Hokkaido is the second largest of the Japanese islands and the furthest north. Separated by the Tsugaru Strait from Honshu, by far the largest island of Japan, Hokkaido is linked largely by a rail system under this stretch of water.

The island has experienced its fair share of UFO sightings over the years, in particular, a rash of incidents in the early-1970s. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising given that the country has a long history, stretching back thousands of years BC, regarding accounts of great creatures, or “masters” who came down from the skies.

Very recently, there have been several further UFO sightings captured on video. Whether there is a connection across the decades, however, remains unknown.

The 1974 Sightings Captured On Film

Two sightings in particular over Hokkaido during 1974 were fortunate enough to be captured on camera. The first, on 28th April at just after 10 am was captured by local student, Noboru Yoshida. He witnessed the strange object passing overhead and quickly raised his camera. The young student managed to obtain two shots of the craft, although both are partially out of the frame. He would describe the object as a “Saturn-shaped configuration” which had a distinct “spherical” shape as well as a “thick ring surrounding it”. You can view the photograph below.

The second incident took place around six months later, a little after 12 noon, on 12th November 1974. 11-year-old twins, Yoshitsugu and Katsuji lino, from Obihiro City, were watching the sky from the back window of their family home. Suddenly, the pair noticed a “black disc” moving around against the bright blueness of the sky. One of the boys would keep his eye on the object, following it around the backdrop of blue wherever it went. The other went to retrieve the family camera. When he returned, he pointed it towards the heavens and captured four pictures before the object disappeared high into the clouds. One of their pictures is below.

The previous year, in the summer of 1973, another sighting occurred on the northernmost island. And while there are no pictures, it is an encounter all the more close-up.

The Incident of “Masaki Kudou”

Although not his real name, the sighting of “Masaki Kudou” in July 1973 is of interest for several reasons. Firstly, there is the issue of a sighting of “humanoid entities” during the experience. Secondly, the sighting occurred over a large body of water, a small detail but perhaps important as it crops up consistently throughout UFO encounters.

Kudou would give his report to Junichi Takanashi, who was the Chairman of the Modern Space Flight Association. He was also the representative in Japan for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), and eventually the representative in the country for MUFON. During the summer of 1973, while a student, Kudou worked as a night watchman at a lumber yard on the south coast of the island.

The yard itself was a dark, desolate place, with only the remains of menacing tall, dark chimneys and the odd warehouse for company. He would conduct his “rounds” of the premises in his car. After one such round, he pulled his vehicle back into its parking spot and lit a cigarette. He switched on the radio and turned his attention to the night sky. It was then he saw the “streak of light” shoot across his line of vision.

At first, he believed he had witnessed a shooting star. Then, however, the object came back into his line of sight. This time, much more controlled. It glowed a warm, orange color, moving back and forth across the sky. When it began to descend, Kutou felt a surge of fear rise up inside of him.

The glowing object settled slightly above the roof of a nearby cement factory. Shortly after, green laser-like lights emerged to the north. Perhaps the object was establishing its bearings.

“Glass-Like Tube” Takes Water!

Then the craft swiftly moved from above the cement factory, and over the waters just in front of Kudou’s position. Once over the strait, a light from the craft’s underside would shine down to the shimmering surface. Below the light, there appeared to be a “glass-like tube”. This transparent appendage began to glow slightly. More shocking to Kudou, it appeared to be drawing water up into the craft itself. This continued for several minutes before the tube retracted.

The craft simply hovered in the sky over the icy waters below. Then, without warning, it headed towards Kudou. By the time it was over his location, the entire area was “lit up like it was daylight!” Kudou could see the craft was metallic with a smooth appearance. He could also make out what seemed to be windows around the edge of the object. Inside these windows, he could make out “eerie, shadow-like figures” that he would later state were “too small and deformed to be called the shadows of men”.

All the while, Kudou’s hands remained on the steering wheel and his foot near over the pedals. He would later state, however, that he felt as though “he was bound hand and foot” as if by an invisible force. Not that he would have moved anyway. As frightened as he felt, he was also fascinated with the events unfolding before him. He could see “three or four round, white lighted objects” moving independently of the main craft. They eventually appeared to merge back together, and the main glowing craft vanished at lightning speed.

It was then that Kudou realized his entire body was completely numb. The car radio, rather than playing music, was churning out a cacophony of white noise.

The Encounter Of The “Possessed Man”, 1970

Perhaps one of the strangest UFO encounters, not only in Hokkaido but in all of Japanese UFO history, is the incident that took place in early-spring 1970. However, the main witness, a person referred to only as “Jean” was, according to his report, involved in a bizarre episode three years previously.

During a trip to Jerusalem in 1967, when he was working as an executive of a corporate business, he claimed to become “possessed by an entity of a Yahweh-type” force. Although he was still “Jean”, he was not fully in control of his decisions. He would spend the next three years traveling to various places around the planet upon the spirit’s command. In early-1970, he found himself making travel arrangements for Japan. He initially went to Miyajima but almost as soon as he arrived, he made alternative arrangements and traveled to a point far-north in Hokkaido.

Every day since his arrival, he would climb a local mountain and wait at the summit. He was told that a “rendezvous with his brother, his homolog of the other cycle of terrestrial life” would take place there. He would do this for more than a week until eventually a strange craft, like an “upright cigar” that featured “four motors” on each side and glowed a “shiny metallic color”, descended near the spot he was sat.

After landing, a doorway opened, and stairs emerged to the ground. Although no instruction came forth, he knew he was to enter the craft.

Bizarre Claims

As he stepped onto the craft, he felt the floor move underneath him slightly. He would learn later that the craft was of “living, but not thinking matter!” This is an interesting detail. Several UFO researchers have explored the notion that UFOs themselves are “intelligent entities”. It is certainly something to consider. This particular example almost suggests something similar to the plot of the “Terminator” movies of living tissue surrounding machine.

As he moved forward, a voice did announce itself. It would give clear instruction to lie on the bed in the corner of the room. This was to receive an “intravenous injection” that would protect him from radiation, which they claimed to be “carriers” of. He did as requested and automatically, a syringe-type device emerged from the wall and carried out the task. Jean watched as a “rosy liquid” entered his arm.

Following the procedure, three entities entered the room. They were extremely tall, around nine-feet tall, and each adorned a “close-fitting suit”. Each had a different bright-colored skin of green, yellow, and violet. Most bizarrely, to jean, were the “sparks (that) escaped at regular intervals” from their eyes. One of these sparks landed upon Jean and he felt an instant change in his demeanor from one of fright to one of ultra-confidence.

The three entities would introduce themselves as Jean Irwing Ludwang, and, bizarre as it sounds, Jesus, and Moses. The would state their age to be 7,280-years-old. Furthermore, they would give Jean “five divine powers”. He would then leave the craft and await his instruction.

As you might imagine, many people struggle with at least parts of this account. Whether the whole, or some, of the account are the ravings of a deranged mind or not is open to debate.

Recent Sightings Over Hokkaido

In June 2010 a report of a sighting of a UFO traveling in a “zig-zag motion” in the skies near Mount Tokachidake surfaced. What is perhaps interesting about this sighting is the presence of an active volcano. Many volcanos around the world are hotspots for UFO activity. There are several theories as to why this might be. Some believe those behind the UFOs require valuable (to them) minerals or energy emissions from the volcanoes themselves. Others believe the UFOs can navigate some of the massive tunnel systems inside. Some even go as far as to state these mammoth consequences of nature may house alien bases.

More recently, on 24th June 2014, a sighting was captured on video, again near Mount Tokachidake. The description of the 2010 sighting was eerily familiar to the video footage on offer. Might the location of this mountain prove to be the reason for such UFO sightings on Japan’s most northern island? Do the mountain ranges hide some kind of base? Or possibly a portal that allows them to come and go from our part of the cosmos to another?