Aokigahara The Suicide Forest

Aokigahara as seen in the movie "The Forest", and also known as Jukai or sea of trees is located in Japan across a 13.5 mile radius at the edge of mount Fuji two hours outside of Tokyo. It's land is covered in a maze of trees, volcanic rocks, caverns, and moss. Though the moss might seem beautiful, one of it's main functions is breaking down decay which includes that of animals and humans. The forest dates back to more then 1,000 years old and is believed to be one of the most haunted places in the world with the average believed death rate to now reach almost 70-100 known suicides a year and at least 200 attempts per year.

It's soil is iron rich and is believed to be the cause of interference with cellphones and gps systems making them useless, meaning if you wander off path there is a chance you might not find your way back. Creepy right?It's suggested to have a guide if you decide your brave enough to attempt this or at least bring a role of tape to place markers on trees. Those who bring a tent into the forest are believed to be unsure of their journey, and if you see string tied leading into the forest it is believed to lead to a marker or one who has passed.

Each year officers, troopers, and some volunteers do annual sweeps for bodies, however the actual death total in the forest is not known due to the mass area and rough landscaping. Troopers report that typically there are only scarce remains left behind due to animals reaching the victims before hand. The reason behind why people choose to take their lives away here is still unknown. Perhaps they just want to return back to the earth that created them, or maybe they just want to be with those who have felt the pain they feel. Maybe they just don't want to be alone.

Troopers will try to calmly urge those they believe to be at risk into a better mind set. Authorities hope to lower the death rate by at least 20%, however with the current economy and epidemic it does not look well. A hotline number for suicide is also placed at the entrance of the forest and paths along with messages such as "Life is precious" and "Think carefully about your children, your family" in attempts to reach out to those in pain. We can only hope that these messages and efforts are able to reach ones heart and give them hope. It is a place of tears, pain, and heartbreak.

Many legends also surround the forest such as beliefs of Yurei (vengeful spirits and apparitions) and Yukai (supernatural apparitions, spirits, and phantoms) haunting the forest, and the Akuma (malevolent evil spirit that is translated into "devil" in English) lurking within it's trees. It is also heavily advised to stay out of the forest during night time, perhaps because this is the time the spirits are supposed to walk the earth, or maybe it's because of the masking of silence the forest extends that can almost drive one mad. One of the largest mysteries however is how did this all come to be? Why did so many deaths begin here?

For those who enjoy horror there is even a game based off the Aokigahara forest. Death forest by sad satan is a Japanese game that works with windows where you must gather four items to try restarting a motorbike to be able to escape. While doing this you also have to try surviving four different spirits that try to kill you and keep the battery life of your flashlight sustainable. you can find game leeks going more in death by visiting fandom and checking out the games posts by fans.