The Alien. Japan

In 1975, two 7-year old boys had a face to face encounter with a pair of “fanged” humanoids, which they would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Sometime before 7 pm., on the evening of February 23, 1975, two grade-school boys, Masato Kawano and Katsuhiro Yamahata, were roller-skating near the Hinode Housing Estate in Kamimachi, Kofu City, when they noticed a pair of “glittering,” orange UFOs frolicking in the sky above.

The enthralled boys stared in awe as the larger of the two objects broke off and flew toward Mt. Atago, while the smaller one slowly descended to the ground, landing amongst the props of a vineyard behind the Estate. The boys later stated that the strange aerial objects emitted an odd crackling or “ticking” sound, not unlike that of a Geiger counter.

It goes without saying that the curious youngsters wasted no time in removing their skates and charging into the vineyard in order to get a better look at this now earthbound object. As the two 2nd Graders approached the formerly orange “spacecraft” — in a situation similar, albeit on a smaller scale, to that which befell the children involved with the ARIEL SCHOOL ALIENS — they saw that it was actually a domed, silverish disc, which stood approximately 7-feet high and was almost 15-feet in diameter.

This classically shaped flying saucer was perched on “three ball-shaped legs” and had what the children described as “strange characters” embossed on the metallic surface of its hull. While inspecting the craft, both Kawano and Yamahata were astounded — and no doubt a bit frightened — to see a hatch open on the side of the craft and a ladder automatically extending down to the ground below.

The boys watched in stunned silence as and a bizarre humanoid creature disembarked from the ship. It was at that moment that the boys noticed another — smaller, though similar looking — humanoid that remained inside the control room.

Kawano and Yamahata reported that the first creature was long-armed, almost 4-feet tall, and was clad in a “glowing” or reflective silver uniform.

This description of a relatively small, suit-clad alien emerging from a ship in front of a pair of eyewitnesses will no doubt sound familiar to anyone who is aware of Finland’s KINNULA HUMANOID case.

Unlike the Kinnula Humanoid — which was clad head to foot in a deep-sea diver-like, green suit — the Kofu entity’s skin was described as being dark brown and covered in wrinkles so dense that they obscured any noticeable features; save three, two-inch-long, metal “fangs.”

While the silvery fangs are a new twist, the wrinkly skin might ring a bell for those who have studied the PASCAGOULA ALIEN ABDUCTIONS. The boys also claimed that it had large, pointed ears and carried a long object, which they said resembled a “rifle.”

This strange sightseer apparently began to explore the terrain, seemingly oblivious to the enthralled duo staring at it. That was until it abruptly turned and placed one of its “hands” on Yamahata’s shoulder, patting him twice and uttering a series of sounds that sounded to the boys: “like a tape recorder running backward.”

At this point Yamahata collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. Although his friend believed that this was caused by fear, anyone familiar with so-called close encounters of the 3rd kind can attest that — much like in the case of the VORONEZH ALIEN ENCOUNTER and too many others to cite here — human beings are often placed in a state of almost suspended animation by extra-terrestrial visitors in, what one must assume, is an effort to prevent them from hurting themselves or anyone else.

As soon a Yamahata dropped, Kawano — exhibiting a commendable about of courage for one so young — rapidly pulled his friend up onto his shoulders and lugged him away from these vampiric alien assailants as swiftly as possible.

Upon returning home, the now almost hysterical boys immediately informed their mothers about this bizarre close encounter. Their curious — yet almost certainly incredulous — mothers followed their clearly perturbed sons to the back of the Hinode Housing Estate, where, much to their shock, they confirmed seeing an orange light pulsating in the vineyard. This odd light show continued for five minutes.

Before the boys could convince their mothers to investigate the strange craft at a closer range, the UFO launched with a burst of light so brilliant the eyewitnesses were compelled to avert their eyes.

It should be noted that while Yamahata and Kawano were the only ones to have actually seen the aliens, their classmate — 8-year-old, Ichiro Minegishi — also reported that he saw a shining object flying toward the Hinode Housing Estate while he was riding in a car with his parents near the Kofy Bypass, approximately one half-hour before the boys claimed to have discovered the UFO.

The following day, Kawano and Yamahata had a captivated audience of students and teachers at the Yamashiro Elementary School, as they drew pictures and retold the harrowing tale of their alien encounter. It wasn’t long before the buzz enveloped the entire school and the educational authorities — with what, at least in the 21st Century, seems to be uncharacteristic open-mindedness — decided that they would inspect the area for themselves.

The school officials arrived armed with whatever gear they could get hold of and immediately noticed that two solid concrete posts had been “pushed over” at the landing site. It was determined that the boys would have been unable to accomplish this task of ostensibly intergalactic vandalism on their own.

This investigative team also found what they referred to as “landing traces” as well as a ring pattern in the soil near the broken concrete posts where UFO landed. One schoolteacher even claimed to have discovered radioactivity within the circular patch.

Following the event, both boys were questioned in depth by their parents, their schoolmaster, Nobuyoshi Kaneko, and noted UFO investigator Masaru Mori — their stories remained alarmingly consistent.

Not surprisingly, the authorities of the Civil Aviation Bureau of Transportation Ministry claimed that the UFO was nothing more than the lights of the YS-ll propeller plane, which often flew at an altitude of thousand meters and was visible to the naked eye. They apparently reserved comment as to whether or not this aircraft could also assume the form of small, pointy-eared, fanged humanoids.

“A UFO LANDED IN KOFU CITY?”

(A boy scared when tapped on his shoulder by a spaceman.)

On the 24th, a sensation started in Yamashiro Elementary School in Kofu (the schoolmaster: Nobuyoshi Kaneko), when a UFO  allegedly landed and a spaceman tapped a pupil on the shoulder. This pupil drew a picture of the alleged spaceman and explained what had happened, and his teachers were shocked very much. Soon, the school authorities made an inspection of the place with tape measures and other tools.

The pupils who saw the UFO were Masato Kawano (7 years old) and Katsuhiro Yamahata (7 years old) in the 2nd grade of the school. They say that first, they found two flying objects glittering in orange color and crackling overhead at 7:00 pm on the 23rd when they were rollerskating near the Hinode Housing Estate in Kamimachi, Kofu City. The bigger one flew away toward Mt. Atago, but the other went down between the props of the vineyard behind the Estate and landed on the earth.

They approached over toward the object, which was about 5 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters high. Very scared they were about to return home when the side hatch of the saucer opened up and an occupant came out of it. He was about 1.3 meters tall, with no visible eyes nor mouth, but with three fangs, and his body glowing in silver color. They saw another smaller humanoid in the saucer.

The bigger humanoid walked away about a meter from the saucer with a long object somewhat like a rifle over his left shoulder and put a hand on Yamahata’s shoulder.

The boy was too scared to walk, so his friend carried him up on his back and ran away about 30 meters to his house. They reported the event to their mothers, went back there with them, and found the glowing light again from a distance. The mothers say that the orange light kept glowing on and off for about 5 minutes in the vineyard and then flew away while they turned their eyes away from it. The boys say the saucer had four illegible big letters on the hull of it.

Meanwhile, Ichiro Minegishi, who is also in the 2nd grade of the school (8 years old), reported that he saw a shining object flying toward the Hinode Housing Estate 30 minutes before the boys found the UFO, At that time, he was going by car with his parents and their friends on the Kofi Bypass through Masutsudocho, Kofu City, very near the Estate.

It seems that when two concrete props were found almost fallen down next morning in the vineyard where the UFO had landed, the neighbors were alarmed again by the fact.

It was very fine that particular evening around the Kofu district. The authorities of the Civil Aviation Bureau of Transportation Ministry say that an airliner often flies over Kofu between 6:00 and 7:00 pm and that, especially, the lights of the YS-ll propeller plane which flies at an altitude of thousand meters, will be visible to the naked eyes.

When these two boys drew a picture of the humanoids and the saucer and put it up on the wall, all the pupils made a fuss about it.

(Translation by Mr. Masaru Mori of Chiba City, Japan.)

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Additional information from Leonard Stringfield’s “Situation Red”:

“The landing took place near Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. An occupant allegedly emerged and touched one child on the shoulder, temporarily paralyzing him. The occupant then walked around the craft and reboarded. The boys, in hysterics, ran home to their parents, who observed a large, orange-red light hovering over the vineyard.”

“[There were] landing traces and ring pattern near broken concrete piles where UFO landed. A schoolteacher found radioactivity within the circular patch. Both boys were questioned in depth by UFO investigator Masaru Mori, and one child claimed that there was strange writing on the side of the craft. Both photos [above] courtesy of Dennis Hauck, director, International UFO Registry (IUFOR).”

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Entry from Albert Rosales’ “Humanoid Sighting Reports” Database:

Location. Kofu City Japan
Date: February 23, 1975
Time: 1900

Two 7-year old boys saw a luminous orange aerial object approach, with a “ticking” sound, and land on 3 balls on a nearby vineyard. It was discoidal, 15 ft in diameter & 6 ft high. They approached it closely, finding that it was silver-colored and had unknown words embossed on its surface. A ladder was extended to the ground, & a humanoid slightly over 4 ft tall disembarked. He wore silver colored clothing & carried something like a gun. His skin was dark brown & he had pointed ears, but his large head had no eyes, nose or mouth, merely wrinkles on the “face,” and 3 silver-colored “fangs” 2″ long where the mouth should be. Both boys could see another, smaller humanoid in the cockpit, holding a control lever. The one who had emerged patted one of the witnesses twice on the shoulder, and uttered words “like a tape recorder running backward.” Paralyzed by fright the witness sat down, but the other boy took him on his back and ran from the vineyard. They ran to one of the witness houses & informed their parents, who could at first see the orange light pulsating in the vineyard; then it disappeared as they watched. 2 concrete posts were found displaced at the site.

Source: Hayashi Ichinan & Yoshihiko Honda

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Zjawiska UFO fascynują ludzi od wieków. Znane są liczne relacje o niezidentyfikowanych obiektach latających, niektóre z nich są jednak bardziej intrygujące i znaczące niż inne. Jednym z takich epizodów jest niewątpliwie obserwacja UFO, która miała miejsce w Kofu, w Japonii, w 1975 roku.

Na tle innych relacji o spotkaniach z UFO, incydent w Kofu wyróżnia się swoją szczegółowością i konsekwencją świadectw. 23 lutego 1975 roku, dwaj chłopcy, Masato Kawano i Katsuhiro Yamahata, wracali do domu po popołudniowej grze w baseball. Przez winnice, które miały na co dzień charakter sielankowy, wracała para przyjaciół, nieświadoma tego, co za chwilę ujrzy.

Według ich relacji, nagle napotkali na dziwne, metaliczne stworzenie, które miało około 1,5 metra wzrostu. Stwór miał na sobie jasnoszare ubranie, a na głowie kask z anteną. Posiadał także coś, co przypominało skrzydła lub plecak na plecach, a jego oczy wydawały się świecić.

Młodzi świadkowie zauważyli też dziwny obiekt na niebie, który określili jako latający spodek. Obiekt był niewielki, ale miał jasne, migocące światła. Zanim zdążyli zareagować, obiekt niespodziewanie zniknął, a tajemnicza postać także zniknęła w tajemniczych okolicznościach.

Raport o incydencie w Kofu został bardzo szybko zgłoszony lokalnym władzom. Śledczy, którzy przyjechali na miejsce, byli zaskoczeni, gdy znaleźli ślady na ziemi, które pasowały do opisu chłopców. Ślady były niewielkie, ale wyraźnie widać było odciski, które przypominały stopy i skrzydła.

Oprócz UFO jedna z najszerzej akceptowanych teorii głosi, że był to eksperyment rządu USA. Zgodnie z tą teorią jasne światło, które widzieli mieszkańcy Kofu, było wynikiem testowania tajnej broni. Jednak nie ma dowodów na poparcie tej teorii. Trzecią teorią jest to, że był to balon na ogrzane powietrze, który przypadkowo wpadł w pole widzenia mieszkańców Kofu. Jednak, podobnie jak w poprzednich przypadkach, nie ma na to przekonujących dowodów. Stąd po dziś dzień uważa się, że w Kofu widziano UFO.

Historia obserwacji UFO w Kofu szybko zdobyła popularność nie tylko w Japonii, ale i na całym świecie. Niektórzy sceptycy twierdzili, że chłopcy mogli wymyślić całą historię, ale nikt nie był w stanie wyjaśnić, skąd pojawiły się te dziwne ślady. Nawet po latach, mimo intensywnych badań i analiz, incydent w Kofu pozostaje jednym z najbardziej zagadkowych przypadków obserwacji UFO na świecie.

Bez względu na to, czy to było prawdziwe spotkanie z kosmitą, czy tylko fantazja dwóch chłopców, historia ta nadal intryguje i fascynuje miłośników zjawisk paranormalnych na całym świecie.