Tourists rescued from Ghost of Yotei’s iconic mountain in Japan

Two British tourists in Japan have been rescued after they attempted to climb Mount Yotei, the titular mountain featured in Sucker Punch Productions’ samurai epic — Ghost of Yotei. 

As spotted and translated by Automaton West, a 30-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman called the police after they got stranded while climbing Mount Yotei, a 1,898-meter mountain in Hokkaido. 

The snow-capped mountain is heavily featured in Ghost of Yotei, often appearing in official artwork and the reveal trailer. Mount Yotei is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, and is often noted for having striking visual similarities to Mount Fuji.

While it’s much smaller than its 3,776-meter cousin, Yotei is known for its snowy conditions, with temperatures remaining cool even during the summer months. As you can imagine, this makes it particularly dangerous for unprepared hikers.

Well, this is exactly what happened when a British couple had to be rescued by a police helicopter after they could no longer climb due to the cold. 

Tourists rescued from Mt Yotei

Potus / Shutterstock.com

According to the authorities, both were lightly dressed, with the man wearing long sleeves and shorts, and the woman in short sleeves and long pants.

A translated report from UHB explains how the couple called the authorities at around 6:10 pm on May 13, after they were unable to find shelter from the cold. The pair were rescued an hour later by a Hokkaido Prefectural Police helicopter, which found them near Yotei’s ninth station — a rest stop around 1,750m above sea level and the last stop before the summit. 

Police mentioned that the couple had “no knowledge or experience” of mountain climbing and were unprepared for the 1,898-meter hike. While both received no injuries, the woman was taken to the hospital, but her symptoms were mild, and she didn’t receive treatment. 

Mountain rescues are extremely common in Japan, with experienced and inexperienced climbers finding themselves in dangerous situations. On April 26, a student was rescued from Mt Fuji twice in one week after they returned to locate their lost phone.