Aokigahara, the Suicide Forest

Just 100 miles west of Tokyo, and northwest of Mount Fuji, is a sprawling forest so thick with foliage, that it’s known as the Sea of Trees.  Aokigahara forest, also known as Suicide forest covers approximately 13.5 square miles.  The forest floor is mostly made up of volcanic rock, lava laid down by the last major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864 AD.  Many parts of the forest are very thick, the trees tightly packed together, and winds do not whip through.  Wildlife is sparse, and the porous lava absorbs sound, creating a feeling of isolation.  A visitor has described the silence as “chasms of emptiness,” adding, “I cannot emphasize enough the absence of sound.  My breath sounded like a roar.”

The still silence has led people to consider it haunted, and there are plenty who would not dare enter the forest.  But where did it all begin?

Ubasute, a brutal form of euthanasia, roughly translates to “abandoning the old woman.”

This practice dates back to Japan’s distant history, and was resorted to during times of desperate need and famine.  A family would lessen the amount of mouths to feed by leading an elderly relative to a mountain or other remote and rough environment to die – not by suicide, but rather by exposure, dehydration, or starvation.  Aokigahara is a known site for such abandonment.  The ghosts, or yurei, of the abandoned, forever roaming the forest.  Many believe these spirits are vengeful, dedicated to tormenting visitors and luring the sad and lost off the path.

Getting lost in Aokigahara is treacherous. Tree coverage is so dense that even at high noon, it is possible to find places that are pitch black.  The area is rocky, cold and contains more than 200 caves that you could fall into on accident.  Once you leave the path, it is easy to get turned around and never find your way out again.  To make matters worse, compasses, cell phones and GPS systems often fail, being rendered useless by the rich magnetic iron deposits in the volcanic soil.  Hikers have begun using plastic tape to mark their path, so as to not get lost.

Suicide, in Japanese culture, doesn’t hold the stigma it does in other cultures.  Seppuku, the ritual suicide by a samurai, was considered honorable.  To this day, many in Japanese society believe suicide is a way of taking responsibility.  As such, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.  There were 2,645 recorded suicides in January of 2009, frequently stemming from mental health or family problems, financial problems or losing their job.

While Aokigahara has not always attracted hundreds of people, wishing to end their lives, it has become a popularized after the 1960’s, when a novel by Seichō Matsumoto, titled “Tower of Waves,” was published.  In his novel, a couple commit suicide in the forest.

Another book, by Wataru Tsurumi, titled “The Complete Manual of Suicide,” further sensationalized this suicide location with its description of which parts of the forest were ideal, and where bodies would never b e found.  As such, authorities found an increase in suicide rates.

People travel from all over, to hang themselves from the trees in Aokigahara.  Many of whom are never found.

To counter this, signs have been posted on various paths throughout the forest, offering messages such as, “Think carefully about your children, your family,” and “Your life is a precious gift from your parents.”  Security cameras have also been placed at the entrance of Aokigahara.

While camping is allowed in the forest, visitors who bring a tent with them are believed to be “undecided” in their plans to commit suicide.  Some camp for days, and people on prevention patrol will gently speak with these campers, encouraging them to leave the forest.

In the 1970’s, Police and volunteers began to patrol the area, and to recover the remains of the forests victims, returning them to their families for a proper burial.  When a body is found, forest workers must carry the body down from the forest to a local station, where the bodies are stored in a room, specifically used to house suicide corpses.

Forest workers will then play a game called janken, the Japanese equivalent to rock-paper-scissors, to determine who will have to sleep in the room with the corpse.  They believe that if the deceased is left alone, it is bad luck for the ghost of the suicide victim.  If left alone, their spirit will scream throughout the night, and their body will get up and shuffle around, searching for company.

The SyFy television series, “Destination Truth” took to the Suicide Forest to discover what was really going on.  In the episode, Josh Gates and the rest of the cast find an abandoned camping site, including destroyed photos.

Looking for another story from Japan? Check this one out.