Latest / PNW Haunts & Homicides / Skye Budnick: Hokkaido, Japan

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Skye Budnick: Hokkaido, Japan · PNW Haunts & Homicides

0:04
Speaker 1: This episode discusses topics related to suicide and mental health,
0:08
Speaker 1: which some listeners may find distressing. If you or someone
0:12
Speaker 1: you know is struggling, please reach out to trusted friend,
0:16
Speaker 1: family member, or mental health professional. You are not alone.
0:20
Speaker 1: Help is available. In the United States, you can call
0:24
Speaker 1: or text nine eight eight the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
0:28
Speaker 1: It's available twenty four hours, seven days a week. In
0:32
Speaker 1: the UK, contact Samaritans at one one six one two three.
0:37
Speaker 1: In Australia, reach out to Lifeline at one three one
0:41
Speaker 1: one one four. For other countries, please visit find a
0:46
Speaker 1: Helpline dot com for a global directory of mental health resources.
0:51
Speaker 1: Listener discretion is advised. Ladies and gentlemen. The captain has
1:10
Speaker 1: turned on the fastened seatbelt sign. If you haven't already
1:14
Speaker 1: done so, Please make sure the volume of this podcast
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Speaker 1: is set perfectly to your listening enjoyment. Please take your seat,
1:21
Speaker 1: whether that's on the treadmill, car, sofa, or bed, and
1:25
Speaker 1: buckle in for the Last Trip. My name is Jamie
1:29
Speaker 1: bb and I'll be your tour guide recreating someone's last
1:32
Speaker 1: days in paradise on behalf of myself and everyone behind
1:37
Speaker 1: the scenes. Please enjoy the Last Trip podcast, and because
1:41
Speaker 1: nobody likes a long flight to get to where they
1:43
Speaker 1: want to be, let's prepare for takeoffs. Sky Budnick was
1:51
Speaker 1: twenty one years old in two thousand and eight when
1:54
Speaker 1: she left Connecticut on a one way flight to Japan
1:57
Speaker 1: without telling anyone. After arriving, she was seen at an
2:02
Speaker 1: inn in northern Japan. But from there her trail ended
2:07
Speaker 1: and the mystery only deepened. No one knows why she
2:11
Speaker 1: went to Japan, what happened once she got there, or
2:15
Speaker 1: where she is now, But over sixteen years later, her
2:19
Speaker 1: family is still actively searching for her, and they deserve answers.
2:25
Speaker 1: Where is Sky Budnik? I chose this week's case because
2:33
Speaker 1: I'm actually going to be in Japan next week and
2:36
Speaker 1: found it while I was researching my trip. I'll be
2:39
Speaker 1: visiting Tokyo, while Sky went much further north to the
2:43
Speaker 1: area of Hakkaido. Hakkaido is the northernmost of Japan's main
2:48
Speaker 1: islands and is more of a destination for nature lovers, adventurers,
2:52
Speaker 1: and those seeking a quieter atmosphere. It's almost the opposite
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Speaker 1: of a trip to Tokyo. Hakkaido has cool summers at harsh,
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Speaker 1: snowy winters, which makes it a top destination for skiing
3:05
Speaker 1: and snowboarding. The capital city is Siporo, known for the
3:10
Speaker 1: annual Sapporo Snow Festival, Sapporo beer, and my favorite me
3:14
Speaker 1: so ramen. Well, Sapporo isn't as much of a tourist
3:18
Speaker 1: destination as Tokyo, they have some great reasons to check
3:22
Speaker 1: it out. In the spring, the cherry blossoms bloom in
3:26
Speaker 1: the summer, the Sapporo Summer Festival and the beer gardens
3:29
Speaker 1: bring a big crowd, and of course the Saporo Snow
3:33
Speaker 1: Festival in the winter, which features massive ice and snow sculptures.
3:38
Speaker 1: While we think Sky made her way to Sapporo, we
3:41
Speaker 1: can't be sure, but we are sure that she stayed
3:44
Speaker 1: at least several days in the small town of Nibori Betsu.
3:48
Speaker 1: Nobori Betsu is famous for its hot springs and natural beauty,
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Speaker 1: but in two thousand and eight it wasn't a place
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Speaker 1: many Westerners were visiting. Japan's tourism industry was still largely
4:01
Speaker 1: focused on domestic travelers, and it was a popular getaway
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Speaker 1: for Japanese families, couples, and retirees seeking the relaxing hot
4:09
Speaker 1: springs It's a very traditional town with limited English at
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Speaker 1: the time, so it would have been difficult for a
4:16
Speaker 1: solo American tourist to get around without being fluent in Japanese.
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Speaker 1: Sky would have been and was noticed while she was there. Today,
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Speaker 1: it's still a little off the beaten path for many tourists,
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Speaker 1: but much more popular. The hot springs or onsen bring
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Speaker 1: a lot of people to town. Also, Hell Valley, which isn't
4:38
Speaker 1: as horrible as it sounds, is actually a striking landscape
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Speaker 1: in a volcanic valley with dramatic steam vents and bubbling pools.
4:47
Speaker 1: The natural minerals from the hot springs are believed to
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Speaker 1: have healing properties, so it's also a popular spot for
4:53
Speaker 1: wildness retreats. Like I said, I wouldn't see Hakaido as
4:57
Speaker 1: Sky's first choice to stop when visiting Japan for the
5:01
Speaker 1: first time, especially because she loved anime and the culture
5:04
Speaker 1: so much that Tokyo makes more sense to me. Tokyo
5:09
Speaker 1: is a NonStop, bright, twenty four hour maze of people, places,
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Speaker 1: and things. I've been trying to plan my trip and
5:17
Speaker 1: for everything I want to do, I need to be
5:20
Speaker 1: there for at least a year, so I had to
5:22
Speaker 1: narrow my list down because I'm only going for a week.
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Speaker 1: My main goal is to hit some awesome thrift stores
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Speaker 1: because thrift stores in Japan are like my kryptonite. I
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Speaker 1: love the older styles and the fashion, and the prices
5:37
Speaker 1: are super cheap. I cannot wait to shop there. Beyond that,
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Speaker 1: I want to see the Unco Museum, which is a
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Speaker 1: museum entirely dedicated to poop. It's bright, fun and glittery,
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Speaker 1: and gives you the lowdown on everything that happens in
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Speaker 1: the bathroom. Also, they have a bunch of animal cafes
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Speaker 1: where you can go and enjoy a coffee or tea
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Speaker 1: with hedgehogs, owls, cats, rabbits, ferrets, raccoons, and lots of
6:05
Speaker 1: other animals that I'm not sure I've ever seen. For
6:08
Speaker 1: all my fellow true crime enthusiasts, there's also a crime
6:12
Speaker 1: fighting themed cafe where all the bartenders are actually private
6:16
Speaker 1: detectives by day. They'll make you a drink and tell
6:19
Speaker 1: you about their day job, which sounds fascinating to me.
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Speaker 1: I also plan to visit some unusual public toilets. The
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Speaker 1: toilets are encased by transparent glass in a variety of
6:31
Speaker 1: vibrant colors and you can see right through them. But
6:35
Speaker 1: once you go inside and lock the door, the walls
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Speaker 1: automatically turn opaque. Just don't forget to lock the door.
6:43
Speaker 1: If you're curious about my trip to Japan, you can
6:46
Speaker 1: always check out my Instagram at feather Girls seventy seven.
6:50
Speaker 1: But for now, let's get to know more about Sky.
6:53
Speaker 1: After a word from our sponsors.
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Speaker 2: That's right. We dive into the darkest corners of humanity.
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Speaker 1: Sky Lynn Budnick was born on February twenty second, nineteen
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Speaker 1: eighty seven, in Connecticut. She has an older brother, Matt,
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Speaker 1: and an older sister, Megan. Growing up, sky fell alienated
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Speaker 1: in middle school and high school because she had different
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Speaker 1: interests than other kids her age. Mainly, she was a
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Speaker 1: huge fan of Japanese culture and anime. Anime is basically
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Speaker 1: a style of animated TV shows, movies, and online series
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Speaker 1: that come from Japan. It's known for its colorful artwork,
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Speaker 1: vibrant characters, and wide range of stories that can be
9:03
Speaker 1: about anything action, romance, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, or even
9:09
Speaker 1: just everyday life. Think of anime as Japan's version of
9:14
Speaker 1: animated storytelling, kind of like how the US has cartoons,
9:18
Speaker 1: except anime is not just for kids. In the early
9:22
Speaker 1: two thousands, anime was just hitting the surface in the
9:25
Speaker 1: United States. It was a growing but niche subculture. Back then,
9:31
Speaker 1: fans had to rely heavily on DVDs, and sometimes channels
9:35
Speaker 1: like The Cartoon Network and Adult Swim showed the more
9:38
Speaker 1: popular series. This was also a time that the Internet
9:42
Speaker 1: was starting to explode, so anime fans were able to
9:46
Speaker 1: find each other on blogging sites and chat rooms. They
9:49
Speaker 1: also met up at conventions where they dressed up as
9:52
Speaker 1: their favorite characters. Because it wasn't mainstream, anime fans were
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Speaker 1: often stereotyped as social, awkward or overly obsessed with Japanese culture.
10:04
Speaker 1: Through college and these online chat rooms, Sky found friends
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Speaker 1: she could relate to. She was described as very sweet,
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Speaker 1: hard working, and deeply introverted. She was shy, quiet, isolated,
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Speaker 1: and often struggled socially. Sky went to Central Connecticut State
10:22
Speaker 1: University in New Britain, Connecticut, and at the time of
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Speaker 1: her disappearance, she was a twenty one year old junior
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Speaker 1: studying international business with a concentration or minor in Japanese studies.
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Speaker 1: Her dream was to go to Japan, but unfortunately she
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Speaker 1: had already missed two opportunities through the Study Abroad program
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Speaker 1: because she was failing several classes. Most of her personal
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Speaker 1: time was devoted to watching or playing with anime, and
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Speaker 1: her struggles to fit in socially were reflective of her
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Speaker 1: worstening depression, which was an illness that had occasionally appeared
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Speaker 1: and other members of her family. At the end of
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Speaker 1: two thousand and eight seven, Sky started messaging her friends
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Speaker 1: on Facebook to see if they wanted to buy collectibles
11:05
Speaker 1: and possessions off of her. She told them the money
11:08
Speaker 1: was to pay for school, but that wasn't exactly the truth.
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Speaker 1: Her parents were paying for school and she had student loans,
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Speaker 1: so nobody knows why she wanted the money or why
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Speaker 1: she'd want to get rid of her things. In the
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Speaker 1: beginning of two thousand and eight, there were several disappointments
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Speaker 1: in a row that led to a particularly difficult time
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Speaker 1: for Sky. In January, Sky either missed or canceled her
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Speaker 1: first trip to Japan, but she hadn't told anyone she
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Speaker 1: planned to go. The only reason her family found out
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Speaker 1: about it was because Skuy's mom received a courtesy call
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Speaker 1: notifying her of the missed flight. When she asked Sky
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Speaker 1: about it, she claimed she was just looking into flights
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Speaker 1: for her friend. Her family didn't think much of it,
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Speaker 1: but later found out the flight was hers and was
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Speaker 1: never refunded. She was already struggling atadically and then was
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Speaker 1: heartbroken to learn in March that her grades weren't good
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Speaker 1: enough and she had missed the deadline to travel with
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Speaker 1: the Study Abroad program to Japan, and she found out
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Speaker 1: that the opportunity would not happen again until after she graduated. Then,
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Speaker 1: on March twenty fifth, a good friend of Sky's reached
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Speaker 1: out to her on Facebook Messenger, upset and hurt that
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Speaker 1: Sky was belittling her Japanese around their friends and making
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Speaker 1: fun of her. They chatted and Sky apologized for how
12:29
Speaker 1: she acted and they made up, but it did seem
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Speaker 1: like Sky was really hard on herself about hurting her friend.
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Speaker 1: On that same day, there was a ten dollars charge
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Speaker 1: from a travel agency posted to s Guy's bank account.
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Speaker 1: Her family later realized this was when the booking process
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Speaker 1: was either started or completed for her trip to Japan.
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Speaker 1: The next day, Sky reached back out to the friend
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Speaker 1: she had argued with and thanked her for being such
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Speaker 1: a good friend. That's also when a charge for seven
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Speaker 1: hundred thirty seven dollars and forty cents was posted to
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Speaker 1: her bank account for the purchase of her flight. Sky's
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Speaker 1: last day in the United States with March thirty first,
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Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, she was in good spirits with
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Speaker 1: her family and asked her mom to bake some of
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Speaker 1: her favorite cupcakes. When her sister told her she could
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Speaker 1: learn to bake them herself, Sky said she just wanted
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Speaker 1: her mom to make them one last time. In hindsight,
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Speaker 1: it's rather ominous, but at the time no one thought
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Speaker 1: anything of it. Sky was still living at home, but
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Speaker 1: that night told her family that she'd be staying with
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Speaker 1: a friend on campus for a few days, and that
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Speaker 1: was the last time they ever saw or heard from Sky.
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Speaker 1: On April first, two thousand and eight, without telling anyone,
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Speaker 1: Sky boarded a one way flight to Japan out of
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Speaker 1: Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on United Airlines.
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Speaker 1: She left her thousand and five Chevy Aveo parked at
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Speaker 1: the airport and took her keys with her, but she
14:05
Speaker 1: didn't bring a suitcase full of clothes, rather just her computer,
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Speaker 1: Nintendo DS, debit card, and perhaps an outfit or two.
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Speaker 1: Her first layover was in Washington, d C, where she
14:18
Speaker 1: withdrew eight hundred dollars from an ATM at the airport,
14:21
Speaker 1: leaving four hundred dollars remaining in her bank account. On
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Speaker 1: April second, Sky landed in Tokyo for another layover at
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Speaker 1: three point thirty in the afternoon, and three hours later
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Speaker 1: she took the final leg of her flight to Sapporo
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Speaker 1: Chitose Airport and arrived there at seven forty five pm.
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Speaker 1: So without telling anyone at all, and her parents thinking
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Speaker 1: she's just staying with a friend on campus, Sky flew
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Speaker 1: halfway across the world by herself for reasons unknown. But
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Speaker 1: how was it? No one noticed? Partly because the day
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Speaker 1: she left, her sister Meghan, who was twenty four at
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Speaker 1: the time and also living at home, ended up in
15:01
Speaker 1: the hospital with medical issues. While all that was going on,
15:05
Speaker 1: the family lost track of time and didn't realize they
15:08
Speaker 1: hadn't seen Sky in a couple of days. This gave
15:11
Speaker 1: Sky time to get to Japan and spend her first
15:14
Speaker 1: few days there with nobody knowing she was gone. When
15:18
Speaker 1: Sky got to the Chetose airport, she went to the
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Speaker 1: train station but had trouble figuring out how to buy
15:24
Speaker 1: a ticket. There, she met a man who helped her
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Speaker 1: purchase the ticket, and when he came forward as a
15:29
Speaker 1: witness later, he said she was upset during the interaction,
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Speaker 1: but I think most people would be. Japan isn't the
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Speaker 1: easiest place to get around, and I'm sure she was
15:40
Speaker 1: tired from her long flight from there. It's unknown where
15:44
Speaker 1: she took the train or where she stayed the night
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Speaker 1: of April second or April third back in Connecticut. It
15:51
Speaker 1: was the evening of April third that her family realized
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Speaker 1: they hadn't heard from her, so the next day they
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Speaker 1: started calling her friends to find her. Skuy didn't have
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Speaker 1: a cell phone, which complicated things, and she told her
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Speaker 1: friends varying stories about where she was and who she
16:07
Speaker 1: was staying with, but no one mentioned her leaving for
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Speaker 1: any kind of trip, especially to Japan. While they were searching,
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Speaker 1: her brother realized he could log into her email on
16:18
Speaker 1: the family computer because she had previously been logged in,
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Speaker 1: and they were shocked to see a flight itinerary for
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Speaker 1: April first to Japan. They called the police, but because
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Speaker 1: Sky is an adult, there wasn't much they could do,
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Speaker 1: so the family went to the airport and found her car,
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Speaker 1: realizing that she really had gotten on the flight. That
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Speaker 1: same day, April Forest, Sky checked into the Kiyomizuya Ryokin
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Speaker 1: in Nobori, Betsu and stayed there for two nights. It's
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Speaker 1: a traditional Japanese inn known for its hot springs that
16:53
Speaker 1: feature sulfuric spring waters. It's also close to popular spots
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Speaker 1: like Hell Valley and the Nebora at sue Their Park.
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Speaker 1: On April fifth, Sky's father, Robert, called the US Consulate
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Speaker 1: General to let them know Sky was missing in Japan.
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Speaker 1: On April sixth, Sky took a taxi to Kruu su
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Speaker 1: Onsen Suzuki Rukin and stayed there for one night. And
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Speaker 1: that's another inn with hot springs that's even less commercialized.
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Speaker 1: The next day, April seventh, when Sky checked out of
17:27
Speaker 1: the Onsen. She mentioned to the innkeeper that she was
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Speaker 1: headed to Supporo. The innkeeper said she didn't seem depressed
17:34
Speaker 1: and was in good spirits. There was no indication anything
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Speaker 1: was wrong, but that was the last ever confirmed sighting
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Speaker 1: of Sky. On April tenth, Sky's sister Meghan and her
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Speaker 1: mom Susan, flew to Supporo because in order to file
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Speaker 1: a missing person's report, they had to do it in person.
17:54
Speaker 1: Once they arrived, they were in complete culture shock. They
17:58
Speaker 1: were met with one road block after another. They were
18:02
Speaker 1: in a country they knew very little about and had
18:05
Speaker 1: almost no help to navigate what was going on. Most
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Speaker 1: people will never realize how truly difficult it is to
18:12
Speaker 1: navigate the search for a loved one, especially in another country,
18:17
Speaker 1: and it was even harder in two thousand and eight
18:19
Speaker 1: because there was less technology and less social media. Sky
18:23
Speaker 1: didn't even have a cell phone. It was like trying
18:26
Speaker 1: to find a needle in a haystack. On April thirteenth,
18:30
Speaker 1: they held a press conference in Tokyo, asking anyone with
18:34
Speaker 1: information to come forward, but unfortunately, very little could be
18:38
Speaker 1: done because Sky was legally an adult. It was after
18:42
Speaker 1: the press conference that they found out where she had stayed,
18:46
Speaker 1: as well as her run in with the man at
18:48
Speaker 1: the train station, but there were still no closer to
18:51
Speaker 1: finding Sky. Running into numerous dead ends, they left Japan
18:56
Speaker 1: to continue their search from home. Once back in the US,
19:00
Speaker 1: they were able to go through Sky's bank statements and
19:03
Speaker 1: discovered the at and withdrawal in Washington during her layover.
19:07
Speaker 1: But how long would eight hundred dollars really last in Japan?
19:11
Speaker 1: Not only did Guy not have much money with her,
19:14
Speaker 1: but her family questioned how she was able to get
19:17
Speaker 1: into the country without a visa or a return ticket
19:22
Speaker 1: into that. Japan said they let her in without one
19:24
Speaker 1: because sometimes people slip in through the cracks. I'm not
19:28
Speaker 1: sure that would happened with today's technology, but apparently it
19:32
Speaker 1: happened then. But her family still didn't think Sky could
19:35
Speaker 1: have gone through and planned this all by herself. They
19:39
Speaker 1: thought a more likely scenario was that she met someone
19:42
Speaker 1: and they were helping her navigate the trip. After leaving Japan,
19:46
Speaker 1: there were even fewer leads coming in in Sky's case,
19:50
Speaker 1: just didn't get much more attention. That is until years later,
19:54
Speaker 1: when her sister Megan started speaking up on TikTok and
19:58
Speaker 1: social media. She spoke extensively about what it's been like
20:02
Speaker 1: searching for her sister over the last sixteen years. Her
20:06
Speaker 1: podcast Surviving Sky is truthful, raw, emotional, and gives a
20:12
Speaker 1: glimpse into what people go through when they have a
20:15
Speaker 1: missing loved one. I don't think people realize how difficult
20:19
Speaker 1: a disappearance is to navigate, or even just how expensive
20:23
Speaker 1: it is to continue looking year after year. I highly
20:27
Speaker 1: suggest listening to her podcast or checking her out on
20:30
Speaker 1: social media. Finally, in the spring of twenty twenty four,
20:35
Speaker 1: the Japanese government told Megan and Susan that with the
20:38
Speaker 1: advances of technology, they wanted to run DNA against the
20:42
Speaker 1: Jane does they found, but they had to give their
20:45
Speaker 1: DNA in person, so Megan set up a GoFundMe to
20:48
Speaker 1: cover travel costs and they flew back to Japan to
20:51
Speaker 1: give a DNA sample. Unfortunately, as of September twenty twenty four,
20:57
Speaker 1: they were told the DNA samples they submitted came back
21:00
Speaker 1: and there were no matches. So what happened to Sky
21:03
Speaker 1: Budnick and where is she now? Guy's trail stops cold
21:12
Speaker 1: and there are no clues in her disappearance, which means
21:15
Speaker 1: there are a lot of theories. Sky's family believes she
21:19
Speaker 1: met someone online who lured her to Japan. She was
21:23
Speaker 1: shy and quiet, and they just don't think she would
21:26
Speaker 1: have gone all the way to Japan completely by herself.
21:30
Speaker 1: This could be wise she went to Hakaido rather than Tokyo,
21:33
Speaker 1: the obvious tourists fought, especially for someone who's never been
21:37
Speaker 1: to Japan, would be Tokyo. Her sister thinks she could
21:41
Speaker 1: have easily met someone in a chat room online who
21:44
Speaker 1: they instructed her how to leave the way she did
21:47
Speaker 1: where to go, taking very little with her and not
21:50
Speaker 1: telling anyone she was leaving. If she did meet with someone,
21:54
Speaker 1: anything could have happened. It could have been a love
21:56
Speaker 1: story and they got married, and she's living happily in
21:59
Speaker 1: a small town somewhere in Japan. And I hope for
22:02
Speaker 1: Sky and her family that is what happened. But I
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Speaker 1: don't think she would willingly put her family through this
22:08
Speaker 1: just and devastation of not knowing what happened to her,
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Speaker 1: especially after all this time. There are people online that
22:15
Speaker 1: catfish for a number of reasons, and if Sky did
22:18
Speaker 1: meet someone from the internet, it's possible they had bad intentions.
22:23
Speaker 1: I do think foul play is a heavy possibility in
22:26
Speaker 1: this case, whether she went to Japan to meet someone
22:29
Speaker 1: who hurt her, or something happened once she got there.
22:33
Speaker 1: She was young, traveling solo, and inexperienced. Those are all
22:38
Speaker 1: ingredients that can lead to foul play. There's a possibility
22:42
Speaker 1: Sky was recruited by a cult. There are a surprising
22:45
Speaker 1: number of cults operating in Japan. There was even one
22:49
Speaker 1: recruiting out of Sapporo in two thousand and eight. They're
22:53
Speaker 1: notorious for having their members cut off all contact with
22:57
Speaker 1: their families. Another possibility is that Sky went to Japan
23:02
Speaker 1: to take her own life. Sky had a history of depression,
23:06
Speaker 1: which is documented by her sister and other family members,
23:10
Speaker 1: and there were little things looking back that could have
23:13
Speaker 1: been indications of suicidal thoughts. She said things like she'd
23:18
Speaker 1: die happy after seeing the cherry blossoms in Japan. She
23:22
Speaker 1: talked about traveling to Japan and killing herself there. She
23:25
Speaker 1: told her mom she wanted her to bake her favorite
23:27
Speaker 1: cupcakes one last time, and she was selling off her belongings.
23:33
Speaker 1: Those could all be signs that someone is considering suicide.
23:37
Speaker 1: Many people online have brought up suicide forests in Japan
23:41
Speaker 1: which is simply a forest that has gained a lot
23:44
Speaker 1: of notoriety due to the numerous depths. Over the years,
23:48
Speaker 1: it's become one of the most well known suicide spots
23:51
Speaker 1: in the world. There are dense trees, people become disoriented
23:56
Speaker 1: and lost there, and it's got a very dark reputation.
24:00
Speaker 1: But it's located at the base of Mount Fuji, which
24:03
Speaker 1: is about twenty two hours by car and ferry from
24:06
Speaker 1: where Sky was in Hokkaido. If she did go there
24:10
Speaker 1: to take her life, it's unlikely she did it in
24:13
Speaker 1: Suicide Forest because someone would have seen her traveling there.
24:17
Speaker 1: She would have been easily noticed in most places throughout
24:21
Speaker 1: Japan as a tall, white woman traveling solo. In two
24:24
Speaker 1: thousand and eight, Sky's family also found an unsent email
24:29
Speaker 1: in Sky's account addressed to a friend, which could have
24:33
Speaker 1: been taken as a suicide note, But that note could
24:37
Speaker 1: also have been just a letter that was never sent,
24:40
Speaker 1: or a note describing how she wanted to disappear and
24:42
Speaker 1: start over in a new country. This all happened in
24:45
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, and technology wasn't where it is now.
24:50
Speaker 1: There's no footage of her on camera anywhere She didn't
24:53
Speaker 1: have a cell phone, and social media wasn't where it
24:56
Speaker 1: is now, so her disappearance couldn't reach the type of
24:59
Speaker 1: audience that would today. All they really had to go
25:02
Speaker 1: on was her Facebook account, emails, and bank account. It's
25:07
Speaker 1: possible she was able to go to Japan and fly
25:09
Speaker 1: under the radar in a small town and start a
25:12
Speaker 1: new life. There's also a phenomenon in Japan called a
25:15
Speaker 1: hatsup or the evaporating people, and it's a way that
25:19
Speaker 1: people choose to disappear. They disappear completely from their old
25:23
Speaker 1: lives and live in secret. They shed their addresses, jobs, families,
25:28
Speaker 1: change their names, and sometimes even their faces, disappearing for
25:32
Speaker 1: any number of reasons depression, addiction, sexual impropriety, domestic violence, debt,
25:39
Speaker 1: or even job or school failures. And it's something that
25:43
Speaker 1: isn't talked about much, but a lot of people disappear
25:46
Speaker 1: and live in a kind of society underneath Japan's society.
25:51
Speaker 1: There are agencies that help people evaporate for as little
25:54
Speaker 1: as four hundred and fifty US dollars, which wasn't unreasonable
25:59
Speaker 1: for Sky. I'm not sure they would have helped an American,
26:02
Speaker 1: but if they wanted the money, then I don't see
26:05
Speaker 1: why they wouldn't. It suggested that one hundred thousand people
26:09
Speaker 1: have vanished each year since the mid nineteen nineties, which
26:13
Speaker 1: is a much higher number than the suicides in Suicide Forest,
26:17
Speaker 1: which is about one hundred people a year. It's been
26:20
Speaker 1: sixteen years and there are no clues on Sky's whereabouts,
26:24
Speaker 1: but someone out there usually knows something, and I think
26:29
Speaker 1: in this case, someone needs to come forward in order
26:32
Speaker 1: to find the truth. Until then, everything is just a theory.
26:41
Speaker 1: Should you travel to Japan, Absolutely, it's an amazing and
26:46
Speaker 1: safe country to visit. To put it into perspective, the
26:50
Speaker 1: Japanese crime rate is one fourth the rate in the
26:53
Speaker 1: United States. There are ten times more murders in the
26:57
Speaker 1: US than Japan, times more rapes per capita, and two
27:02
Speaker 1: hundred and eight times more robberies. Japan is at the
27:06
Speaker 1: top of many general safety rinkings, but the country is
27:11
Speaker 1: prone to several natural disasters that you'll want to be
27:14
Speaker 1: aware of. There are typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
27:21
Speaker 1: If a typhoon is coming while you're visiting Japan, advanced
27:25
Speaker 1: preparation is key. Stock up on water non perishable food, flashlights, batteries,
27:32
Speaker 1: a first aid kit, and keep your essential documents in
27:35
Speaker 1: a waterproof bag. Familiarize yourself with local evacuation shelters and roots.
27:42
Speaker 1: During the typhoon, don't go outside. This seems obvious to
27:46
Speaker 1: most people, but really don't go outside, even through an
27:49
Speaker 1: Instagram video. Also, stay away from windows, on plug electronics,
27:55
Speaker 1: and if you can, steer clear of rivers, coastal areas,
27:59
Speaker 1: and low lying regions that are prone to flooding or landslides.
28:03
Speaker 1: Earthquakes in Japan are the ones that scare me because
28:06
Speaker 1: they're usually pretty big. If you're in an earthquake, remember
28:11
Speaker 1: to drop, cover and hold on. Drop to your hands
28:14
Speaker 1: and knees, cover your head and neck under a sturdy table,
28:18
Speaker 1: and hold on until the shaking stops. If you're outside
28:22
Speaker 1: during an earthquake, move away from buildings, street lights, and
28:26
Speaker 1: utility wires. Find an open space and stay low to
28:30
Speaker 1: the ground. If you're in a vehicle during an earthquake,
28:34
Speaker 1: pull over to a safe spot away from bridges, overpasses,
28:37
Speaker 1: and power lines, and stay in your car until the
28:40
Speaker 1: shaking stocks and when the shaking does stop. Remember that
28:45
Speaker 1: there are usually after shocks and they can also be
28:48
Speaker 1: pretty powerful. Tsunamis also happen in Japan and are usually
28:53
Speaker 1: triggered by underwater earthquakes. If you feel a strong earthquake
28:58
Speaker 1: or hear a warning, act fast, don't wait for official instructions.
29:02
Speaker 1: Get to higher ground immediately. If you're in a building,
29:07
Speaker 1: don't use an elevator because there's not going to be
29:10
Speaker 1: time to take the stairs. Get away from beaches, rivers,
29:14
Speaker 1: and harbors. Get to the highest most stable ground you
29:18
Speaker 1: can as quickly as possible, and stay there and tell
29:21
Speaker 1: authorities declare it's safe. Multiple waves can follow in a tsunami,
29:26
Speaker 1: and the first wave is not always the largest. Japan
29:31
Speaker 1: has a lot of active volcanoes that can erupt. If
29:34
Speaker 1: this happens, follow evacuation orders immediately, wear long sleeved clothing
29:39
Speaker 1: and a mask to prevent inhaling ash. If evacuation is
29:44
Speaker 1: not required, stay inside and seal the doors and windows.
29:48
Speaker 1: Similar to earthquakes, there may be secondary eruptions or aftershocks,
29:53
Speaker 1: so be sure to get the all clear from authorities
29:55
Speaker 1: before returning to normal activities. With any emergencies in Pan,
30:00
Speaker 1: to get the police dial one one zero, and to
30:04
Speaker 1: get fire or ambulance dial one one nine. Sky didn't
30:08
Speaker 1: tell anyone she was going anywhere, especially halfway across the
30:12
Speaker 1: world to a country she had never been in. Had
30:15
Speaker 1: she even told her friend, she may not be missing today.
30:19
Speaker 1: Please make sure that, no matter where you're traveling, you
30:22
Speaker 1: inform someone about your plans Before going anywhere, Tell someone
30:27
Speaker 1: reliable where you're going and what you'll be doing, and
30:30
Speaker 1: when to expect you back. My number one tip to
30:34
Speaker 1: staying alive on vacation is to pay attention to your gut.
30:38
Speaker 1: If something doesn't feel right, it isn't. Sky Budnick was
30:47
Speaker 1: twenty one years old when she disappeared, and she'd be
30:50
Speaker 1: thirty seven now. She was last seen on April seventh,
30:54
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, in the Boribatsu, Akkaido, Japan, by
30:59
Speaker 1: an innkeeper. She's originally from Connecticut. She is white, five
31:04
Speaker 1: feet six inches, one hundred and eighty pounds, brown hair,
31:08
Speaker 1: and blue eyes. Her laptop computer is also still missing.
31:13
Speaker 1: Her family is desperately searching for her, and they deserve answers.
31:18
Speaker 1: If you have any information at all about Sky Budnick,
31:22
Speaker 1: please call the Southington Police Department at eight six zero
31:26
Speaker 1: three seven eight one six nine eight agency case number
31:31
Speaker 1: zero eight DASH four nine one one, And finally, remember
31:40
Speaker 1: to leave a review and rate this podcast five stars
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Speaker 1: if you like the show, or hell even if you don't,
31:48
Speaker 1: but either way feel free to let me know what
31:50
Speaker 1: you think. Please follow The Last Trip on Instagram at
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32:04
Speaker 1: and even learn more about my personal travels. That's patreon
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Speaker 1: dot com. Slash the Last.
32:09
Speaker 3: To a podcast.
32:11
Speaker 1: I'm Jamiebbe, bringing you your Last Trip and signing off
32:15
Speaker 1: until the next one. Thanks for listening.