Aokigahara: Japan's Suicide Forest

         Aokigahara forest is one of the most famous places in Japan not for it's scenic natural beauty of the forest but by the dark story behind it.  Before, Aokigahara was best known for having a good reputation of  " Sea of trees " due to the vastness of Aokigahara trees but as decades went by it earned an odd reputation of  " Suicide Forest " of Japan.

      On the foot of Mt. Fufi ( Fujiyama: Japan's highest peak volcano ) lies a vast forest called the Aokigahara.  It is said to be a 30 square kilometer of vast forest.  Before the WWII, it was famous for bring a tourist destination in Japan but the bad reputation began when 500 business men went into the forest but never came out.  Reports by local said that that they might have gotten lost into the vastness of the dark forest not knowing their way back.  Up to now, no one knew what happened to the 500 businessmen and there was no proof of life that were ever found.  Decades following the mysterious incident, volunteers who were assigned to maintain the cleanliness of the forest found remains of humans.  The remains that were found were believed to be non from the 500 businessmen who were first reported as missing but were different wanderers who had the same fate.

     As the years went by, volunteers kept discovering dead human remains. At first local authorities thought that they were victims of henious crimes and were left to the forest to rot. But such allegation were debunked and it was concluded that the human remains that discovered by the volunteers were infact people who came into the forest to commit suicide.  About 10 to 30 of reported cases of suicide in a year but numbers kept on increasing as time went on.  In 2002, 78 cases of suicide was reported and in 2003 a total of number of 108 dead bodies were discovered.  It is very puzzling why the numbers kept on increasing and authorities were completely clueless on to what factors that would cause individuals to end up theirs precious lives and why it was only occuring in Aokigahara.

Photos of the remains of those
who committed suicide in the
Aokigahara forest

    Local spiritualists have theorized that there was a paranormal factor happening with in the dark forest.  They believed that the Aokigahara trees emit some kind of negative energy to make people who wander into the dept of the forest to become depress and lose their sanities ending up taking their own lives and hanging themselves with ropes was the common form of suicide. Local authorities have encouraged media to refrain from reporting the horrendous and mysterious incidence of suicide to avoid giving the forest a horrible reputation but I guess it was futile.  The popularity of Aokigahara have reached international.  International YouTuber made a paranormal documentary about the forest.  It was said that in the dept of night, a ghastling scream and cries of agony echoes The forest. This was believed to be the ghost ( Yuri ) of those who committed suicide. Thus the forest aside from earning the reputation of suicide forest, it was also considered to be as one of the most haunted places on earth.  Well, such theory were not taken seriously because superstition doesn't fall into any warrant.  Well many believe that a book is to be blamed for such horrible resurgence in the forest's  macabre popularity.  In 1960, Seicho Matsumoto published his famous novel Kuroi Jukai - The Black Sea of Trees.  The novel was about two lovers who committed suicide in the forest of Aokigahara.

Kuroi Jukai
The novel published by Seicho Matsumoto in 1960
It was a book many believe is to be blamed for
the resurgence in the forest's macabre

     Despite of earning an eerie reputation, tourists of both foreign and local still visit the forest.  Police would remind visitors to take precautionary measures by placing post of warnings in almost every area in the forest.  There are four kinds of tourists who would be brave enough to wander within the vastness of the forest.  They are trekkers of Mt. Fuji, those who are curious of the macabre and the suicidal ones.  In 2010, there were 247 individuals attempted commiting suicide.  54 were completed.  Those who were caught by authorities were severely intoxicated either by alcohol or illegal drugs.  After 2010, reported cases of suicide were no longer available.  The government of Japan had ordered to stop publishing cases of suicide in Aokigahara in the fear of others might follow the steps of their demised love ones.  Patrols would regularly scout the area hoping to gently redirect visitors who look like that they might not considering returning from their journey.

Police have placed this sign boards almost everywhere in the forest to
remind visitors not to end their lives.
" Your life is a precious gift from your parents," and
 " please consult the police before you decide to die!"

Sources
allthatsinteresting.com
www.atlasobscura.com