“When people die, there’s definitely someone who comes to ‘pick them up,’ right? When my old man died, he said a friend came for him.”

[1] The “pick-up phenomenon” and “hand mirror phenomenon” that occur just before death – are they delusions, or are they real? “A female patient in her 60s suffering from terminal cancer suddenly said, ‘Doctor, my son came to pick me up.’ I knew her son had died in an accident when he was young, so when I asked, ‘Really?’, she replied happily, ‘Yes, he came to get me, all grown up.’ She passed away a week later.” Dr. Shigeko Okuno of Shonan Hospital explains the “pick-up phenomenon”—where deceased loved ones appear before someone just before death—based on real cases. Dr. Okuno says she has witnessed this phenomenon many times while caring for over 3,000 patients at the end of their lives. In fact, quite a few people have had this strange experience. In a survey conducted by Dr. Ken Okabe (deceased), who provided palliative care in Sendai City, interviewing families after a loved one passed away, a remarkable 42.3% of 366 families answered that “there was a ‘pick-up’ when the deceased passed away.”

• [3] Someone came to pick me up the other day, so I told them, “You’ve got the wrong house. It’s the house across the street.” Get it? Omukai (across the street /迎え pick-up).
• [4] >>3 That’s going too far.
• [101] >>3 Hilarious!
• [165] >>3 Laughed my ass off (lol). Pay up for making me laugh so hard (lol).
• [416] >>1 What’s the “hand mirror phenomenon”? Is it bad if someone starts looking at themselves a lot in a hand mirror?
• [438] >>416 It’s the gesture of staring intently at the lines on your palm. You probably don’t do that much unless you’re getting your palm read.
• [7] My old man stretched his arms out wide like he was trying to grab onto something. I figured he felt like he was falling.
• [9] It’s just the brain hallucinating right before death.
• [107] >>9 I studied particle physics in undergrad and grad school, and it seems this world operates in about 11 dimensions, with some in-between ones like 3.5 dimensions. Apparently, you can’t perceive others if they’re in a different dimension, but very rarely, they might accidentally intersect. Until my early 20s, I thought ghosts and psychic phenomena were occult nonsense, but recently I feel like I can’t completely deny them. Maybe that kind of stuff exists.

• [269] >>107 When you read books about multidimensional worlds, you can’t deny it anymore, right? The God of Creation might exist in a higher dimension. Though probably different from the God humans create (imagine).
• [421] >>107 Lately, I’ve started thinking quite seriously that this world might just be data inside a multidimensional simulator run by higher-dimensional beings.
• [150] >>107 The Six Realms (Rokudo) in Buddhism: ① Deva Realm (Heavenly Realm), 6th Heaven: Takejizaiten (Highest realm of desire). 5th Heaven: Kerakuten (Abode of Mara Papiyas). 4th Heaven: Tosotsuten (Tushita Heaven). Beings here transform their surroundings (five senses) into realms of pleasure. 3rd Heaven: Yamaten (Yama Heaven). Located 12 yojanas above the summit of Mount Sumeru. 2nd Heaven: Tōriten (Trayastrimsa Heaven). A world where pleasure is received according to time. 1st Heaven: Shidaiōshuten (Chaturmaharajakayika Heaven). Located 80,000 yojanas above Jambudvipa, at the summit of Mount Sumeru. ② Human Realm, ③ Asura Realm, ④ Animal Realm, ⑤ Preta Realm (Hungry Ghost Realm), ⑥ Naraka Realm (Hell Realm). Not 11 dimensions, but 11 realms.
  Rokudo: The six worlds in Buddhism where beings are said to be reborn according to their actions in previous lives (Deva, Human, Asura, Animal, Preta, Hell).
• [260] >>150 The cause and effect of the Six Realms of Reincarnation is the dark path of one’s own ignorance. If you break through all 11 realms (imagine piercing a building from the basement to the roof through floors 1-11), it doesn’t matter which realm you’re in anymore. That’s Daruma Anjin.
  Six Realms of Reincarnation (Rokushu Rinne): The endless cycle through the Six Realms.
  Daruma Anjin: A term originating from anecdotes about Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, referring to a state of peace of mind or enlightenment.
• [10] I heard something like black shadows surround you.
• [16] My old man said a black cat was wandering around.
• [20] When my time comes, I believe the cockatiel I used to have will come for me.
• [24] As someone watching over them, you at least hope they’re having a dream like that.
• [40] Not exactly a “pick-up,” but my paternal grandpa was cared for at home for several years in his later life. One day he muttered, “This is it, I’m going to die now,” and less than a week later, he passed away quietly and suddenly. There must be some kind of sign.
• [44] They’re probably having some kind of dream about death. My dad also said things that hinted at death, like “There’s a memorial service going on over there,” or “They’re coming to pick me up in a black car.”
  Memorial service (Ireisai): A Japanese ritual to appease the spirits of the dead, often based on Shinto or Buddhism.
• [48] No matter how much living people talk about the afterlife, I can’t believe it.
• [55] Not a pick-up, but I’d visited the day before and thought, “Should be okay, maybe I’ll go to work…” I hesitated, felt restless, and decided to go to the hospital anyway. His condition had suddenly changed, and he died that day.
• [58] When you guys die, this character will come to pick you up.

• [118] >>58 If you wander around dressed like that, someone’s gonna report you. Forget about being picked up.
• [262] >>58 Looks like someone from an internet forum.
• [370] >>58 Cute.
• [64] People who die with a faint smile on their face… they’re seeing something.
• [68] If you work in caregiving, some people see them. Apparently, a black figure comes.
• [71] I heard black shadows appear, surrounding you. They say the number of shadows increases as the final day approaches.

• [77] There was a single point of light at the end of a long tunnel. As I walked towards it, a voice from somewhere said, “It’s too early for you to come here.” I stopped, and when I came to, I was on a hospital bed. The hospital explained my heart had stopped once due to shock.
• [80] I once couldn’t cross the Sanzu River because I didn’t have the boat fare.
  Sanzu River: In Buddhism, the river the dead are said to cross on their way to the afterlife.
• [81] People who get that kind of pick-up will probably be in the human realm in their next life too. People who don’t? Use your imagination.
• [86] I wouldn’t want to die confused because some stranger showed up.
• [89] My dad, who died 10 days ago, said he dreamt of a flower field where his deceased mother and other dead family members were. I was surprised because he used to completely ridicule any talk of the occult, the afterlife, or religion as superstition.

• [94] My mother, two summers ago (before Obon), was told she had two weeks left, but it seems no one came to pick her up. Incidentally, my father’s death anniversary is August 16th, apparently he got whisked away in the Obon chaos.
  Obon: A Japanese Buddhist custom in summer to welcome ancestral spirits back home and make offerings.
• [109] While I was napping, a classic-looking Grim Reaper with a big scythe was pulling both my ankles. I struggled, and it said, “Wrong one,” then moved to the neighbor’s house. The old guy in that house died either that day or the next.
• [124] Studying physics kind of makes you feel Buddhist, doesn’t it?
• [128] I always wonder why the “pick-up” has to be in human form. Same with ghosts and stuff.
• [133] The day before my dad died suddenly, the flashlight on my smartphone suddenly turned on. That had never happened before. Must have been a premonition.
• [156] Death is equal, isn’t it? Titles, honor, achievements, race—none of it matters. Humans, animals, all life heads towards death as one single, bare life form. It’s incredibly equal. Thinking about things like this makes me wonder if God exists.
• [168] This is a different story, but I’ve seen a completely senile old man become lucid again. He died the next day. I wonder if something happens before death.
• [174] When my grandma was dying, the maid who took care of her as a child apparently came. She had reverted to childhood and often said she was going to buy manju buns at some shop and go back to the maid’s place. She’d stare intently at one spot in the room, so my father jokingly asked, “Is the maid here?” She replied, “She is.” She passed away 2 or 3 days later.
• [175] Not a pick-up, but after my cat died, I felt it gently stepping onto my futon at night for about a month. I don’t have any other cats.
• [180] I’ve had surgery under general anesthesia, and it was just like a shutdown, completely dark.
• [204] >>180 Me too, I was surprised. The moment the mask came to my mouth, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, the surgery was over. It really is like turning off a TV, how your consciousness just disappears.
• [205] >>204 When they give you anesthesia, they count, right? I heard most people pass out around “O-ne, twooo…”
• [208] >>205 I was out at “one.”
• [185] In hospitals, there are lots of people with black fuzz clinging to them, right? They usually die within about a week.
• [195] Tetsuya Takeda said something strange on the radio, like “I am outside of myself.” Apparently, many writers experience automatic writing, where someone else uses their hand to write songs or novels, giving them the feeling that “I am outside.”
• [212] A part-timer told me that her 100-year-old grandmother, who was in a facility, suddenly pointed at the air during a meal, said, “Ah, grandpa,” and passed away right then. I thought that’s a nice way to die, but I don’t have a wife…
• [223] I think there’s probably some kind of feeling right before you die, like, “Ah, I’m gonna die now.”
• [224] My dad too excitedly said, “Takashi came to see me,” and less than a month later, his condition worsened and he died. Takashi was apparently a friend who died in an accident in middle school.
• [229] Don’t make me cry (lol)
• [261] >>229 That stairway to heaven is dirty. Ruined the dream.
• [273] >>261 I’ve heard the road to hell is cleaner.
• [239] My old man ascended after finishing his business.
• [243] >>239 Dying alone in the toilet, isn’t that kind of cool? There’s a saying, “Strong men don’t let others see them die.”
• [244] When I die, I’ll die honorably like Raoh.
• [248] My dying mother believed my long-deceased father was still alive. I told her, “Dad died long ago.” Because she was complaining, “Dad never comes to visit.” I thought it was better for her to think her husband was waiting in the afterlife than to die thinking he’d abandoned her.
• [249] What’s certain is that the time after death is longer. Infinity awaits after death… Are you guys prepared? Infinite time is heartbreaking. Because, you see, there’s no end. Your pointless lives will end, but there’s no end after death. It’s more painful than the fear of dying… But don’t worry. You’ve already experienced infinity before you were born.
• [252] My grandma said a friend came to her bedside to say hello. That friend died within a week.
• [255] I live in the middle of nowhere in Shikoku. When my grandpa died at 89, his childhood friend of the same age, who lived nearby and they were still close even in old age, passed away 6 hours after my grandpa took his last breath. Both had been hospitalized for different reasons, but in a sparsely populated rural area, for 89-year-old best friends to die 6 hours apart in different hospitals… I still wonder if it was a coincidence. The funeral was lighthearted, with people saying things like, “They’re probably bragging up there now, ‘I lived 6 hours longer than you!’ (lol).”
• [257] I had an out-of-body experience during a nap once. I don’t really understand it, but a mysterious world does exist.
• [266] I once saw a white spherical mist come out of the dresser in my room. I can’t deny the afterlife. There are places where the air feels strangely stagnant, right? Had a scary experience on the Oga Peninsula.
• [271] Just as ants don’t know the Earth is round or about the universe, humans also don’t know “what lies beyond.”
• [276] When I was near death, my best friend who died in an accident appeared and told me it wasn’t my time yet.
• [280] There are “pick-ups” from the dead, but people who are dying also come to say goodbye before they go. I’ve met people just before they died twice.
• [460] >>280 I’m an internist. When I was young, I found lung cancer in an elderly woman. I referred her to a large hospital where she could have surgery. Several months later, while I was on night duty, that old woman appeared in my room and started thanking me. As expected, the next day her family came to thank me, saying she had passed away the previous night.
• [465] >>460 Dr. Naoki Yahagi from Tokyo University Hospital says similar things happen all the time, and I also think it’s possible from a spiritual perspective. By the way, about your night duty story, how did she appear? If she clearly appeared while you were awake, that’s amazing! Even if it was in a dream, I think it’s a coherent event.
• [494] >>465 I was wide awake. Eating some Chinese takeout food I’d ordered and watching TV. The old woman knocked on the door and came in.
• [497] >>494 Thanks! Actually, my father was someone who didn’t believe in these kinds of stories, but when someone he was close to died, he muttered something like, “I feel like XX came to visit me” (in broad daylight). Since that’s normally impossible for someone dying in the hospital, my father probably wasn’t sure himself. But hearing various similar stories, I’ve come to think that perhaps the soul exists somewhere beyond the concept of death, separate from the decaying body…
• [285] Isn’t the ‘farewell visit’ phenomenon more common than the ‘pick-up’? You suddenly meet people you don’t usually see, friends from your hometown you’ve lost touch with, people you were close to from old work connections, etc. – basically, people you had some kind of connection with, all at once (over several months to a year). Once that’s over, they just die, like a candle flame being snuffed out.

• [289] >>285 Yeah, people don’t talk about that much. You somehow meet them in person while they’re still alive.
• [291] >>285 Isn’t that because when the doctor thinks things aren’t looking good, they tell the family to call everyone? My grandma too, the doctor said it was getting dangerous, so everyone went to see her thinking it would be the last time, and she died soon after.
• [320] >>291 No, it’s not that they were under a doctor’s care or were called. It’s like you attend a class reunion you wouldn’t normally go to, or run into an old friend by chance at some event, or happen to meet relatives – just a whole lot of coincidences piling up. You end up meeting almost everyone you had a connection with. It’s a really strange phenomenon.
• [326] >>320 That reminds me, several old classmates from way back came to visit my grandfather. They just showed up out of the blue.
• [286] Must be an organization like Men in Black or something.
• [310] A week after my old man died, he took the family dog with him. Taking someone with you really happens, doesn’t it?
• [314] Hospitals are between life and death, so I guess paranormal phenomena and pick-ups happen!! Separate from pick-ups, but apparently, working overtime late at night at a crematorium is really bad. Everyone who worked overtime saw some terrifying ghost and went missing. That’s why they say you should never work overtime at hospitals or crematoriums, it’s been said since long ago.
• [337] Way scarier than some random ghost story.
• [350] I almost died two years ago, but I think I was saved thanks to my ancestors.
• [358] My father passed away last year. At night, he used to say his younger brother would come near the corner of the ceiling. He also said some black figures were having a meeting. He died about a week after that. Incidentally, his younger brother had died a month before my father did.
• [385] My late father once suddenly jumped up as if from sleep and tried to run towards the garden. We were shocked and asked, “What’s wrong!?” He said, “Taro and Ken (both deceased Akita dogs) were in the garden looking into the house.” My father had kept dozens of animals—dogs, cats, rabbits—and took really good care of them, doting on them. One day, he had a dream where all the animals he had ever kept carried him around on a mikoshi (portable shrine). He said it wasn’t just a dream. I imagine maybe animals or ancestors came to pick him up when he died. I don’t have the kind of psychic sense my brother or father had, though.
  Mikoshi: A portable shrine carried during Shinto festivals, considered the vehicle of the deity.
• [442] Have you guys ever had such a deep connection with someone? Parents, siblings, lover, best friend. I haven’t.
• [479] Will Mom come pick me up? I’m sorry.
• [484] My maternal grandmother died of cancer. About a week before she passed, she dreamt of a young man and woman in white robes (shiroshozoku). My mother was the youngest of 9 siblings and had lost her father (accident), eldest brother (war), and eldest sister (tuberculosis) before she could remember them well. So, she said that grandmother’s dream must have been her older brother and sister, who died young, coming to pick her up.
  Shiroshozoku: White garments sometimes worn by the deceased or pilgrims in Japan.
• [42] I love that copypasta about grandpa’s soul getting sucked into the air purifier.
• [52] >>42 Never read it but burst out laughing just imagining it.
• [145] >>42 I was there when my grandpa died, and I saw white smoke rise gently from his feet. It got sucked right into the air purifier in the hospital room, lol.