Aokigahara

Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees or the Suicide Forest, in Japanese mythology, is considered to be haunted by demons. Nestled at the base of Mt. Fuji, this primeval forest has gotten a lot of attention over the years because of the high number of suicides that occur in the forest. It is the number one site for suicides in Japan. In January 2018, Aokigahara gained international attention when a YouTuber callously broadcasted footage of a suicide victim’s body.

This wasn’t always a place for suicides.

There are reports that as far back as the 19^th century the Japanese would carry their elders to this forest to die of starvation, a practice called, subacute. It became a popular suicide location after the novel “Tower of Waves”, by Seicho Matsumoto, was published. The book tells of a couple that commits suicide within the Aokigahara forest. In 1993, “The Complete Manual of Suicide” by Wataru Tsurumi was published. It described the forest as the perfect location to kill oneself. The manual goes a step further and describes which parts of the forest are less frequented by visitors to allow the bodies to not be found.

Japanese spiritualists believe that the suicides that have occurred in the woodland have seeped through the trees. This has generated unusual paranormal activity and has prevented those who enter the forest depths from leaving alive. If you do not believe in this type of thing, then take into consideration the common occurrence of compasses being rendered useless inside. This is due to large deposits of magnetic iron in the forest’s volcanic soil.