Hito House: Japanese Internet Mystery

In the ruined town of Tomioka, residents discovered some strange characters drawn on a building that was resting on top of a road. Who drew the characters and why? This is the true, unsolved Japanese internet mystery, of Hito House.

[kyotorobato]

Something very different than usual. Hope you enjoy it!

[BohemianScandalous]

Naoto Matsumura is a wonderful soul. I also want people to remember Kato Sanae, he has been in Fukushima taking care of the various cats who were left behind, and being with them as they pass away. I think about what he said a lot, “I want to make sure I am here to take care of the last one, after that I want to die, whether that be a day or hour later.”

[miaouew]

Naoto was an angel for staying behind to care for all of the animals.

[imthelapis]

Your unscripted segment was really nice! Felt a lot more personal, wouldn't mind more like that at all and your regular content is amazing too of course! Thank you for all the research and effort you put in these videos.

[purplegalaxies]

I think the most unnerving thing about the 人-House is that it was once someone’s home. We don’t know if that person died in the tsunami or is still out there somewhere. The 人 character just empathises that aspect of that, something we tend to forget when we see abandoned homes.

It’s most likely a “baby’s first crime”, nothing to deep. But it sure makes it unnerving, as it forces you to think about the lives lost.

[neitherherenorthere]

From the information from the video and comments, I do have a theory. I think that whoever wrote the Hito Characters all over the house and cars, was perhaps experiencing a grief-induced mental break. Hito does denote "people. persons" and the color red is always ominous. Maybe after the people were allowed to return, a resident or even a worker, spray painted this as a form of grief, like "people, people, people." Major catastrophes can break even the most disciplined of people. There's no telling what this person might of saw. But, seeing major devastation is heartbreaking. Whoever this was, I hope that they find some peace as well as everyone else. It also, could be just graffiti written in haste with no real meaning. But, if it was a grief stricken resident/worker expressing pain, I hope that they are OK and that thought does break my heart for all affected.

[helloraie]

Growing up in Southeast Asia, I was often scolded by my dad for drawing the same character on walls and furniture, because he thought it would attract spirits to possess said item. My paternal grandparents are from China, but my dad often played with the local kids.

[npc]

My family and I survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Hito Characters reminded me of the "X Codes" you saw all over the city (especially in the Lower 9th Ward) in the years following the storm. X Codes are a way for search and rescue teams to communicate information like the status of the residents (dead, alive, missing, etc.), which team performed the rescue, the date of the search, and any potential hazards that could put first responders in danger.

I'm not sure if the X Codes are FEMA-specific, but if not... maybe a person who volunteered as part of an urban search and rescue/recovery team, or even a former resident who lost family, friends, and neighbors, used the Hito House to expess their grief. Seeing life return to a devastated area, where you personally witnessed so much death and destruction, can be a complicated experience. You're happy that your home will not be fully abandoned; however, you simultaneously have accept that your previous life is gone forever.

Before it was a roadblock, the Hito House was someone's home. I'd like to believe that it wasn't a prank and that the artist was encouraging returning residents who complained about the house to practice compassion.

[ellebrook]

I was in Japan on March 11, 2011. Fortunately not in the Tohoku area, but near enough to feel it strongly. I remember turning on the TV and seeing the live footage of black water ominously rising, fires dotted here and there and then the shocking images of not only cars being carried along the water, but actual houses and other buildings. It's still terrifying to think there were actual people being swept along with all that. Perhaps the person who wrote the Hito characters was expressing the horror they saw on that fateful day. I did wonder if it was more than one person simply because the curves of the character seem to be written differently, but perhaps it's just the way our writing changes as we repeat the same word over and over. Either way, another fascinating report. I also liked the 'off-script' style at the end. It sounded/felt more human, which considering the theme of this video, is very fitting.

[brittanybecker]

As someone who's done too many artistic critiques, I favor the graffiti theory, especially since the character also resembles waves and the pylons used in the clean-up. Its a very stark amalgamation of the tragedy in one character - the shape of the wave, the loss of humanity and community because of it and the reconstruction afterwards. Maybe the artist wanted to grieve and this was an expression of that.

[toko_ribbon]

I enjoyed the bonus part— no need to apologize for side notes. No worries! Always great to see a new video upload by you— your researched videos and the unknown stories you bring to surface is a treat!

[starrynightfall]

It could've been someone from the town grappling with their trauma from the incident, using tagging as an outlet for expressing their bottled-up emotions. The Hito symbols might serve as a tangible reminder of what was lost. This person, possibly reserved by nature, might be finding a way to voice their pain in a bold, visible manner. Or alternatively, it could've been done by someone who passed through town, just indiscriminately tagging things. Perhaps there's no rhyme or reason to it. I'm sure the area would've attracted risk-taking people who don't care about rules. The idea of marking previously off-limits spaces, like people's homes and businesses, could have been appealing to them.

[homurastan]

I think that the red grafitty was probably a reminder to people of those who lost their lifes... The citizens returned to the town and were circling past the destroyed house, not cleaning it up or doing anything about it, but just aknowledging it as part of their daily lifes, even creating a dirt road beside it, almost like they were ignoring it. Seeing "people, people, people" scribbled everywhere is certainly a reminder about everyone who died in this disaster

[MebiManga]

It was morbidly fascinating seeing the destroyed houses when you took us through the area. Great content as usual for the first part, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of these unscripted bonus content from time to time!

[MegCazalet]

I don’t think it took all *that* long to do. It’s such a simple thing to spray paint: two sprays per figure. And it looks like whoever did it only went as high up the wall as they could reach, so they weren’t *so* committed as to have brought a ladder and completely covered the walls.

[Hierofan]

I am always stoked when you upload. You've become one of my favorites to watch on this platform. These Japanese cases are not covered in Western media, so they are new and exciting. Except for a few extreme examples, like the tragedy of Junko Furuta.

[vincefox]

Loved the perspectives on the story and your bonus, casual tour at the end. Amazing that in merely 41 videos, your main content has become so polished and refined; it's reassuring you still talk like a regular person off script lol. Glad to have found your channel so early in its growth!

[sienaasem-som]

I was 11 years old when the Japan's tsunami tragedy happened, and in 2012, a japanese girl joined our school. She barely speaks portuguese, but was a very intelligent and kind girl, and I engaged in a good relantionship with her. She was a bit lonely, and reclusive, but always gentle to everybody. With time, after she get used with our language, and become more confortable with us, she finally talked about that day, and how horrific everything was... She suffered of panic attacks and had nightmares for almost a entire year.
One day, she told me about her hometown in Japan, and try to imagine if they reconstructed her old house. I asked the town name.
She said, with some tears in her eyes:
Tomioka.

Yes, the little japanese girl was from the same town were the Hito House caught the internet attention.
I never asked her about details, because remember of something that you loved for a life and them lost in seconds is something really painful...
Now, seeing you making that virtual tour, I remembered about that, and wondered if one of the ruined houses we saw there was the one were Miko lived before the catastrophe.

Now, she's a woman, with 26 years, married with a brazillian man, and had her first children last year, and she looks very happy here.
But, she still say (in a very good portuguese now) that she still want to take her daughter and husband and travel to Japan, to Tomioka, and show them were she borned and how things are now.

But, I believe she wants to see her hometown, feel her mother-ground under the feet and breathe the air of her country, for one last time maybe.
This is a thing about people who don't forget their roots, even after the water, earth and fire almost vanish it from existance.

[onetwistedkitty]

The second part of the video was an excellent add-in, and I'm glad you did it. To see how things were vs how things are now is quite the sobering reminder of the events. Excellent video!

[kc]

I really enjoyed you showing the google maps showing the aftermath it was interesting to see those extra details