His identity may have been found, but what happened is still a mystery.
Although it’s often over-represented and over-simplified in media, the reality of suffering from amnesia seems like one of the more frightening experiences anyone would have to go through. Especially if it happens while you’re alone and you have no idea how you got wherever you are.
That nightmare came to visit a man who woke up outdoors in rural Shimane Prefecture with no idea who or where he was. According to reports, his earliest memory is regaining consciousness while lying in some bushes on the side of the road with a severe headache.
His wallet had been completely emptied of money and ID, but sitting nearby him was a bag containing 600,000 yen ($4,000) in cash. He spent his first few days camping in the wooded areas and buying supplies at stores in town with his cash.
▼ He found the money in a ziploc bag.
He befriended some locals who also assisted him with things like smartphones and Internet access to help him get on his feet. Not knowing who he was, he gave himself the name “Hajime Tanaka.” About two months later, Tanaka’s cash was starting to dry up, so he decided to go to the police. There, his photo was cross-referenced with missing person reports from all over Japan, but there were no matches. He was subsequently passed through the system until he ended up at a halfway home in Osaka, where he’s been trying to piece his life together since.
While there, he was interviewed by reporters, and his story made national news. It didn’t take long for Internet sleuths to try and solve this mystery, with some saying an image search led to a person in the fashion industry from Kanagawa Prefecture. The fact that Tanaka had a very distinctive mohawk certainly helped on that end.
▼ This is our writer Mr. Sato dressed as a Fist of the North Star character, not Tanaka, but their mohawks are very similar, to give you an idea.
Although the identity that those online uncovered was not confirmed. About a day after Tanaka’s story went public, it was reported that the police received credible information linking Tanaka’s real identity with that of a resident of Tokyo from people claiming to be his family and colleagues.
At the time of the original report, Tanaka’s face was shown in the hopes that someone might recognize him. But now that it looks like he may have been identified, many news outlets are not showing his face to protect his privacy, especially since there’s a chance he was involved in something really bad to end up the way he did.
▼ Updated news report on Tanaka that no longer shows his face
Nevertheless, he reportedly told media he has happy with the developments so far, calling them “a big step forward.” Readers of the news online were also happy to hear Tanaka may have found his home and identity, but the dark question of how he ended up where he was remains.
“It hurts my heart to think something horrible happened to put him in that situation.”
“It’s nice to see how many people went out of their way to help him throughout all this.”
“I heard him talk, and he did have a noticeable Kanto accent. It’s funny what you can’t forget.”
“Is he Jason Bourne?”
“Some people thought he was a gangster because of the mohawk, but I heard he was just in the fashion industry.”
“Why did no one report him as missing?”
“Considering something really bad happened to him, it took a lot of courage to show his face publicly. I would have been terrified.”
“Memories, good and bad, are the proof that we lived. I hope he can get his back.”
“It sounds like his amnesia might be psychological rather than physical.”
It goes without saying that this man’s road to recovery will be a hard one, but at least he appears to be on the right path. Hopefully, he can get reconnected with his family and friends and start putting together the pieces one at a time.
Source: ABC News, YouTube/ANNnewsCH, ABC News via Yahoo! Japan News
Top image: ©SoraNews24
Insert images: Pakutaso, ©SoraNews24
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