The Fuji River Incident

On August 1, 1981, typhoon number nine ravaged Japan. At the time, there was an all-stops night train that ran from Tokyo all the way to Ogaki in Gifu Prefecture. There was an incident on the Fuji River Bridge and it fell into the water.

In reality, there was another train, this one full of people, that was supposed to cross over the bridge right afterwards. However, this train was able to avoid trouble in the nick of time. There’s a strange story behind why.

The train left Tokyo when the typhoon arrived, but thanks to the heavy rain it stopped at Fuji Station, just before the Fuji River Bridge. When the sky finally brightened, they prepared to set off again. However, the very next moment the driver heard a voice call out, “Hey, wait!” He slammed on the emergency brakes and pulled to a stop. Nobody realised the trouble they’d nearly gotten themselves into.

The typhoon had washed away the Fuji River Bridge, and if the train had continued on, it would have gone down into the water. That mysterious voice had saved them all. However, not a single person on the train, not the driver, staff or passengers, knew who that mysterious voice came from.