Every Town - A Japanese Tourists Mysterious Disappearance - Atsumi Yoshikubo - Yellowknife, CA

Episode Date: November 11, 2022

The mysteries surrounding Atsumi Yoshikubo became widely-covered news in Canada that reverberated all the way over to her home country Japan. Eight years later, her story is still as baffling and mysterious as it was when it first happened.💥 Watch On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/scarymysteries🎧 Our Other Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579💀 Follow Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 💀 Follow Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.fitzg👁 Follow Our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewfitzgerald💥 Follow Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarymysteriesofficial Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Every town has a dark side. Many attests that traveling to a foreign place is always an opportunity worth grabbing. It's refreshing to be a tourist for a period of time, not being known by anyone, and not knowing anyone in return. There's an unmistakable excitement and a refreshed feeling and being anonymous in the world, even if it is just for a while. And that's exactly what Atsumi Yoshikubo, a Japanese woman most likely felt when she ventured, on her own to Yellowknife Canada in October of 2014. She had gone there to witness the beautiful northern lights, but fate intervened in a tragic and mysterious way.

I'm Andrew Fitzgerald, and thank you guys so much for tuning into this week's episode of Everytown. The mysteries surrounding Atsumi Yoshikubo became widely covered news in Canada that reverberated all the way over to her home country, Japan. Now, eight years later, their story, is still as baffling and mysterious as it was when it first happened. In local Japanese folklore, it's believed that a child conceived under the northern lights will enjoy good luck and good health, although this is more of an urban legend that stemmed from a joke on the American TV series Northern Exposure.

Nevertheless, though, many Japanese come to see the Aurora or Polar Lights, notably in Yellowknife in Canada's northwestern territory, which has become the go-to place for Japanese tourists since the early 1990s. In fact, it's the more preferred place of these tourists than Alaska or Scandinavia, where Northern Lights have become an attraction there too. In the case of Yellowknife, it's estimated that 20% of its tourists come from Japan because of its generally flat and undeveloped surrounding terrain and predominantly clear but cold weather during its long winter nights. Data shows that since 2008, there have been 60,000 Japanese tourists at Yellowknife

who had come there just to see the northern lights. One of those who was eager to do so was Tsumi Yashikubo, a 45-year-old psychiatrist from the city of Uto, located in Kumamoto Japan. She decided to make a trip to Yellowknife on October 17, 2014, although it was not the peak season yet for Japanese tourists, since the northern light weren't as visibly clear as during other times of the year. In October, there's not enough snow cover for dog sledding, which most tourists also prefer to do during the winter.

But visitors to the city can also do some walking on the icy and swampy trails through the boreal forests or snow forest and bedrock outcry. crops in and around Yellowknife, but it can be potentially perilous, especially for those who venture unprepared or without an accompanying guide. Despite the off-peak season for the Aurora and Yellowknife, Tsumi had arranged a trip there through a tour operator in Toronto. She planned to stay for a week in the city's largest hotel, the Explorer Hotel, and it was perhaps the fitting place to stay in because Miss Yoshikubo planned to explore the area on her own since there was no available organized tour which most Japanese tourists would avail. So Atsumi decided to make her own itinerary,

which only she knew. In the past, she had traveled solo, but it was unusual for Japanese women to embark on a journey on their own like this. If they ever did, uncompained Japanese women who visit well-known tourist spots would typically assemble. with other tourists when they got to their destination, but amiss Yoshikubo's case, she preferred to distance herself from the other tourists. At Sumi's activities during the first two days of her trip seemed normal for any tourists. On October 19th, her visit to a popular local gift shop and souvenir store called Gallery of the Midnight Sun, where she was buying items presumably as gifts for her family

and friends, was recorded on security cameras. That same day, she was also recorded by the cameras at Yellowknife's Tourist Information Center. And in both instances, she was seen wearing a pink parka, black pair of trousers, a darker pink hat, and a pair of white shoes. Nothing seemed unusual in her behavior or activities that day. But in the next two days, the activities of the Japanese tourists became unknown and suspicious. The morning of October 22nd, Atsumi's fifth day in Yellowknife. CCTV footage from the hotel caught her leaving, dressed in the same pink jacket and black pair of pants she wore three days before. She had decided to go on an adventure by herself.

At around 11.30 a.m., a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable named Jessica Reel. Spotted Atsumi walking along the Ingram Trail between Niven and James. Jackfish lakes near the city's northern limits, which are basically an underdeveloped area, and may pose some danger to hikers. Miss Reel had contemplated stopping and asking Tsumi if she needed any help, but she decided it wasn't necessary because she thought a Sumi seemed fine. Jessica noted that her attire was appropriate for the temperature. Her pink parka went down to her knees.

She had warm gloves and a hat on and a camera around her neck. This was the last sighting of Atsumi because she never returned to that hotel. When the staff noticed three days later that their Japanese guest had either left the hotel without properly checking out or decided to extend her reservation, they went inside her room. There was nobody inside there. Instead, the hotel staff found her luggage packed with all her stuff. Staff then immediately reported Atsumi missing to the RCMP, which in turn inquired from the Yellowknife Airport if the Japanese woman had boarded her flight home.

The answer, though, bewildered them. Atsumi was still in Yellowknife, but where exactly was she? Upon news of her disappearance, the RCMP launched an intensive search effort that utilized not only personnel on the ground but also its aerial facilities. This ensured that they cover the stretches of the northern boreal forest, and west of Yellowknife where Artzumi was last seen by Jessica Real. But the Ingramham Trail passes through an enormous area of forests, which ultimately made the search difficult.

And even the local residents helped in the search, fearing that Asumi was a victim of foul play on the trails and as a way of expressing their concern for her family in Japan. The search was considered urgent because the days were growing steadily colder and shorter that time of year. Atsumi's strange disappearance then became widespread news in Canada and Japan, so much so that five Japanese news outlets flew to Yellowknife to cover the story for their viewers back home. Her disappearance was the first ever case among Japanese visitors who had come to Yellowknife,

so it definitely was a headliner. Ultimately, based on the investigation of her activities and her hotel room, a decision to end the search was made by the RCMP. They believe she had arrived in Yellowknife with a plan to go into the wilderness alone and became a missing person. They also claimed that Atumi had taken steps to avoid detection. However, they declined to elaborate as the case was still open and the discovery of any remains was still pending. In effect, police believed Atsumi had committed suicide. In an unexpected twist of fate, Atsumi's brother,

Kenji in Japan was also in the news when the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted him. He was informed that Atumi had sent a letter to a female friend before heading to Yellowknife. In that letter, she suggested that she was planning to end her life in Canada. Although Atsumi had long been estranged from her father and brother, and they didn't naturally know she went to Canada. Kenji believed that the letter existed, but he admitted he hadn't read it. Kenji, though, wasn't convinced that his sister intended to take her life in Yellowknife because she had been buying souvenir items for people she knew in Japan, and she had also purchased a return

ticket to Udo. The narrative that Atsumi went to Canada to commit suicide didn't make a ton of sense. She projected happiness to everyone she interacted with, and security tape showed her smiling and being congenial in many instances. Kenji felt there was no way she would have committed suicide to her. in Canada, because why wouldn't she at least choose Japan's suicide forest or the sea of trees if she was going to do this at all? Even if the search had been called off the RCMP informed news outlets that the search and investigation went on into the next weeks, said an RCMP spokeswoman, they're continuing to still search and conduct different investigations and follow leads they're

getting. It's just that the search and rescue is done. Just because that part is over, it doesn't mean we're giving up. The search effort had a profound effect on the people of Yellowknife. In addition to helping search for the missing woman, they also set up a registry for people to sign and write well wishes to Atsumi's family back in Japan. Counselman, Dan Wong, said, I know there was a tremendous amount of local support for the search and I think it's a way for Yellowknifers to let Atsumi's family in Japan know our thoughts or with her family. Jessica Reel, the last person who saw Tsumi on the Ingramham Trail, wondered if things would have been different if she had decided to stop and offer to ride that faithful day. Days after knowing that the woman was reported missing, Ms. Reel said,

I just felt terrible. I didn't sleep much that night. We talked about it at work the next day and how important it is to listen to that little voice on your shoulder. I always wonder what happened or if I had stopped if it would have made a difference in any way. A small-scale search effort continued during warmer weather, the RCMP team focused on areas of the boreal forest where Atumi may have gone. Only trained personnel who knew how to process a case wherein a dead body may be found knew of the plan and the targeted areas. In the day, which brought an answer as to what exactly happened to Atzum, during those long winter months when searchers didn't find a trace came almost a year later.

In early September of 2015, RCMP announced that a hiker in an area off Ingram north of Yellowknife had found personal items belonging to Atsumi. Along with these items were human remains, but the agency could make a definitive conclusion if those were Atsumi's remains because forensic examinations could take months to be done. But seven months later in April of 2016, Northwest Territory's chief coroner, Kathy Maynard, said it was confirmed that those were indeed the remains of Ms. Yoshikubo, based on the DNA tests and the bone fragments found. Tsumi died in the woods outside Yellowknife.

But these developments, the RCMP announced the case was closed. There weren't much more than bone fragments left at that point. and law enforcement was unable to determine the cause of her death. Oddly, they also found two notes among Atsumi's belongings. One was apparently a suicide note addressed to her family and friends in Japan, and the other one contained her love for the Canadian city. The chief coroner said, it included how much she loved the North,

how much she loved Yellowknife, how much she loved the Aurora. She expressed her wishes about wanting to do. to be buried here. And the notes were translated and then sent to Atumi's family, and the coroner said it was up to her family to follow through with her wishes and her interment. Tsumi got her wish as she was interred at Yellowknife's Lakeview Cemetery. As pointed out, this disappearance and death of Atsumi at Yellowknife was the first among Japanese tourists who have thronged to the place to experience the northern lights. So a concern of how her case would affect tourism and the city was raised.

The director of the Territorial Tourism Information Center said, this will frighten the Japanese culture that a person has gone missing. In contrast, Colin Dempsey, president of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association, expressed sadness for Atsumi's family for her unexpected death in a foreign place, but said that the member businesses of the association were relieved that there was no foul play involved in her disappearance. He also believed that eliminating any possibility of an accidental death would dispel any potential concerns that could affect tourism. The city's tourism center reported that it had not received inquiries from Japan whether people should reconsider booking a trip to Yellowknife, fearing for one's safety. As proof that tourists from Japan continue to flock, the manager,

of two local tour operations, said that there had been no booking cancellations from the Japanese tourists. Another concern came from the small Japanese Canadian community and Yellowknife, many of whom had thriving businesses that catered to these tourists. They feared that Japanese with suicidal tendencies would emulate what Tsumi had done, although acknowledging the concern a tour operator raised doubts of the possibility because it's expensive to travel there. He cautioned that he and his colleague should be more vigilant and dissuading Japanese visitors to embark on an adventure alone at night into the bush in order to avoid getting lost in an unfamiliar territory. Despite the closure in this case and the release of information surrounding it, the curiosity of people remains. What exactly caused her death?

Many different things could have happened to her. Did she run into a bear? Some of the locals feared that was the key. case when they were searching for, was she struck by a motorist and did someone pick her up and murder her? Or did she in fact kill herself in the wilderness of northern Canada since her note had stated she wanted to die there? Unfortunately, we probably will never know for sure what truly happened to her because there just isn't enough evidence pointing to one conclusion. The only thing we know for a fact is that Atsumi Yoshikubo came to Canada and

traveled to Yellowknife, and for whatever reason, died there as she wished. So that's going to do it for this week's episode of Everytown. Tune in next week for another one filled with scary, strange, and mysterious stories. Because who knows? Maybe your town will be next.