How A Japanese Man "Came Back From The Dead" After Going Missing For Three Weeks

A Japanese man made a name for himself after he all but came back from the dead.

In October 2006, hiker Mitsutaka Uchikoshi went missing in the Rokko mountains, having visited from the neighboring city of Nishinomiya for a barbecue party. He had had tripped and lost consciousness, with his body soon being subjected to an average of 10 degrees Celsius.

He survived the chilly weather with no food and water for a staggering three weeks. The hiker was found with almost no pulse on the 24th day. He was quickly rushed to the Kobe City General Hospital where he was treated for severe hypothermia, multiple organ failure, and blood loss from his fall.

Kobe_City_Medical_Center_West_Hospital — *| Kobe City General Hospital*

It puzzled doctors how he could still be alive after such an ordeal. Humans can generally survive for three days without water, something Uchikoshi outlasted by eight times the length of time.

The head of the hospital unit theorized that Uchikoshi’s body went into hibernation or a form of suspended animation during this time. In this state, the amount of oxygen that cells need to survive is reduced, helping animals—and possibly in this case, humans—live longer.

[Uchikoshi] fell into a state similar to hibernation and many of his organs slowed, but his brain was protected. I believe his brain capacity has recovered 100 percent.

— Dr. Shinichi Sato, head of the hospital’s emergency unit

This was supported by Uchikoshi’s experience of having no memory of the ordeal after the second day.