US Student Missing In Hokkaido, Feared Suicidal.

[Mulboyne]

Iza has a report (Japanese) that Skye Lynn Budnick (スカイ・リン・バドニック), a 21 year old American student, has gone missing in Hokkaido. According to her mother, the girl said she was going to stay at a friend's house on the 1st of this month but then disappeared. Local police began to look for her in earnest from the 4th and discovered that she had withdrawn $800 and had bought an airline ticket bound for for Narita via Washington with a final destination at Shin Chitose airport in Sapporo. Budnick's major at university is Japanese studies and it is reported that she once said "If I could see the cherry blossoms in Japan, I could die happy". She was apparently depressed so her family are concerned that she may have been considering suicide. Hokkaido police have records of her staying in a ryokan on the 7th and she told staff there that she intended to travel to Sapporo. Since then, there has been no sighting and police are appealing for information from anyone who might have seen her. Her family have also arrived in Hokkaido and made a public appeal for help.

[IkemenTommy]

168 cm, 81.6 kg.

She shouldn't be too hard to spot.

[joshuaism]

Well if she's dead she must have died miserable. The cherry blossoms in Sapporo aren't forecast to open till the end of the month (Cherry Blossom Forecast 2008).

[amdg]

Japanophile's first trip to Japan = she's alive and well.

It doesn't matter how depressed she was when she left home, she'll be out and about and enjoying herself.

[bolt_krank]

Then again - I can't help but think she went there, expecting everything to be like Akihabara. But in Hokkaido....

[Taro Toporific]

'Suicidal' Student's One-Way Ticket to Japan
--Family Travels Overseas in Search of Young Woman Who Left Without Saying Goodbye--
By DAVID SCHOETZ
April 16, 2008 (Kyodo News/AP)
....Budnick's family members say the junior at Central Connecticut State University and native of Southington, Conn., left the United States on April 1 without telling her family members she was going to Japan. On April 4, her family looked at Budnick's e-mail account and discovered that she had booked the one-way trip to Hokkaido by way of Tokyo...more....

[Ketou]

Large girl...Hokkaido...might be on the Nisshin Maru.

[IkemenTommy]

Large girl...Hokkaido...might be on the Nisshin Maru.

She's so fat, even the bears go hiding their food.

[TennoChinko]

Still missing.

Old story here:

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/latestne ... 15a26.html

Missing woman's sister returns home clueless
Jason R. Vallee | Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 12:00 am

SOUTHINGTON - The family of a 21-year-old town woman last seen in Japan on April 7 spent more than a week conducting a search of two countries with police authorities, but her sister said Monday that she left Japan with more questions than answers.

Megan Budnick said the family learned that Skye Budnick, a junior at Central Connecticut State University, had been making stops at typical tourist attractions, including a hot spring resort, spas and inns, but found no indication that she was in Japan after April 7.

"We really don't know what to think at this point," Budnick said. "Police have been searching, using helicopters to scan the mountains and countryside, but couldn't find any trace. We even found a body, but it wasn't hers."

Megan Budnick, who returned Friday from Japan, said the family would continue to look for Skye, but that they were running out of resources. Her mother, Susan Budnick, remains in Japan to continue the search with members of the U.S. Embassy and the Consulate in Sapporo.

Skye Lynn Budnick, of 44 Quaker Lane, was last seen on American soil on March 31 and has been missing since April 7, when she was seen at an inn at Noboribetsu, a town in the southern part of Hokkaido. An innkeeper told police he had spoken with her and learned she was going to Sapporo.

Police said they later found information in Skye Budnick's e-mail account showing she had purchased a one-way ticket to Sapporo and had written a suicide note to New Britain resident Brittany Davis, a close friend and classmate at CCSU, but had saved the draft rather than sending it.

The family revealed Monday that Skye left with only her laptop and about $800, according to information obtained from her bank accounts. Megan Budnick said if her sister is still alive, she is not sure what she is doing for money.

Megan Budnick said her sister showed symptoms of clinical depression prior to leaving on the trip. There is a history of depression in the family, including one case that ended when an aunt committed suicide, she said.

Skye Budnick refused to see a doctor regarding the condition and was afraid to get help. Aside from one counselor she claimed to be seeing at CCSU, Megan Budnick said Skye constantly told family members she needed to resolve her issues alone.

"She said it was something she needed to do on her own, that it was something she could do on her own if she got a chance," Budnick said. "We have gone through every scenario and this is what we hope she is trying to do."

There were also several incidents prior to Skye Budnick's disappearance that may have led to her decision to flee to Japan, including trouble at school and with Davis, one of her best friends.

Megan Budnick said she learned from Davis that the two had quarreled the week before Skye Budnick booked the trip. Davis told the family that Skye had approached her and blatantly stated that "her Japanese sucked," Megan Budnick said.

Calls placed to Davis were not immediately returned Monday.

Megan Budnick said her sister also had been suffering academically, failing several courses including those within her major, and regularly would sleep through morning classes. The only reason she remained in school was to continue being a part of the anime club.

Skye Budnick also was upset because she had missed two opportunities to go to Japan as part of the CCSU study abroad program, having missed the deadlines and learning in March that there would not be another opportunity until 2010, after she was scheduled to graduate, her sister said.

"She always wanted to live in Japan, she told me during a conversation I had with her at the Hard Rock Café," said Jackie Willametz, who chaperoned Skye Budnick, when she was a senior at Southington High School, on a field trip to New York with her daughter and fellow 2005 graduate, Julia. "I just hope that's what she has been able to do."

Skye Budnick had been studying Japanese Culture at CCSU for three years. Staff at Price Chopper, on Queen Street, confirmed Monday that she had been employed there and previously worked at the Southington Blockbuster video store, at 200 Main St.

Several SHS classmates said Monday that Skye Budnick was quiet and didn't have many friends. She had an obsession with Japanese anime - family said it has been her passion since middle school - and didn't make much effort to get to know people, they said.

SHS administrators said Skye didn't get into trouble and did not belong to any school organizations or clubs, but they did not know her personally.

Krista Giuliani, who took several classes with Skye at SHS before graduating with her in 2005, said they often would include her in conversations but could not get her to truly open up. She described her as "kind, but very shy" and said she embraced an antisocial lifestyle.

Megan Budnick confirmed the antisocial behavior, saying her sister would not open up to anyone, including family members. She added that she continued to struggle socially after high school.

Giuliani and classmate Stephanie Quinn both said they did not expect Skye Budnick to run away from home, but were not surprised to hear that she did.

"We hung out with the same people, had the same interest and we talked all the time, but she seemingly did not click with anyone on an extra personal level," Quinn said. "When I first heard this, when family was calling around to friends to see if we had any info, I can honestly say I was not surprised. If you knew her, this seems like a very Skye thing to do."

[Kanchou]

I didn't think you could even get into the country with a one-way ticket without a long-term visa.

I'm surprised they didn't find her in the spring

[Samurai_Jerk]

You can get in on a one way ticket if you can show sufficient funds (in theory). However, it's pretty much at the discretion on the immigration agent at the airport so it's generally a much better idea to have a return flight.

[yanpa]

I've never once been asked to show ticket or funds any time I entered Japan on a short-term visa.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've never once been asked to show ticket or funds any time I entered Japan on a short-term visa.

Me neither but you could be asked. That's what I was told by the Japanese consulate before a trip when I asked. They said there's no set standard so it can be somewhat risky. My guess is if you're coming from somewhere like the US or Western Europe it's less likely to be an issue.

[matsuki]

Either there is a big foreign woman working at one of the local soaplands or she's Hokkaido fertilizer.

[Kanchou]

I don't think someone like her could hold down a job long enough to keep herself fed for five years.

IIRC you do have to show your boarding pass to immigration... could be wrong though.

[matsuki]

I don't think someone like her could hold down a job long enough to keep herself fed for five years.

IIRC you do have to show your boarding pass to immigration... could be wrong though.

Usually sluttin' it up for $$ at night doesn't require a timecard...then again, TIJ.

Never been asked to show return flight info to immigration but the airlines ask you at check in. (the newbs usually freak when I say I don't have one...then I remind them that with a long term visa, it's not required)

[GomiGirl]

Quick FB search found this:
https://www.facebook.com/skye.budnick

Symbolic Rain
by Skye Budnick on Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 11:10am ·

I hate me. I hate how easy it is to get my hopes up, and how it's even easier to send them crashing down into the abyss. Is it strange? One moment I can be fine, or even extremely happy; and then some little bad thing happens and all joy shatters and I want to die, or rip myself to shreds.
If asked what's wrong or if I'm alright; what can I say? I don't know what's wrong! People ask, but they accept that things are okay when I say "I'll be fine." Can't you see I'm not okay?! I don't like for people I don't trust to see my tears but here I am crying in front of these people I hardly know, and despite all the times they tried to make me feel better before, all they do is yell at me, when it's their fault I can't do my job!
I wonder what tomorrow will bring. If they say it's my fault, I'll leave. How is it my fault when that man doesn't do his job?! It's his job to make sure we have everything we need, and we have nothing! I can't go running around looking for all the things I need to do my job when the customer is waiting. Why does noone help me? Why is it that 2 to 4 people work in one area while I'm all alone!? How can they have the time to talk, laugh, and sing along with the store radio; while I'm left stressed, rushing, and crying!?
I hate my work ethic. Why is it that I feel obligated to do my best, to not leave work unfinished, and to work through my breaks and lunch to get it all done b/c noone else will cover while I'm on break? Why do I feel like I should be nice to these people when they walk all over me?
I hate that these pointless little things hurt so much. I hate that I cry when I'm alone in a crowd. I hate that it hurts when people notice me, and that it hurts when they don't notice me. I'm a contradiction! I want to be seen, but I also don't. I crave to be the center of attention, yet I'm afraid of attention. I don't get it. Why can't I speak when I know exactly what to say?

I'm sorry. I'm sorry if my self loathing depresses you. I'm sorry if my apologizing about my pain aggravates you. But what else can I do? I'm sorry for being weak, and I'm sorry for even typing this up; but I'm tired of this unidentifiable pain. I'm tired of crying for no reason. I'm tired of being scared. But what else can I do?

So she sounds pretty depressed and her account has been untouched for years. Am thinking she was successful in offing herself. Sad.

[matsuki]

Last updated May 2011 on one of those facebook pics....

[Coligny]

Quick FB search found this:
https://www.facebook.com/skye.budnick

So she sounds pretty depressed and her account has been untouched for years. Am thinking she was successful in offing herself. Sad.

You'd be amazed by the number of drama queens on facebook...

not saying this one is not dead...

just that the noise to signal ratio is out of whack...