When he was found in the freezing field 24 days after his fall he did not seem to be breathing and had no detectable pulse. His body temperature was nearly 30 degrees below normal and his organs had nearly shut down. Doctors assumed he was dead. Yet something incredible happened while he was at Kobe City General Hospital: He woke up! Even more incredibly Uchikoshi who was treated for severe hypothermia and blood loss made a full recovery. Doctors believe that Uchikoshi’s body went into a state similar to hibernation. In hibernation the body temperature of an animal is lowed and its breathing and heart rate slow down. Hibernation reduces the need for food and protects animals from damage to the brain and other organs.