Aokigahara (forest)

Aokigahara,also known as Aokigahara Jukai, is a dense forest in Japan. Located near the foot of Mount Fuji, the forest has great natural beauty but is associated with darkness and the paranormal. It is often referred to as the Suicide Forest because many people have committed suicide there, especially in contemporary times. Authorities have become so concerned about the number of people who take their lives in the forest that they have instituted measures to prevent it, including signs encouraging people to think about their families and information prominently posted for how to call for help and the use of drones to detect people in the woods.

Background

Aokigahara Jukai translates loosely to the “sea of trees.” It covers an area of about 13.5 square miles (30 square kilometers) located in the Yamanashi Prefecture to the northwest of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain peak in Japan. The forest is located slightly less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of the capital of Tokyo.

Volcanic eruptions about one thousand years ago formed the land on which the forest sits. Because the ground underneath it is hardened lava, tree roots cannot grow deep into the ground. As a result, the floor of the forest is a tangle of moss-covered roots and uneven surface. Despite not having a deep root system, the trees are fed by the rich volcanic soil and grow into a dense canopy. This canopy filters the sunlight that reaches into the forest and adds to the otherworldly appearance of Aokigahara. It is also very still, both in movement and in sound. The closeness of the trees limits any breezes or airflow, and there are fewer animals than in most forests. Visitors comment that the forest is notably quieter than most woods, with fewer bird or insect sounds present.

The rocky material underneath the forest has a high iron content that interferes with compasses and cell phone signals. It is so easy to get lost in the thick trees that both visitors and park volunteers use trails of colored plastic tape to mark their path in and out. Nevertheless, Aokigahara is a popular tourist attraction. Some of this is because of its natural beauty and its many caves, including its two most famous, the Ice Cave and the Wind Cave. Others are drawn by the forest’s history, its appearance in several movies and books, or its connections to suicide.

Aokigahara is a national forest with a naturally eerie appearance. It has had a long history of connection to the macabre and supernatural. Generations of Japanese living in the region have considered it a place inhabited by demons. It is believed this connection was made because of the unnatural silence in the forest and because many people got lost and did not come back out. Local folklore attributes this to the presence of demons in the woods.

The forest also has a connection to an ancient but infrequent practice known as ubasute. At times when there was a shortage of food and resources, it is said that people would take elderly family members to a remote area and leave them to die of exposure or starvation. Although there is no direct evidence to connect Aokigahara with ubasute, some Japanese believe that the spirits of those left to die in this way have become part of the trees and haunt the forest.

Overview

The forest’s unnatural feel and association with death and the supernatural have led people to choose it as a place to end their lives. Some people who have either changed their minds about killing themselves or who were rescued have said that they chose it because they thought they could die without being found. Others who have succeeded have been found with one of several books about the Suicide Forest among their final belongings.

In contemporary times, the connection between Aokigahara and suicide was strengthened by a 1960 novel written by Seichō Matsumoto. In Kuroi Jukai, one of the main characters walks into the forest to end her life after the end of a romantic relationship. This cemented the forest’s connection with suicide. Its reputation was enhanced when Wataru Tsurumi’s 1993 book The Complete Manual of Suicide listed it as a good place to die. Aokigahara was also the setting for the 2016 American horror movie The Forest.

Japan has long had a higher rate of suicides than most other countries. This is in part because the practice does not carry the stigma there that it does in other cultures. During Japan’s feudal past, warriors engaged in a practice known as seppuku, or ritual disemboweling, rather than allow themselves to be captured. Even though this practice is no longer followed, suicide continues to be socially accepted as an alternative for those in Japan who are facing financial or family problems.

For many years, Aokigahara has been second only to California’s Golden Gate Bridge for suicide attempts. In 2003, the number of suicides in the forest prompted Japanese officials to stop publicizing how many suicides occurred there to avoid encouraging other attempts. During that year, there were 105 confirmed suicides in the forest. However, the figure could be higher, as many bodies go undiscovered for months or years. Some may never be found.

Officials have taken a number of steps to prevent more suicides from taking place. Entrances to the park and the paths to the most common suicide sites feature signs encouraging people to think about their families and reconsider. There are also signs offering information about suicide counseling and debt counseling, since financial stress is one of the most common reasons people commit suicide. Volunteers walk through the forest looking for people who may be contemplating suicide or those who have tried but have been unsuccessful. Local business owners are also taught how to identify people who might be considering suicide and tactics for attempting to get them to reconsider. By 2024, park officials began testing the use of drones to combat suicides in the forest. The drones used thermal imaging to detect people who were in the forest at night when officials were not on patrol. Once a drone found a person, another drone alerted employees or responded with a message via speaker urging the individual to return home and seek help.

Despite these efforts, dozens of people of all ages and walks of life take their lives every year. Visitors to the forest are encouraged to stay on marked paths to avoid traumatic encounters with the bodies of victims, and volunteers routinely walk the forest looking for and removing remains. Officials also attempt to discourage unauthorized people who are drawn to the forest to find suicide victims. In 2018, a YouTube star received international criticism for posting video of a suicide victim he found in the forest. He later issued an apology.

Bibliography

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