How is Japan's "suicide forest" now after many years of haunting?

Aokigahara Forest is a place with a dark and haunting history, with hundreds of bodies having been discovered.

There are famous places not because of their beauty but because of their stories. Perhaps the Aokigahara forest in Japan is one of the most famous places in the world because of its most haunting name: suicide forest.

The magical beauty of the ancient forest

Aokigahara is located in Yamanashi Prefecture, north of Mount Fuji, only a 2-hour drive from Tokyo. This is a very old forest with more than 1,000 years old, and that is also the number of years that the legends about the "cursed forest" have been circulating. The forest is according to legend the home of yūrei, which in Japanese mythology means ghosts of the dead. This is the second most popular place in the world to commit suicide, after the Golden Gate Bridge in the US.

Japan is known for an unexpected record: the highest rate of people taking their own lives in the world. This comes from many reasons, but mainly because society is too pressured in all aspects.

Why has Aokigahara become such a famous suicide site? There are many different reasons behind this. According to local legend, in ancient times the Aokigahara forest was where people practiced subasute, an ancient Japanese custom that involves taking old or sick people to faraway places and letting them die there. According to another legend, the forest is also where poor families often abandon infants or elderly people they cannot feed during famine. Aokigahara's dark reputation has endured for centuries.

In the past 70 years, about 500 corpses of people who went into the forest to commit suicide have been discovered. The problem is so serious that authorities have had to post notices in multiple languages in different parts of the forest to encourage desperate people to seek help before committing the unfortunate act.

The gloomy atmosphere and stories surrounding Aokigahara make everyone afraid and hesitant when entering here. There are many rumors that Aokigahara makes people who enter it disoriented, that the forest has a "dark aura" that makes people feel pessimistic and want to think negatively every time they enter. But in fact, this is easy to explain: the reason is because this is a very lush forest. Because there are many tall trees, there are many places where sunlight does not reach, creating a dark feeling and making it easy for pedestrians to get lost.

A second reason why people fear Aokigahara is that all modern technology and devices such as compasses and cell phones lose signal in the forest. In fact, the reason comes from the fact that there is a lot of magnetic iron in the forest created by the volcanic soil in the area.

The suicide forest is reviving

In recent years, life has been rekindling in Aokigahara, a hopeful sign of a reawakening. Services and shops now cater to tourists, and many visitors come not in search of death, but to celebrate life. The government's concerted efforts have gradually diminished the suicide rates, though, interestingly, data stopped being disclosed in 2021, adding to the forest's mystique. The sinister legends now find themselves whispered less often.

With its natural allure, Aokigahara beckons hikers and adventure enthusiasts eager to explore the wonders of Mount Fuji. It's a realm of pristine beauty, boasting lava caves and a thriving ecosystem. However, travelers are wisely advised not to venture alone and to bring a roll of plastic tape to mark their path and guarding against the labyrinthine maze that is the enigmatic Aokigahara forest.