At Japan's suicide cliffs, he's walked 609 people back from the edge
by Jonathan Kaiman, Los Angeles Times
Feb 23, 2018
4 minutes
![](https://article-imgs.scribdassets.com/ajlit5yww6a44wf/images/file7XMT23FH.jpg)
FUKUI, Japan - Almost no one jumps on rainy days.
They jump when the sun returns and the masses step outside, reminding them of their misery. They jump during financial crises and in the early spring, when Japanese schools open and the pressures of life converge.
Yukio Shige's routine, though, is the same regardless of the weather.
Nearly every day, he clambers across the high basalt columns of the Tojinbo cliffs, the Sea of Japan thrashing 80 feet below. He peers into binoculars, seeking hunched figures on distant rocks, ready to talk them down.
In 15 years, he's walked 609 people back from the edge.
"The way I
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days