of whatever it is that he’s telling. Just makes you play it all in your head how it’s going, with out having to make up scenes or faces in your own head. And the sounds affects just put all together! Thanks for the great content man💪😉
Exactly. #deepboomhype
I agree love the pics!
Fun fact: John wears his baseball cap backwards to make himself more aerodynamic in order to control his accidental takeoff when he uses too many “air quotes”.
Hahahah
Lmao
🤣🤣🤣
Omg that's Gold mate love it
I wouldn't be surprised 😁
The SOS signal may have been constructed by professional loggers to mark the area where hikers are most likely to get lost. This would aid the Search and rescue teams to find the area faster.
Yeah, the first thing I thought when I saw the picture was that it’s weird that the trees are cut on both ends and trimmed if he was in the state he was in.
Yeah a good way for the first two people who notice the SOS sign to look into it and then ignore because they know that was already there.... Not sure how that would be helpful besides the first person found there
@@ErimlRGG Common sense on both sides. If I was a lost hiker and came upon an SOS sign constructed in an obvious clearing on the side of a mountain, I'd be making myself as comfortable as I can in that spot until search helicopters can be heard and seen.
Of course Search and Rescue will be aware of that clearing and that clue to search that area first. Common sense saves lives.
Nah, this was a huge story back then in the media if it was loggers they would’ve came forward…
@@xWingzTV i would say the two people were trolls, they made the sos sign and send some signals and told the searcher that wasn't them.. as for kenji he died of himself bcs pf exhaustion idk about the tape.. There are a lot of case like this in Japan that's just looks dodgy.
Someone needs to spraypaint a big red “NO” or something on False Safe Rock for Pete’s sake! These incidents were preventable!
Or red x
Yes I thought the same thing except a big ❌
@@Heyhunniesbuffytimmons8513 sooner or later, someone will think "x marks the spot" and it will do more harm than good.
A massive red NO, maybe some Japanese 'no entry' sign?
How about a giant red skull and crossbone sign instead.
Just go with road signs 🚫
After watching so many of these hiking and diving gone wrong stories, I will happily sit on my couch and eat snacks. Mr Ballen can eventually do a story about a girl who blew up eating too many couch Funyons. Lol
Love this channel !
I love Funyuns!
Until society crumbles and you're forced to find sanctuary in the woods. Complacency will get you killed, you better start practicing bushcraft skills asap because the world-"humanity" is only getting uglier
Well there was an old lady that spontaneously combusted on her chair at home
@@ld1065 is there a story abt it anywhere?
@@ihavenoideasforanamesothis581 google mary reeser
The fact that the SOS was in the middle of a large clearing makes me think that clearing was an old abandoned logging site. Old logging practices were not done with preserving the forest in mind, so those cleared sections of forest can remain that way for decades. The fact that they were expertly cut could mean that a logging operation cut them down. As someone who lives near an active logging area currently, walking through those areas I see many quite old cut trees left behind. From talking to locals/asking around, they are typically left behind if they don't meet inspection standards after they are cut. Not always can you see how damaged/rotted a tree is from the outside. Those 19 birch trees could have had been infested with insects, fungus, rot, or a host of other conditions not obvious from the outside. I could be wrong, but it's a really slim possibility that Kenji stumbled across an old abandoned logging site, found some scattered abandoned trees, then proceeded to drag them into the SOS formation. Still seems unlikely he would have the strength/energy to do so, but it's a slim chance. Adrenaline can do some crazy stuff, seeing an opportunity to make a signal to be rescued could have pushed him to do it, but he likely would have collaped from exhaustion right after and possibly succumbed to it.
Had exact same thought
I thought the same thing or maybe some locals decided to construct the sos signal because they knew it was easy for people to get lost and so they thought if the missing people/ person would find the signal they would just stay near it hoping a helicopter would see it and come rescue them. Idk just a thought
People do tend to get bursts of adrenaline when they know their life is actually at stake. It’s not that inconceivable to believe he was able to make the sign. Also have you ever heard of stories of mothers lifting cars to save their children. Humans are capable of some crazy shit when put to the test.
give me a long enough lever and I shall lift the world
Whatever the case you'd need to be in good physical shape to be able to move those logs
the little giggle at the start made my day better so thank you.
You know what, maybe it’s best to just avoid valleys.
Might be a good idea 🤭
Pretty much never go hiking, camping, drinking or even just walking. Also, don’t live in a haunted house. Stay in bed and binge Mr Ballen videos.
Ok
@@strangelove0108 smart u should be in a horror movie that is smart
Bamboo....Headless....Yup, avoid ALL valleys.
Why don’t they just put a sign saying “wrong way” or “this rock is a liar”
Same thought or just destroy the fake Rock
This was in the 80’s though surely there’s one now
it's just business, they want to improve their travel industry, it's business
Right? Or blow it up.
Gotta feed the giants
Leave it to Japan to have a “Safe rock” and a rock that looks like “Safe rock” but is not safe rock, it is “false safe rock”
Well it is clearly "false" - even says so in the name, why would you follow it?
They have a used undies vending machine at the top of the mountain
@UC04_tpJwgm_rCfwjdqPJJAA because it’s a rock and doesn’t introduce itself to you bRuH. There is no sign and they look exactly the same. Unless you were a local how could you know that?
And leave it to the idiots to not mark the impostor.
Every person has two rocks in his life and he decides which one to follow.
I don’t know anything more scarier than having to accept your fate as most Mr Ballen story participants always must do 😰😰😰🙏
Having to get tortured before you lose all hope and accept your fate
Putting signs up at 'safe rock' and 'false safe rock' would just take the fun out it I guess!
What's the point of hiking if you're not gambling with your life, amirite
/s
@@themumblingdumpling2838 😂
I've taken the wrong routes on mountains in Japan a few times (even landed in a really sketchy situation once). The routes are often only marked with a little bit of pink cord tied to a tree or something. Easy to miss and aren't alays clear which way they mean for you to go.
How about knowing your level of expertise and not going on a potentially deadly hike if you're not qualified.
@@spookyactionatadistance1316 are you seriously trying to gate keep walking through the woods, acting like its a survival scenario anytime theres dirt underneath your shoes? Holy shit bro, you have to be a boomer
I remember this story from my Navy days in Japan in the early '90s. There were a lot of stories about the incident, including that Yeti built the signal, I guess since Yeti were the most likely to be familiar with the international distress signal. That said, the most prevalent story I heard was about a hermit who lived near the Bamboo Valley. He had shunned his own village because of survivor guilt. He and all of the young men in the area had either been conscripted or had volunteered to fight for the Emperor in the years leading up to WWII.
However, while the others fulfilled their pledges to die for the Emperor, he had not. In fact, he had been knocked unconscious during American naval gunfire on Iwo Jima and had awakened to find himself surrounded by U.S. Marines. After the war, he and other survivors were repatriated back to Japan, where they were looked down upon by their elders just for surviving. This man went back to his village but there, he also was looked down upon in shame by village elders. He built himself a small shack on the edge of the Bamboo Valley because few dared to travel through there.
Over the next few decades, he participated in rescues of lost hikers. However, this always brought intense police attention and he did not want it, so he stopped helping. Supposedly, his conscience got to him and he went out and cut down birch logs. Then, he either made the SOS signal or he meant to build a log cabin for lost hikers to take shelter in and never finished it and someone else made the signal.
It was hearsay and mentioned in a story published on the back page of a minor newspaper in Tokyo, so who knows the real answer?
Probably its ww2 ...in the past where allied force vanished ...thats my clue
Thanks for sharing this story.
thanks for the info gregory
Wow, thanks for sharing that little tidbit. Whether it’s true or not, it’s still really interesting and plausible. Honestly, I’d like to think it was a hermit from WWII. I’m sure he’s long dead now, but kudos to him if he really lived there and helped list hikers.
I was wondering why wouldn’t anyone bother to just spray paint it “false safe rock” … and that could have saved all the tragedies that happened to lost hikers.
@rezmoir like one should ask; big everything they have spirits. Okkkaaayyyy. And then what do humans have ? Electric circuits ? 🥸
They do that now
@rezmoir then how about a big warning board infront of the rock! Or maybe even engraved on wood plank placed at front of the rock. Any sign or indication even beside that could have helped achieve the same purpose i.e to save these human tragedies.
Agree?
@@Emma88178 that’s even good. it’s better late then never
it probably is marked now. but in the 80s not many people had died yet and so no one marked it
I nominate MrBallen for the best storyteller of the year. Buddy, you’re headed in the right direction.
More stories please.
I agree 💯 percent John hooked me in and now I must listen to all of his chanel's
Love his voice, calming during disturbing stories
Rest In Peace Kenji. Such a sad story! Be safe everyone! Even the smallest venture into the wilderness can end up being harrowing. Make sure to double up on your research on trails and such. Tell all your family and friends where you are going and when you should be back. Bring all the proper gear, even if you don’t think you will need it. Two is one, and one is none. Much love Ballen fans.
It's probably just because I am not an explorer or anything like that and don't go into the wilderness, but I am unfamiliar with the phrase 'two is one, and one is none.' Would you mind explaining it please?
@@cateliebenberg5296 Absolutely, "Two is one and one is none." This idea simply emphasizes the importance of a backup plan. That having one of something is like having none at all and that having two of anything is the same as what you think having one is. Example: I bring a lighter and fire steel with me. The lighter fails, I still have the fire steel. If I only bring the lighter and it fails, I’m screwed.
Yea, i went for a walk in the woods to find a place to draw. I got lost, but it was fairly easy to back track, if you do get lost stay calm, and if you get lost in the woods climb a high place to get an idea of your surroundings.
@Alvina Pemberton That is also a great point! Yes, having another person with you is great! A lot of people like to go solo though. So one must be very prepared!
The fuck? Kenji is my real name.
why has nobody put up a sign saying "This is NOT safe rock. Safe rock is over there. -->"?
So simple isnt it?
It’s a natural landmark so there’s probably hesitation about “defacing” it
Some idiot could move the sign to the safe rock
@@babybug2023 that's stupid just put some god damn signs or something around it if they don't want to mess with the rock itself
@@B_bang22 exactly!! You’d think they’d want to PREVENT further deaths and maybe help a few people out by putting up a sign!
“A lot of people seem to be getting lost at that rock. Should we put a sign there?”
“Nah, that’s stupid.”
Hahaha oh you have to much common sense. I mean come on.... 😉
I sometimes think that people are getting dumber, but then I realize humans are generally not too bright and are actually getting slightly more clever?
I mean read all the comments suggesting that, are you telling me that NOBODY had though of that until relatively recently? (apparently it's pink with reflectors now)
@@dandy-dani that's what I gathered from the comments here, I don't know if they put sings at the flase rock telling people they got it wrong, but apparently they made the real rock visible in day and night time.
I would love to hear all the reasons why this was not done earlier.
I was thinking the same thing!!!!
Have they ever thought a sign might help???? Wow lol
This dude is perfect for his podcast! Even if you're not aware of the YT channel, I could understand getting addicted to his podcast due to his natural story teller voice!
Just found this video. Has anyone addressed how the giant SOS that they say was there for 5 years went unnoticed by anyone or did I miss something? Also, did they immediately make a false SOS to keep the theme going?
Brah
Who's "they" that made the SOS signal? The Japanese government?
I actually been watching and reading abt this recently and it says that no, the SOS sign wasnt there the whole time. The tape recorder was returned to Kenji’s fam but they said the voice in that recorder wasn’t his. So the police, stressed, checked satelite photos of the area. The SOS sign appeared around 3-4 years after Kenji went missing.
@@norimori5170 oh wow
@@norimori5170 If that's true thrn that's a very critical bit of information fhat could have been used in this video.
I love that little chuckle 😂😂 “but only serve him fermented herring *chuckles*”
I love when he does that!!!!
They're great moments when he can't take what he says seriously
I feel like there's a fairly simple solution to the Safe and False rock confusion.
Me too. Take both of the original rocks down, build a new rock which has the words 安全な岩
Anzen'na iwa painted on it, then build another rock which has the words 偽の金庫の岩
Nise no kinko no iwa painted on it.
@@MikeMichaels1987 Green check mark on one, red X on the other 👍
Edit: * A red circle with a diagonal line through it might work better than an X.
@@HolyEyeWasHere No
@@MikeMichaels1987 just remove one of the rocks lol
@@josephthompson2462 That would just anger the Gods
Mr Ballen video I have watch so many times over, over and over again 🤣 Just the best storyteller ever... I've looked for more like him but never tops Ballen. Always looking forward to new videos.
This could all have been avoided. All they needed to do is place a sign by “Safe Rock” identifying it. Then people would know they are on the right path.
Unfortunately it took this horrible incident for that to happen.
Where's the fun in that?
Or get rid of false rock
@@candycane1744 That'd be equivalent to removing physical landmarks referenced to the 'Donner Party' debacle. Quite understandable from a, solely, safety perspective, yet a very bitter pill to discard a national memory.
@@JonBrown-po7he its a rock that has lead people to their death. Humanity won't crumble without it.
Someone should really put a sign on the rock that says “Danger! This is not the rock you’re looking for.”
I was thinking the same thing. Simple fix.
And put it next to the actual safe rock to prank some fools
The rescue workers need to justify their jobs I guess.
Or just name them Mr Ballen (safe rock) and the other just a picture of the Like button….then you’ll know lol
EXACTLY !
like many of our Parks you can follow a blue Trail Mark or a green painted trailmark and look for the trees as you go....... Time to tear down the False rock !!
I got lost in a big national forest, for 2 days with an old friend of mine, in my early 20's. Everytime I hear a story like this it terrifies me and I feel so bad for them. I just can't imagine never being found and just waiting out there till you die.
I really feel bad for all the people that are never rescued.
Another great story @MrBallen !!
Glad you and your friend made it out safely!
Damn! Im so sorry! What a nightmare.... Did you give up outdoor adventures??
Im so glad you and your friend have a happy ending (sorry to use this term. Why did it have to be used and twisted to mean weird sh*t!?). Even though you were lost for 2 days, I hope that what happened during that time has left you intact and not in any category that would cause Ballen to tell your story.
I’m so glad you were found. I hope it didn’t leave any lasting trauma 😘😘
It’s insane how easy it is to get turned around when hiking.
I once hiked for a few hours on a larger loop with branch offs in the Olympic National Forest in WA, but the markers were really worn 1/2 through the loop.
It started to get ambiguous and overgrown & you could no longer discern what was a branch off and what was the main loop.
It was getting later in the day and I was so close to turning back around to retrace our steps- but thankfully we decided to walk legitimately around the next corner and it was the start of the loop 😩
Moral of the story: always be sure you have a way to climb back up, before jumping down and getting trapped. This is at least the third Mr Ballen story where this has happened.
Good point lol
A collegue of mine got in a similar situation in South America, when he decided to go for a solo hike in a non-tourist area. Fortunately he was spotted by a helicopter and saved after two days. Being native to western europe he told me he had not realised how quickly you can get off the grid in a dangerous situation in an unknown country.
@@LivingDeadGirl0702 nothing funny about it
You'd think that would just be a natural instinct but there always has to be a few idiots who have no sense what so ever. Remember the guy who died inside a sculpture cause he dropped his phone inside the leg of it and went after it even though it was very very obviously no way to get back out? Crazy. But not as crazy as the SIX people in China who went in to a pit toilet after a phone. A woman dropped it and her husband went to get it for her. He passed out so his mother jumped in. She passed out so the wife jumped in too. Three more people followed, all had to be rescued cause there wasn't a way out and the husband and his mother died.
@@Lindseyisloony man that couldn't be me I'd brain storm for at least 20 minutes of a way to get in and out or just get help
My theory is it was built a long time ago by a large group of travelers. They had enough supplies and equipment to survive long enough to build a nice SOS that they thought was to big to not be seen. That skeleton was one of the travelers that stayed behind at the SOS while the stronger of the group kept hiking for help.
I think they got saved, probably the locals knew about this sign, a helicopter flew past by Kenjii remember. So this place is not rare having aircrafts flying by. Thus the sign is visible. A group of people, maybe a school trip in the 1970s or maybe tourists went lost and they did the SOS, Kenjii could not have pulled this out. They got saved, and either it was embarrassing for the school and they covered it up or they did mention it to the authorities but it was somehow ignored, it happen more than you think and I dont know why. The skeleton of the girl perhaps was somebody kenjii met on the trip and they went together. She at end the died, and he put his backpack away and did a last action for survival and went in the wilderness never to be seen again.
I agree I think kenji and that woman probably met and found that audio recording of another person. Or maybe the skeleton they identified was of another person who made the recording, kenji just stumbled across it and put it in his back pack.
I’ll always say how much I dislike unsolved mysteries because they drive me insane, yet I will still watch every single creepy mystery story he uploads, and still act surprised at the end when I can’t figure it out.
Like watching an episode of unsolved mysteries:
Narrator at the end of an episode: "The case remains open to this day"
Me: "WHAT"
driving insane... check!
Me too!
I get so engrossed in your stories that I never wind up finding the hidden secret in the video!!
Hidden secrets?
@@PhilRewa MrBallen’s videos from two years ago contain a hidden secret, like a little pop up. If you find it you post the time stamp of where you found it. I’ve only found a few myself.
That's me. Every video. 😂 It is to good a story.
What hidden secrets??
@@tajavillasenor5923
In MrBallen’s shows from two years ago there is a hidden secret, like a tiny pop-up that shows up. You’re supposed to post the time stamp and what the pop-up is. He doesn’t mention it until the end of the story. The contest is obviously over, but I have found a few! Have fun looking!
The voice recording also specifies that the man in the recording "can't move" because he's "stuck in bamboo".
"Kenji's" body was found laying on the ground. If Kenji was trapped to the point of immobilization, how did he put the recorder back in his backpack and under the tree roots, far away from his "body"?
Probably on drugs..
Maybe that's why he was screaming.
But how did he use it doe
@@LilPoopsie that's not nice to presume that
I thought he left is stuff back to explore
i think it was three different people but in the same situation because he wasn't his voice and it was a female body but it was his stuff in the bag so kenji mite still be on the ledge
Kenji must have recorded that SOS so that he could have played it out loud for searchers in order to save his voice. Pretty smart.
Damn that's a good idea
I love listening to the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format which is uploaded 2,3, even 4 times a week. Luckily I’ve come to the right place given that’s all we do.
He doesn't say "even 4 times" any more though
Listening to the quality and style you tell stories progress over the years is amazing. Thank you mrballen you truly are amazing
I’m becoming addicted to these videos lol. I work at a gas station and always have these videos playing while I’m working and it really makes time fly. Sometimes get a little nervous being alone at the station at night then I remember I live in yee yee tweaker Hicksville and I feel better
Are there woods nearby? Don't get too comfortable.
tweakers are scary
Hell I'd rather work in the hood/ghetto because there's so much more traffic but in a yee yee town you could dissapear and nobody would notice for a while
“Yee yee tweaker Hicksville” pretty sure I just moved the hell outta there. XD
I'm with you guys..the cities aren't the safest but in creepy situations I'd much rather be around a ton of ppl.
I really enjoy when Mr.Ballen starts his normal joke on the “Like Button”… but then laughs at his own joke midpoint. It makes me laugh and I like him even more, because he’s so genuine. Definitely my favorite RUclipsr :-)
Ikr it’s so wholesome
@@chloevaughn9755 it truly is. He’s so real and that’s why I watch his vids. Before I stumbled upon his channel (by accident mind you), I NEVER binge watched RUclips channels. Now…. It’s my go to 😊
I love that he laughs too, but I may be bursting a bubble here... On the mrballen reddit sub there is a thread about what he is going to do to the like button next. Quite a lot of the joke he use are actually fan submissions, so not his jokes... But sweet nonetheless.
@@cycl0ne199 Either way, him telling it and then laughing midstream without editing that portion out is really enjoyable. I also like that he uses other people’s jokes about the like button. Just a good guy all around 😄
@@enchantriss4213 agree. It's cute when he chuckles at his own joke 😂😂. He tries hard to keep a straight face tho lol. He's a cutie pie! And seems like a genuinely nice man.
I've watched so many of these videos that my nightmares are now narrated by MrBallen.
LMAO ME
Good one haha
That's fuckin awesome, dude!!!
Lol.. good call.!!😄
@@zachscott1142 3rig3sfs3gi3rivfrfze3uffwgwf3
U spoiled me with 2 or 3 episodes a week & while I'm proud of u that u have a podcast, I honestly hate that u now only have 1 vid per week. My solution, starting my binge from epi 1. Ty again 4 all u do & may God continue 2 bless & keep u. ❤❤
I really love when you cut in the mess ups like laughing at the herring joke it’s so wholesome and much needed for this content please don’t change
That seems like a good place to put an emergency shelter. Several people have been lost and ended up there. Some were found and obviously others were not. If there is a safe place for them to shelter with supplies and a signal more of them would be found alive. Or at least a big sign that says "WARNING CLIFF AHEAD! YOU ARE ON THE WRONG TRAIL" in several different languages
Reading the comments like yours I found very good solutions and ideas but it seems they don't care for people getting lost and losing their lives
@@verucasalt9182 one commenter said the trail is much more obvious now and that it's basically impossible to get mixed up and confused
agreed. a big sign saying FALSE SAFE ROCK would save so many lives
Ikr
@@wolfzmusic9706 How do you know they're not lying?
The saddest part of each and every story told by Mrballen is hearing the dreaded line "so that's gonna do it guys" at the end 🥺🥺🥺
I couldn't agree more
You're such a great story teller my guy. 🙂🙂🙂
“Safe rock” and “False Safe rock”…hmmm.. you’d think the island authorities would maybe put a SIGN on each of them instead leaving people to wonder which one they’ve found. 🤦🏻♂️
They can develop solar panels but not a simple wooden sign in 1980s? Idk,but maybe the height of the mountain is the main reason they don't want to just go and build a sign there?
Hokkaido is the second biggest island of Japan, it's not run by a different group of people. There is also a chairlift that goes most of the way to the summit.
I came here to make that same supposition. 🤦🏻♀️
They did put a sign and ropes to guide people down the right path after this incident.
@@kyotorobato - That’s good, but it seems to be a thing in every society to always wait until something bad happens to make changes. Know those two rocks look very similar, signs should have been there so this kind of thing wouldn’t have happened to begin with. 🤷🏻♂️
Why not make a sign that says “DO NOT ENTER, FALSE SAFE ROCK”
You would think that would try to add literally anything telling you which one is which, wouldn’t you 😂 “nah I mean, it’s quite far tho…..”
Would have to be multiple signs because of the languages. And can also go against the environment or be damaged.
Because god knows who’s going die first for not doing research before heading there
@@krystalcheetah then shouldnt they just destroy the rock?
@@_Yeeboi_ true, but the rock may be protected on the area of endangered species. Or removing the rock could start a landfall. Nature is difficult to control
Why didn’t someone just put a sign on the rock that says “WRONG ROCK CAUTION WRONG PATH”? And have it point people in the correct direction.
That would make way to much sense to do!
I was just wondering why it wasn't marked "Wrong Rock, Not Safe!"?0
That's too easy
spray paint one red one green? (color-blind people are already facing other danger while hiking so may have other ways of knowing available)
They actually have that now, Mr.Ballen just forgot to mention it in the video.
I’ve been binge watching for like the last two weeks, and just was thinking about how scary hiking is but I live in the black hills in South Dakota and I bet there is some pretty wild stories from the area, I hope you see this and hope to hear a few stories about them. Keep up the great work!
Those 2 men that didn't make the S.O.S. sign that got rescued are incredibly lucky.
Well, what IF, those men were related to Kinje and KINJE’s spirit is the one that made the SOS on the side of the mountain, I mean they were ALL Japanese, I mean hey STRANGER things HAVE happened & if ANYONE can find the story to tell about it, it’d be @mrballen 🤷♀️ I’m JUST sayin……
@lindadaniels7429 😂 ah yes, a ghost built it
@@lindadaniels0725 -Yes, after reading your comment, I'm not sure what could be stranger than that...
@@lindadaniels0725MASSIVELY GIRTHY KOK SEEN POKING THROUGH A TOWEL AT THE COMMUNITY POOL. THE KOK LOOKS LIKE AN ENORMOUS SNAKE WRIGGLING AROUND IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE. SPECTACULARLY HUGE GIRTHY VEINY ERECT KOK
@@davidearea242PEENUS FLAVORED SPORTS DRINK. LOGAN PAUL COMES OUT WITH A PEENUS FLAVORED DRINK AND SELLS TO HOMOSEXUALS! MASSIVE VEINY KOK ON THE LABEL. ONLY INGREDIENTS ARE PEENUS SWEAT AND GROUND PUBES!
Another follow up, but on the "Bamboo" referred in the video. There are roughly two types of bamboo in Japan. The tall tree-like bamboos as shown in the video (Genus "Bambuseae") , and their grass-like counterpart that crawls on the ground with no thick stems (Genus "Sasa") . The tall bamboo originates in the tropics and are most likely ancient imports to Japan. The grass-like bamboo which is officially named "the broad leaf bamboo" in English is the ones indigenous to Japan. Tall bamboos only grow as north as Aomori prefecture (northernmost area of Honshu) and do not grow in high altitudes, where as broad leaf bamboos grow even in Hokkaido (the northernmost part of Japan, where the incident occurred) and high altitudes. So, the Bamboo Valley in the video is not a forest of tall bamboos, but "a terrain covered with broad leaf bamboo (sasa-hara in Japanese) ". Its not the sight that is impaired in a Sasa-hara, it's the footing. It's like walking in an intermingled net made of hard wire where the openings of the mesh are just large enough for a human foot or toe to fit in.
Thank you! I was wondering...
Heard a story about a little girl who went missing in the Hoia-Baciu for 5 years and then somehow came back home and was never the same again. I’d like to hear a story about this.
Just did a quick search and overview, sounds interesting indeed.
@@stevecolour8010 It’s weird, but I just think Mr Ballen could deliver the story a lot better. Plus he probably digs deeper into stories than I do.
This needs more upvotes, started in on this story and the details are fascinating - please Mr. Ballen!
Dope
Yes I’d like to hear that story too! 😟😳
What if the birch trees had already been cut down by a logging operating or someone preparing a cabin site? I know from experience; it is perfectly reasonable to think one person can muscle around a limbed birch tree, and if the area he built the SOS sign was cleared, but surrounded by overgrown forest, I think it's pretty obvious the trees were already cut down.
I've always wanted to go to Japan, BUT can we all just agree that Japan is equally both beautiful and terrifying? 😂
So are a lot of other country’s
Fake or real ghosts.... They have the scariest ghosts hands down😂
I feel like the same can absolutely be said about America.
Yeah this terrifying bamboo hell trap with mysterious SOS and the all famous "suicide forest" Im good with Japan
Nah
“Safe rock and false safe rock” is something straight out of a welcome to Nightvale episode
It sounds goofy because it’s a direct translation.
“This imposter is called; false safe rock” had me dying 💀
False prophet in the mountains of Japan.
sus
Deadasssss istgggg
amogus
Omfggggg 💀
You are the best story teller! I want to put Portuguese captions so my friends in Brazil can follow you
Hearing John giggle during his intros while trying to be serious makes me laugh every time
Haha right haha it almost makes me think he going to be like you fool after his laugh haha
Was their any need for that , fool
Poor Kenji. At least his SOS (if he did make it) helped save the lives of the two men after him if not his own.
But he had no Ax or hatchet. *insert Twilight Zone Theme here*
It probably not his tho
Mental note to self, 'When constructing a HUGE SOS in emergency, expect delay's as long as and up to 5 years'
Duly Noted lol
Smoke signal too if you can it can be seen from more angles
With that kind of tools and energy just build a huge ladder to finish going down the mountain.
Lol 🤣🤣
@@scottricklaroque7428 being that he was stuck on a cliff ledge, it's extremely unlikely that were trees on it for him to make a ladder with even if he had the tools and strength/energy
Your intros crack me up. Binge watching for a few days now. Love your story telling style. Found you thru @divetalk
And if the “other person’s” bones were ID’d as female, that doesn’t correlate w/the unknown male’s voice heard on the recorder. So either there were 3 ppl out there, or the female’s bones are unrelated, and Kenji’s remains are still missing. It’s understandable, tho inexcusable, why the police chose to alter their original findings/story.
Could be the woman, maybe she had a deep voice.
I was thinking the same thing
I have another few question. 1. What if the sign was not built by Kenji or the woman, and was made by somebody, or multiple sombodies, who were never found. 2. How did Kenji's bag end up in a hole far away from his body, perhaps the woman died, and he attempted to escape, ditched bag to either return for it, possibly because he was too weak to carry it, or he wanted somebody to find it and know what had happened. 3. If the body was a woman, and the voice on the recorder was not Kenji's, perhaps there were three of them, explaining the construction of such a difficult sign to create, or perhaps the recorder was taken by a separate, unrelated group who found Kenji already dead, and took his belongings to use for themselves, meaning there were two separate groups of people, one being just Kenji, and the other being a man and a woman, presumedly all deceased.
Well, if it wasn't so unusual for people to get lost around this false rock back then, there is no telling how many people actually ended up in this valley and never got back out again. Maybe nobody reported them missing or there was no clue, where to look for them. Those two tourists were very lucky to be found.
@Hypno Bunny bro this was over 35 years ago I don’t think they’re still alive
Follow up on the two "Safe Rocks". Why the fake one is preserved is actually because it's also a landmark to keep one's trail. Though the hiking trail is nearly a straight line, it does have two minor break points which are marked by the two Safe Rocks, accordingly. And the "Safe" stands not for safety but for the metal cabinet used to keep valuables because the square rocks look like one.
thank you!
And the second trail leads to a huge bamboo forest? Why would you want to go there?
@@nickark4807 personally i'd love to go explore a big bamboo forest... why would you not want to?
@@jlt131 idk, for not being lost and die alone?
@@jlt131 because I don’t want to die
So why don't they turn " false safe rock" into " pile of rubble with a backstory"? 🤔
Right🤔
Exactly!
Or maybe spray paint "Hey knucklehead, this ain't the rock!"
Or an Aluminum sign with reflector paint that says false safe rock
@@SuperTicklemonsters Paint it red and just have a ranger go out every month to touch it up so everyone knows red rock bad.
The single video that got me hooked. Well done MB.
I can only imagine that either the logs were previously cut & abandoned &/or he had a bout of last ditch energy, similar to people in other crisis situations. Wouldn’t underestimate him after making it down the cliff safe. Amazing that whatever happened he managed to save two others.
Agree with you. Probably cut and abandoned on an earlier date.
Exactly. Logging is common in National parks in Japan, like it is in most countries. But I do also agree that there's no solid evidence that Kenshi even made the SOS. Definitely sloppy investigating all around.
Japanese police are notorious for sucking
@@texasbeaver8188 I wouldn't trust the Japanese police to solve a children's mystery book with the answer written on the front cover, let alone a murder case. Theyre more interested in saying they solved the case rather than actually solving it.
@@texasbeaver8188 yes they are see the case of mentally handicapped people murdered by japanese serial killer
Things I have learned from Mr. Ballen:
Never hike alone
Don't go camping
Don't go spelunking
Don't try to fit in small spaces
Absolutely love your stories and I have been a fan long before you reached 1 million followers!
And if you go deep sea diving, take decompression stops, DONT WANT TO GET THE BENDS
don't go diving underwater in caves.
👏
Here's an even better question: why has no one blocked off this area from hikers after so many tragedies? They say, in Japan, the ppl will say "it can't be helped" about most problems and carry on; seems to me they're taking it a bit too literal. It definitely can be helped, by either destroying "false rock" or just make it inaccessible.
or just put up a sign next to false rock stating that it is indeed not the safe rock.
From my experience of living in Japan for several years and being married to one, don't try to understand Japanese people. If you do, you might be disappointed. Rich history, beautiful culture but their thinking is antiquated.
@@geoffreybrown4536 our thinking is not antiquated. Just because we don't destroy a landmark doesn't mean our thinking is antiquated. Perhaps you need to be educated more
@@Lenin941FN No, I think I'm educated enough. And since you don't know my level of education who are you to question it Mr. Sakurai? I'll expand on my previous comment since you seem to be offended. What I meant by "antiquated" is old and unwilling to change. Which you prove my point by defending them not changing the sign because it's a landmark. Which you're right it is a landmark but it's also a safety hazard. To not put a sign up on a trail that's been there for years to stop people from potentially getting lost and dying is completely asinine.
@@Lenin941FN so you just want your people or other people to confuse to get lost and die of hunger and dehydration?? ok.
Awesome storytelling! Very expressive! Love this!
When you’re expecting delicious pizza but get served fermented herring…you’ve just experienced the false safe rock.
Fermented...🤢
Fermented herring that kills you!
Perfect joke
Hahah
One of the slickest and most unnoticed Easter eggs in all of Mr.Ballen’s videos is how he always giggles when the like button encounters fish.
Wait that’s cool
It’s literally my favorite.
Even the time he gave the like button some watered down ice tea. It was hilarious how happy it made him.
oh snap
Ive already heard a lot of these stories, but the amount of detail MrBallen goes into, I think its a new story until he reaches a certain part of the story I'm familiar with.
Exactly! Sometimes I don't realize I know the story because it is being told in a different perspective until the end reveals it.
~yeah...thts his talent..~well, one of many....but, story telling is one of his best talents..!!
Honestly there are repeats on his channel. Not complaining as I can rewatch his stories a lot.
@@sj1164 yeah I've noticed he will do a story in a compilation then do a more in depth version of it in its own video.
I love these as well, but keep in mind that he does embellish sometimes and unfortunately is can be wrong with the facts... ( not too much though)
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned it yet or not, but you’re an amazing storyteller. 😮😂
I kinda feel like a can of spray paint properly used on false safe rock would solve a lot of problems…
My thoughts exactly. A nice bright color
Or a simple sign would do I'm sure. No need to spray paint such a nice rock.
i was thinking the exact same thing.
@@beerious8392 nice rock? It's the god damn false safe rock bro
@@beerious8392 that’s a mean lying rock. It’s not nice 😤
i love when he laughs at his own jokes
LOL reminds me of my mom! She gets into the knee-slapping over hers LOL
Right!!!!
Gay
@@tyronemalone4158 yes agreed 👍
Maybe having a rock that can easily be mistaken for another rock isn’t the best land mark to use….
I watch all the time I'm subscribed, I don't know what the secret thing is that is in every episode apparently, it's begining to really annoy me. I really ,really like the story's and the way he presents them. But what is the secret thing to l
@@leroycoleman2359 he puts something small in the background, one time it was homer simpson
i haven't knew this story ever! that is quite mystery!! as a japanese,Thankyou for sharing this story,Jhon!
John deserves every subscriber he gets he Is personally the best "story" teller
Agreed
Facts
Facts. I’ve watched this guy grow just realised he’s already over 3 mill
Facts.
Your pacing and tone make me get so entranced by the stories, that I have never stood a chance of finding the secret in Any of the videos on this channel.
Sometimes, I re-watch it; thinking "I'll be looking for it this time."
Nope, I just start listening along again. So, I have Yet to see one! Ever! 😂
Same lmao
its hypnotic
Same here. I was determined to look today 'cause of the tip! Of course I didn't!
I feel bad for Kenji, everyone gave up on him. That's very tragic! But because of him the other two were saved so in a way he saved two lives.
Mr ballen. We love you. Please keep giving us stories! 💜