Horrific Hauntings : Aokighara, the Demon Forest of Japan

  The forest of Aokigahara, recognised locally as “Jukai” or the “Sea of Trees,” sprawls out across the northwestern regions of Mount Fuji in Japan, approximately a two-hour drive away from Tokyo. Looking at this reposeful place, it could be hard to accept the fact that it was created out of catastrophe, and continues to be a tragic place even today. In 864 AD, Mount Fuji had a major eruption for the last time, covering almost 30 square kilometres in lava, which laid the foundation for the forest we see today. The forest itself is so dense that even wind can't move through to it, making it eerily quiet. There are numerous tourist attractions within the forest which are not limited to the Narusawa Ice Cave, the Fugaku Wind Cave, and the Lake Sai Bat Cave, but this isn't what the place is globally known for.

 Whilst tourists frequently go to Aokigahara every year and return safely, there also are many individuals who go into the forest who are not even slightly interested in returning back. Following the Golden Gate Bridge, this forest ranks as the second most popular suicide spot in the entire world. Annual corpse searches had been carried out within the forest starting from 1970 and, in 2003 alone, a hundred and five bodies were reported. After this year, local officers made a decision to stop publicising the numbers, as they felt it would be encouraging the forest's connection with suicide.

  Suicides in Aokigahara are said to be the most in March which is the end of the fiscal year in Japan, and each year, the forest is probed by volunteers in search of bodies. That is in itself a huge component because, along with mental issues and family troubles, the main reasons for suicide in japan are loss of employment and economic hassles. In his rationalization of this phenomenon, Yoshinori Cho, writer of "Why do People Commit Suicide?" said that japan’s excessive number of suicides is a remnant of the seppuku way of life and that suicide is regularly “viewed as a manner of taking responsibility”. In keeping with records from psychiatrists who handled people who had attempted suicide within the forest, one of the major motives behind selecting Aokigahara was their belief that their bodies could by no means be discovered.

 In recent times, as you enter the forest, you would be welcomed by chilling sign boards asking you to think about your own family and call a suicide prevention hotline. It’s possibly not the most considerate advice if you just plan on trekking in the forest, however, it is not harmful to have a thought about your family and why you shouldn't upset them.

 The controversy surrounding the forest escalated in the December of 2017, whilst YouTuber and neighbourhood village fool Logan Paul posted a video wherein, he and his companions encountered a suicide victim hanging from a tree with their face blurred out. The video was not just seen as disrespectful to the dead one, but also showed a degree of dehumanisation with regards to suicide. Although Logan Paul claimed a public apology saying that he had wanted the video to give awareness about suicide, it was obvious to most viewers that his visit to the forest was a morbid form of tourism, in which seeing a corpse was just a part of the excitement.

 Although the people making plans on going to the forest only to see someone kill themself have to significantly assess their own sanity and examine their feelings of human empathy, the forest’s recognition as a hauntingly enticing place is obviously a pull for brave hikers and vacationers. The forest is so dense that most trekkers use plastic tape to mark their paths to prevent themselves from getting lost, and the natural magnetism of the porous lava inside the soil from time to time interrupts mobile service, GPS, and even compasses. You are even allowed to camp inside the wooded area, although be warned that anyone taking a tent into the woodland is frequently flagged by the prevention patrol as suicidal but unclear.

 Because of its sturdy association with yurei or the ghosts of individuals who ceased to die peacefully, the forest is unsurprisingly considered to be an extremely haunted place in Japan. Alongside the ghosts of suicide victims and people who lost themselves in its large expanse, it is also said to house the souls of people who suffered the brutal custom of ubasute or “leaving behind an old woman,” an exercise whereby a family unable to financially sustain would carry a disabled or aged family member right into a far-off region and leave them to die.

 The site’s domestic popularity has in large part been attributed to the 1961 novel Nami no tō written by Seichō Matsumoto, in which a loving couple travels to the forest to commit suicide. Arguably the most dumbfounding reference to the forest is found in Wataru Tsurumi’s "The Whole Manual to Suicide", in which it is defined as “the perfect place to die”. This book is truly a manual for committing suicide and carries every method for doing so, with each method being ranked on factors like painfulness, the gruesomeness of the body whilst discovered, and the likelihood of failure. This book seems to have had a powerful impact, and there are several documented instances of this book being present near corpses in Aokigahara.

 Whilst the appeal of Aokigahara is indubitable, it is extremely important to always understand the reality of the scenario. This is not just a place where ghosts are said to roam or wherein demonic possession takes place but, an area in which endless people have met with an early death because they no longer felt like living. If you are currently suffering from depression or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, I would urge you to get help as soon as possible.