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?

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