Aokigahara alias ‘the Suicide Forest’ is a forest that lies at Mount Fuji’s northwest base in Japan. A forest so thick with foliage that it’s known as the Sea of Trees. Notoriously called ‘The Suicide Forest’, the forest is infamous for high number of suicides that occurs within it. Here are 7 creepy things about Japan’s forest suicide forest.
1. It Is One Of The Most Popular Suicide Destinations In The World
Statistics on Aokigahara’s suicide rates vary, in part because the forest is so thick that some corpses can go undiscovered for years or might be forever lost. However, some estimates claim as many as 100 people a year have successfully killed themselves there.
2. There Are Suicide Prevention Measures
Part of the measures enacted to curb the high suicide rate in the forest includes posting security cameras at the entrance of the Suicide Forest, increasing patrols and also posting signs on various paths throughout the forest that offer messages like “Think carefully about your children, your family”, “Your life is a precious gift from your parents, “Please reconsider” and “Please consult the police before you decide to die!” are nailed to trees throughout the forest.
3. It Is Naturally Creepy
The forest is one of the most creepiest forest in the world. Because of its location at the base of a mountain, the ground is uneven, rocky, and perforated with hundreds of caves and interwoven roots. It also has a very dense forest, that shuts out all but the natural sounds of the forest itself. One visitor described the silence as “chasms of emptiness.” She added, “I cannot emphasize enough the absence of sound. My breath sounded like a roar.”
4. The Suicide Forest May Be Haunted
Some believe that the ghosts of those abandoned by ubasute and the unsettled ghosts of individuals who have been torn unnaturally soon from their lives are vengeful, and dedicated to tormenting visitors and luring those that are sad and depressed off their path. Spiritualists even say that the trees themselves are filled with a malevolent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides.
5. Tapes Are Used To Navigate The Forest
Due to the thick nature of the forest, volunteers who search the area ‘for bodies and those considering suicide’ typically mark their way with plastic ribbon that they’ll loop around trees. As it is the only way not to get lost in the forest.
6. Annual Searches Are Organized In The Forest
Searches are organized in the forest every year. However, these annual searches are not intended to rescue people, but to recover their remains. Police and volunteers trek through the Sea of Trees to bring bodies back to civilization for a proper burial. In the early 2000s, 70 to 100 bodies were uncovered each year.
7. Suicide Statistics
Statistics vary, but there were around 30 suicides documented every year during the period leading up to 1988. In 2003, 105 bodies were found in the forest, exceeding the previous record of 78 in 2002. In 2010, it was estimated that more than 200 people had attempted suicide in the forest, of whom 54 completed the act.
Sources:
japanzine.jp
asahi.com
wikipidedia.org
