I had an extraordinary experience that I’ve never shared with anyone before, but I thought that on a site like this, dedicated to strange stories, it wouldn’t be dismissed. So, I decided to post it here.

It happened on May 5th, 2000, on a flight from Nagasaki to Haneda.
That day, being during Golden Week, all flights were fully booked.

Nagasaki Airport is a small airport, so I remember having to line up for everything, from checking in luggage to going through security.

Thinking it would be fine since it was a domestic flight, I arrived at the airport just in time and was escorted to the packed plane.

I had an aisle seat among the two seats, and there was already a woman sitting by the window. I can’t recall her face or what she was wearing. I didn’t bother to remember the passengers next to me.

About 30 minutes after the plane took off without any issues, the woman asked me if she could use the restroom. I got up to let her pass. I returned to my seat without fastening my seatbelt, thinking she would come back soon. But the woman never returned.

As time passed, the seatbelt sign lit up, and the flight attendant urged us to fasten our seatbelts.

Less than 20 minutes after the seatbelt sign came on, the plane entered the landing phase, and we safely arrived at Haneda Airport without any problems.
The woman never came back.

Isn’t it unusual for no one to notice that a passenger was missing and continue the landing? Could someone hide on the plane? I still don’t understand anything, and this eerie incident continues to linger in a corner of my mind, even after more than 20 years.