This man’s account of single-handedly digging his own well is oddly moving

Have you got what it takes to dig your own private well? Well, to be honest, the thought has never really crossed our minds before, but after watching this video we’ve sure been inspired to try (sounds like a good summer project for Mr. Sato). We’ve also learned that well-digging is not for the faint of heart. Here’s the video journal of one man’s long journey to create a well in his backyard over the course of a summer. His adventure was full of ups and downs and many frustrating moments, but the end result was worth all of the trouble, not to mention making surprisingly interesting watching. Join us after the jump for a slideshow of this strenuous undertaking!

The man who dug a well by himself uploaded a video of the entire process on popular Japanese video-sharing site Niconico. Here’s his full video, set to some trippy Vocaloid background music:

We took screenshots of all of the photo slides and translated his comments below. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

He begins the slideshow with the ominous introductory line, “The summer that the water bill was over 30,000 yen.”

I got the idea to build a well in my garden. I found a book called “Do it yourself: How to dig a well” on Masami Sokabe’s homepage. That same day I ordered the book and necessary materials. This video documents the process and hardships that I underwent over the one year it took to complete my well.

▼First, the materials. These 9-cm (in diameter) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes will become the main structure of the well.

▼Connect the sockets together as you go, you will pound several meters’ worth of them deeply into the ground.

▼Sharpen the edge of only the first pipe so that it becomes jagged.

▼That will make it easier to drive into the ground.

▼Open countless little holes in the first pipe.

▼The docking pipe is now finished. You will gradually pound it pointy-end first into the ground.

▼The pipe is about one meter long, a reasonable length.

▼Hang cinder block weights from the pipe.

▼Begin to hammer it into the ground with a mallet.

▼Whenever the pipe becomes short while you are driving it in…

▼…remember to sometimes scoop out the mud inside the pipe with a pointed iron pipe or something similar.

▼Collect the water in some kind of container on the earth’s surface.

Repeat this action many times. Drive the pipe further and further in until water appears.

▼You won’t find water at the layer of hard clay. Continue digging deeper, and before you know it…

▼…you will reach a layer of beautiful sand. Underground water is flowing there.

▼You should anchor the end of the pipe precisely in this permeable layer.

▼If you carelessly pound it too far, you may go beyond the sand layer by mistake.

▼If you have really bad luck, even if you dig and dig you will only find the clay layer.

▼When I reached a depth of 7.5 meters, my mallet broke.

▼MY MALLET BROKE!!

This setback came only nine days after beginning the ordeal. After recovering for half a year, I resumed the excavation operation.

▼It was great to rest and get a fresh start. I was once again making progress, but…

▼…at a depth of 12 meters, I hit bedrock and couldn’t go any further.

▼I tried pumping water for the heck of it but nothing came out.

▼After debating for a bit, I was so desperate that I tried to pull up the pipe with my bare strength.

▼I even tried to use a wheel jack and an old tire chain.

▼…It was a failure. The tire chain gave up on me.

▼Anyway, the 12-meter pipe was still stuck. I powered up by constructing a big lever.

▼In the end, I spent five days struggling to raise the pipe using the lever and all my strength.

▼Finally, success after managing to pull it up 2 meters! Underground water happily gurgled out of the pump.

▼In thanks, I prepared an offering of rice, salt, and sake. It took nine months and 40 days of actual labor. The total expenses were 86,400 yen (US$846.72).