In Japan, there is a place that has come to serve as a suicide forest, namely the Aokigahara Forest. For some reason, this forest has a great appeal to people who want to end their lives. What caused that pull in this forest for the suicides? The forest is located at the bottom of the Fuji volcano, could that have something to do with it? Would the myths and legends be true? People die not only by suicide, but also by getting lost or by wild animals. Do they get lost there so easily because of the dense vegetation and the Volcano Fuji?
- The Fuji volcano at the Aokigahara forest
- Possible causes that the Aokigahara forest has become a suicide forest
- The recovery of the bodies in the Aokigahara forest
- The dense vegetation of the Aokigahara forest
- Books that could be related to the suicide forest
- Films with the Aokigahara forest as a location
- Figures about the Aokigahara forest
The Fuji volcano at the Aokigahara forest
At 3776 meters, Mount Fuji is the largest in Japan and is located about 112 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the mountain can be seen in clear weather, the top can only be reached in July and August. Many people plan their trip so that they can watch the sunrise when they reach the top. There have been no volcanic eruptions since 1709. For many it is a pilgrimage to climb the volcano, in Japanese culture the volcano is considered sacred. At the bottom is Lake Kawaguchi which reflects the mountain, also at the bottom there are rice fields, five lakes, caves and of course the Aokigahara forest. In the Aokigahara forest you can also find a tourist attraction, namely two caves, one of which contains only rock and the other only ice.
Possible causes that the Aokigahara forest has become a suicide forest
Because of the volcano, the soil in the Aokigahara forest consists mainly of volcanic rock, making the soil hard and almost impossible to dig in. Some people believe that the iron-rich, volcanic soil can affect cell phones and navigation systems through a magnetic effect, which could easily lead people astray. However, the American and Japanese armies regularly practice here without being bothered by their compasses. The dense afforestation can easily get people lost, but they try to solve this by attaching ribbons to the trees, but the ribbons are regularly removed by order of the government. When someone starts to doubt the suicide, but then gets lost, this could be enough reason to continue with the act.
Myths and legends that may have to do with the suicide forest
In Japan there is a great superstition, especially wandering ghosts play a major role in Japanese mythology. Grisly old stories about this forest keep spreading and some see it as a home for monsters. With a little imagination this is not difficult to imagine, just seeing the forest will easily give you goosebumps. Demons and lost spirits would control this forest. Another legend is that family members used to be left here by famine, so that there was one less mouth to feed in the family.
The recovery of the bodies in the Aokigahara forest
The forest rangers and policemen have the difficult task of recovering the bodies, the police only do this once a year. The forest rangers go into the forest more often, even with the hope that they can stop people. When they find the body, they carry it with their own hands to the nearest police station, here there is a special room reserved for the bodies, because of the superstition in Japan, a ranger has to stay with the bodies that night. Who this will be is decided by the game, Janken, this is a Japanese variant on our paper, scissors and stone. They do this because they believe that being alone of the body can bring bad luck to the next of kin, otherwise the ghosts would scream for nights on end and go ghostly. There are so many corpses in the Aokigahara forest that people regularly go into the forest to loot them, mainly by the Yakuza, a criminal organization in Japan that shows some similarities with the mafia. They motivate homeless people to go into the forest for a small fee in search of leftover, valuable possessions.
The dense vegetation of the Aokigahara forest
The forest is very dense, making it easy to get lost, so many bodies are not immediately or even never found. A simple reason for the appeal may be that this forest has the tools for successful suicide. This attraction is discouraged as much as possible by putting up signs with texts that try to get you to other thoughts. Fortunately, because of the signs there are people who return home, so they can give life a second try. What it is exactly about this forest may simply be related to the high suicide rate in Japan. For simple, practical reasons, people gather to a place that is suitable for it; there are enough trees in the Aokigahara forest, where the ropes are often already attached. You can leave a suicide note by attaching it to a tree, for example by writing the text on a piece of wood and nailing it to a tree. Entering this forest without food and drink and deviating from the designated paths may be enough to not return, in a forest of 35 hectares where the trees grow closer together, you can easily imagine that the way back hard to find.
Books that could be related to the suicide forest
Many people believe that the book The Black Sea of Trees written by Seicho Matsumoto has to do with the suicide rate. There are several stories in it, including a couple who commits suicide in the forest and someone with a broken heart who takes their own life in this forest. However, this book was published in 1960, so the figures do not match, since the suicides have been going on since 1950. Wataru Tsurumui wrote a complete suicide manual in 1993, in which he even referred to the Aokigahara forest as the designated place, in many places in the forest this manual is found, logically often near the bodies. Hanging is, of course, the most common mode of suicide in the woods, and the book describes it as one of the least painful ways to commit suicide.
Films with the Aokigahara forest as a location
Several films have been made with this forest as a location, mainly Japanese films, but also American films. This is not surprising, of course, because the forest is great food for a horror movie. Still, the subjects of this film are diverse and not even all about suicide.
Japanese movies
Several Japanese films have been made about the Aokigahara forest, these include Ki no Umim, (Jyukai- The Sea of Trees Behind Mt Fuji) and the movie Mogari no Mori, (The Mourning Forest). In the movie Ki no Umim, (Jyukai- The Sea of Trees Behind Mt Fuji) four different stories take place, all set in this forest. The movie Mogari no Mori, (The Mourning Forest) is a Japanese movie that doesn’t even include the subject of suicide. This film is about a forced journey of two people through the Aokigahara forest.
Sea of trees 2015
Matthew McConaughy plays one of the leading roles in the movie ‘the sea of trees’. This is one of the first American films to star in the Aokigahara forest. An American with suicidal tendencies sets off in the Aokigahara forest, but finds a Japanese ally here. The film shows their quest through the forest and struggle with life.
The Forest 2016
Natalie Dormer plays a dual role in the film ‘The Forest’ as twin sisters, one of which has lived in Japan for years. One day the twin sister disappears in Japan after visiting the infamous Aokigahara forest. Because of the special bond between twins, her sister realizes she needs help and decides to go after it.
Figures about the Aokigahara forest
The trend started around 1950 and since then more than 500 people are known to have taken their own lives in the forest. Only the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has a higher suicide rate, where at least 30 bodies are found there. Between 1998 and 2002 the figures for the number of suicides in the suicide forest were kept and published. In 1998 there were 73 per year and in 2002 there were 78. They have not published it after this because it was seen as bad advertisement for the Aokigahara forest. People who wanted to commit suicide came to it even more. This could mean that the numbers are now much higher. In the month of March even the most suicides seem to occur, this is probably due to the end of the fiscal year, in Japan the main reason for suicide is a lack of finances.