Category : Articles

Sub Category : Travel

The “Suicide” Forest in Japan


Whether or not it is haunted should be taken with a grain of salt, but beyond that it is very real. People are drawn to Aokigahara to end their lives, and it is an epidemic in Japan, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Not everyone goes there to die, though. While there are a fair amount of suicides that take place within the Sea of Trees, or Jukai, there are also many people who get lost. Compasses and electronics do not always work as intended, due to magnetism that has built up from volcanic activity. 
In addition to lost hikers and those that would commit suicide, in the past, Japanese people practiced what was called ubasute, where which elderly family members were led into a forest and left to die. Up until 2003, it was published how many bodies were removed from the forest per year, but that has since been discontinued in an attempt to dissuade visitors from taking their lives. As it stands, over one hundred bodies are found each year, many of which have hung themselves, as was romanticized in Kuroi Jukai (Black Sea of Trees).
Much like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, officials have placed signs and phones at the entrance of Aokigahara Forest encouraging those that enter to think of their loved ones and to contact the suicide hotline. There is a documentary featuring Geologist Hayano Asuza located at Vice that has a lot of information regarding the forest, including photos. As they are recording, they actually encounter a man contemplating suicide. They also find a body. I would post the link, however it is considered graphic content. For the same reason, I have not included additional photos.