Aokigahara Forest, AKA The Suicide Forest

Today we're taking a trip to Japan. Today's episode may contain some talk that could be hard for some to listen to. We will be discussing suicide in parts of today's episode. While we normally have a pretty lax, “we don't care who we piss off or trigger” kind of attitude, we all agree that mental health and suicide are serious issues and we do not want anyone who may already have some problems to listen to something we are discussing and to make any said problems worse. We joke around and have fun and there will be jokes and fuckery in this episode, BUT, we will not make jokes about suicide or mental health. We will try and find some levity to shake off the darker situations, but will do our best to also be respectful when needed. We say this all the time and this is another great spot for this message, please if you are having any sort of thoughts of suicide and depression please reach out to someone that you can talk to. There are many many excellent resources for those who need them.

 

With that being said, in today's episode we are talking about Japan's Aokigahara Forest, also known as the suicide forest. We are going to go through the history of the forest and we are also going to talk about some of the tales of spirits and monsters in the forest. Also we’ll get into some spooky stories, of course, because that's what we do here! 

 

Due to the high level of stress faced by the Japanese, Japan is seen as one of the top countries with high suicide rates. According to a report by The Guardian, depression, serious illness and debt are among the common reasons one seeks to end their life. 

 

Historically suicide has been viewed differently in Japan than the way we see it now. Most people today will remark how selfish or cowardly suicide is. Japan historically has had the view that suicide was an honorable thing.

 

Back in the feudal era in Japan, committing suicide was seen as an act of honour. Samurai warriors would rather commit suicide, or known as seppuku sometimes referred to as Harakiri (ritual disemboweling) than fall into the hands of their enemy – a way to uphold their honor and dignity. It was also used as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offenses, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. It  was later practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa period (particularly officers near the end of World War II) to restore honor for themselves or for their families. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade like a tantō into the belly and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the belly open. Some practitioners of seppuku allowed themselves to die slowly, but they usually enlisted the help of a “kaishakunin,” or second, who would lop off their head with a katana as soon as they made their initial cut. The goal was generally not to take the head off in one swing, rather most of the way off on the first swing with the second bringing down a very light cut allowing the head to fall into the hands of the deceased. Among other rituals, the doomed individual often drank sake, they were only allowed a specific number of sips, and composed a short “death poem” before taking up the blade. In each case, it was considered an act of extreme bravery and self-sacrifice that embodied Bushido, the ancient warrior code of the samurai. There was even a female version of seppuku called “jigai,” which involved cutting the throat using a tanto. Japanese Tanto knives (or short swords) are characterized by their dagger-like design. The tanto knife first appeared around the year 900. Seppuku fell out of favor with the decline of the samurai in the late-19th century, but the practice didn’t disappear entirely. Japanese General Nogi Maresuke disemboweled himself in 1912 out of loyalty to the deceased Meiji Emperor, and many troops later chose the sword over surrender during World War II. Perhaps the most famous case in recent history concerns Yukio Mishima, a renowned novelist and Nobel Prize nominee who committed ritual seppuku in 1970 after leading a failed coup against the Japanese government.

On October 25, 1944, the Empire of Japan employed kamikaze bombers for the first time. (Kamikazi bombers were named after the “divine wind” that had destroyed the Mongol fleet in the thirteenth century, thus saving Japan from invasion.) The tactic was part of the ferocious Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, which took place in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines. Kamikaze strikes against Allied warships continued throughout World War II.

 

Kamikaze pilots deliberately crashed specially made planes directly into enemy warships, which resulted in suicide. It was a desperate policy. Motoharu Okamura, who commanded a kamikaze squadron, remarked that by 1944, “I firmly believe that the only way to swing the war in our favor is to resort to crash-dive attacks with our planes. There is no other way. Provide me with 300 planes and I will turn the tide of war.” In these kamikaze attacks, more than 3,000 Japanese pilots were killed, and there were more than 7,000 casualties among American, Australian, and British personnel. Flight Lieutenant Haruo Araki wrote the following letter to his wife before his last flight: 

             

                Shigeko,

 

Are you well? It is now a month since that day. The happy dream is over. Tomorrow I will dive my plane into an enemy ship. I will cross the river into the other world, taking some Yankees with me. When I look back, I see that I was very cold-hearted to you. After I had been cruel to you, I used to regret it. Please forgive me.

 

When I think of your future, and the long life ahead, it tears at my heart. Please remain steadfast and live happily. After my death, please take care of my father for me.

 

I, who have lived for the eternal principles of justice, will forever protect this nation from the enemies that surround us.

 

Commander of the Air Unit Eternity

 

Haruo Araki

 

WOW!

 

The reason we wanted to include this letter is that last line. He referred to himself as living for the eternal principles of justice. He says he will forever protect his nation from the enemies that surround them. This goes to show that there was still a sense of pride in the fact that you are committing suicide for the cause. It was seen as a strength not a weakness historically. On the other side of the coin, the Allies, steeped in the Judaeo-Christian tradition of the sanctity of life, the apparent willingness of Japanese servicemen like Araki to carry out suicide attacks was profoundly shocking. But then, as scholars of the kamikaze point out, the word suicide in Japanese does not always have the same “immoral connotation” that it has in English. Two versions—jiketsu (self-determination) and jisai (self-judgement)—“suggest an honorable or laudable act done in the public interest.” There is, moreover, no ethical or religious taboo regarding suicide in Japan’s traditional religion of Shintoism.  To surrender, on the other hand, was seen as dishonourable, hence the contempt the Japanese felt for prisoners of war. Japanese soldiers believed that when they fell on the field of battle they would become kami, or gods, and join the nation’s spirits at the Shinto shrine of Yasukuni in Tokyo. Hence the typical farewell from members of the Shimpū (Divine Wind) Special Attack Corps: “I’ll meet you at the Yasukuni Shrine!” 

Nowadays, many have chosen to end their life not for honourable reasons, but mainly because they could not fit into society. In Japan today, suicide is considered a major social issue. In 2017, the country had the seventh highest suicide rate in the OECD, at 14.9 per 100,000 persons, and in 2019 the country had the second highest suicide rate among the G7 developed nations.  The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is “an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives.”, as per their website. Seventy percent of suicides in Japan are male, and it is the leading cause of death in men aged 20–44. After peaking in 2003, suicide rates have been gradually declining, falling to the lowest on record (since 1978) in 2019. Monthly suicide rates in Japan increased by 16% between July and October 2020, due to a number of reasons attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. What is driving these big divide rates?  As of 2020, the leading motive, with 49% of suicides was "Health issues". However because the category for health issues includes both mental (like depression) and physical issues, it is not possible to distinguish between the two. The second most commonly listed motive for suicides was "Financial/Poverty related issues" (e.g., Too much debt, Poverty), which was a motive in 17% of suicides. The third motive is "Household issues" (e.g., disagreements in the family) listed in 15% of suicides.

 

By occupation, 59.3% of suicide victims were in the broad "Not Employed" category, which is not to be confused with the colloquialism "unemployed" (as in those who are seeking but unable to find a job). The "Not Employed" category also includes pensioners, homemakers and others. While the teenage suicide rate in Japan is lower than the OECD country average, teenage suicide rates have been the only category to increase slightly in recent years, despite the significant drop in overall suicide rates over the past decade.

 

Many who decide to commit suicide will chose a place where it is hidden and not easy to be found to spend their last moment. And for the Japanese, Aokigahara Forest is one of the most common locations. It is also known as the world’s second-most common location to commit suicide. The most common location is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, in the US. Aokigahara is located at the northwest base of the country’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji. Due to its high density of trees, Aokigahara is also known as a Jukai – which simply means a “sea of trees’. The tree cover is so thick that, even at noon, you will hardly find a bright spot in the forest. Aokigahara is also known as Japan’s Demon Forest, and the “perfect place to die”. Many Japanese believe that the forest is haunted and dare not go nearby. This 35-sq km, around 14 sq mile, forest is cold, rocky, and contains some 200 caves, of which a few, such as the Ice Cave and Wind Cave, have been popular among tourists. Because of the rocky area and thick trees, Aokigahara’s surroundings are almost identical, making it the perfect journey for those who are making a one-way trip. For trekkers and hikers, they often carry along plastic tape to mark their way so that they will find the way out again. 

 

Let's find out a bit more about the forest itself, because well, nerd shit. It formed out of a devastating volcanic eruption that occurred in the year 864. Which was ironically, chainsaw's second birthday. The nickname “Sea of Trees" captures the full grandeur of how this wind-swept forest appears from the mountain with its treetops rolling like waves. The trees in the forest do bear an exotic, gnarled appearance because they grew out of hardened lava. Their roots could not penetrate to the usual depth. The flow of the lava left the ground with an uneven surface before hardening, where it is not unusual to see trees partially uprooted, along with gaping holes—cave-like recesses—that have formed in the ground. Aokigahara has been falsely portrayed as a place where navigational compasses go haywire. Needles of magnetic compasses will move if placed directly on the lava, aligning with the rock's natural magnetism, kind of like moody, except the exact opposite, which varies in iron content and strength by location. However, a compass behaves as expected when held at a normal height. The forest has a variety of conifers and broadleaf trees and shrubs. Deeper in the forest there are many aromatic flowering plants. There are also many mosses, liverworts and ferns. Aside from the immense savings of plant life that choke the forest, it is home to plenty of wildlife. Some of the animals you may encounter include the Asian black bear, deer, fox, Japanese mink and Japanese squirrel, boar, and wild rabbit. Also the forest is a great place to see tits! That's right my friends, they have many kinds of tits including willow tits, long tailed tits, and of course the great tits.

 

So why is this such a popular place for people to end their lives? Well as stated earlier it is a very quiet place that offers up dense cover to help conceal things that are going on. Essentially it's peaceful and you can be alone away from prying eyes. Not only that, there was a mystery novel called “Kuroi Jukai” (translated as Black Sea of Trees) written by Seicho Matsumoto in 1960. The novel ends romantically with the lovers committing suicide in the forest, which revitalized the Suicide Forest’s popularity among those who wanted to end their life. Also Wataru Tsurumui’s controversial 1993 bestseller, The Complete Suicide Manual, is a book that describes various modes of suicide and even recommends Aokigahara as the perfect place to die. Apparently this book is also a common find in the forest, usually not too far away from a suicide victim and their belongings. Undoubtedly, the most common method of suicide in the forest is hanging. It's not uncommon for officials to find abandoned cars at the trail heads, empty campsites throughout the forest, strings and ropes left by people who venture off path to help find their way back, and sadly the body's of those who decided to enter the first and never come out. There are signs along the trails urging people to seek help if they are having issues and contemplating suicide. The signs read, “Your life is something precious that was given to you by your parents” and “Think about your parents, siblings, and children once more. Do not be troubled alone.” The signs end with a helpline telephone number, hoping the lost souls who seek to die would call for help. There are people who hike the forest in hopes of finding people and stopping them before it's too late. One man has found over 100 bodies in his time in the forest. With all of this death surrounding it, is it any wonder that there are tales of Hauntings and strange things happening here. There are also stories of demons that inhabit the forest. And with that being said and most of the heavy lifting being done, let's get into what we come here for every week… Creepy shit! 

 

The most common tale of the forest being inhabited by something evil had to do with the Yurei. Yurei are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife. Ukiyo-e artist Maruyama Ōkyo created the first known example of the now-traditional yūrei, in his painting The Ghost of Oyuki. Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. The Zenshō-an in Tokyo houses the largest single collection of yūrei paintings which are only shown in August, the traditional month of the spirits. Yurei are seen in white clothing believed to signify the white burial kimono used in Edo period burial rituals. They have long black wild hair. They generally lack legs and feet and the haha typically dangle at the wrists. The arms are usually held stretched out or at the sides stretched out at just the elbow. The Yurei are often accompanied by hitodama, which are floating flames. They can be various colors such as blue, green or purple. So Yurei is actually somewhat of a catch all phrase for ghosts. There are actually different types of Yurei. There's Onryo, which are vengeful ghosts who come back to scene a wrong doing done to them, Goryo, which are spirits of the high class and aristocrats which are also vengeful usually for having been martyred. There are Ubume which are mother ghosts who either died in childbirth or left children behind when they passed, they come back to care for the child and often bring sweets to them. There are several others as well including Funayurei which are the ghosts of those who died at sea and Zashiki-warashi which are the ghosts of children. There are more but you get the point. According to legend, people bring their family members during famine to the forest and leave them to die there, in order to save their food for other family members. Those left in the forest would slowly die due to starvation, turning them into yurei. The belief in yurei continues to today. When a body is found in Aokigahara, forest guardians place it in a room next to the forest before being sent to authorities. Legend has it that if the body is left alone in the room, its yurei move around screaming in the room. Hence, forest guards will play rock-paper-scissors to determine who the unlucky companion to the body is. 

 

Also in Japanese legend, aside from the Yurei, the forest is said to be haunted by demons. So there's that. Demons are always good to have around. So knowing that there are possibly ribs of ghosts and demons hanging around, let's get into some creepy stories from the forest! 

 

During a VICE documentary that takes a tour of the forest, an extremely creepy curse is found. There's a Jack Skellington-like doll with his face cut off, nailed upside down to a tree as a sort of inverted crucifixion. According to the documentary's guide, Azusa Hayano, "They nailed this character upside down as a symbol of contempt for society. No, it's more like a curse. The curse is nailed in." Apparently, it's not that uncommon for visitors to leave a curse on the world they're leaving behind.

 

This next story was written for a Japanese newspaper:

 

Jun 26, 2011

I am walking through Aokigahara Jukai forest, the light rapidly fading on a mid-winter afternoon, when I am stopped dead in my tracks by a blood-curdling scream. The natural reaction would be to run, but the forest floor is a maze of roots and slippery rocks and, truth be told, I am lost in this vast woodland whose name, in part, translates as “Sea of Trees.”

 

Inexplicably, I find myself moving toward the sound, searching for signs of life. Instead, I find death.

 

The source of that scream remains a mystery as, across a clearing, I see what looks like a pile of clothes. But as I approach, it becomes apparent it’s more than just clothes I’ve spotted.

 

In a small hollow, just below a tree, and curled up like a baby on a thick bed of dead leaves, lies a man, his thinning gray hair matted across his balding cranium. His pasty upper torso is shirtless, while his legs are covered only by black long johns — with blue-striped boxers sticking out above the waistband — and a pair of woolly socks.

 

Under his bent legs a pair of slacks, a white shirt and a jacket have been spread out as a cushion at his final resting place. Scattered around are innumerable documents, a briefcase and other remnants of a former life. Nearer to him are items more closely related to his demise: empty packets of prescription pills, beer cans, and bottles of liquor…

 

The article goes on but this is the end of the story for our creepy purposes...

 

The man had been dead for some time so there's no way he could have produced the scream. So where did it come from? A demon or Yurei trying to draw the man in?

 

The destination truth television show filmed an episode in the forest and may have caught a Yurei on camera. A man was hanging out in a spot alone and in a clip on you tube he says that he thought he saw something so he checked the camera. After checking the camera he notices a shape that seems to rise up from the ground. It's white and human-like. It's there for a couple seconds and then send to disappear back into the ground. Now what it was we can't say, it could have been a yurei or honestly it looks just as much like someone dressed in white standing up from behind a bush then crouching back down. Given the forest legend though… We won't rule out ghosts. 

 

We found this next story buried in a message board. There have been many stories of people who have had their guide lines cut while they were exploring the forest. This is an account of one of those incidents. It was written by an anonymous person so take it how you will! 

 

     "While on vacation me and my friend decided to check out the suicide forest. We were told the best thing to do would be to get on a tour and check out the caves as well. We didn't really want to do a touristy thing though. We decided to hike out there ourselves. We read up on dinner things about the area and decided we would bring along a bunch of Paracord to string along so we wouldn't get lost. We got there in the late afternoon and found a trailhead and parked. Immediately we were struck with an eerie feeling and the signs at the beginning of the trail and in various places saying not to commit suicide and get help didn't help. We set off on the trail to check it out. We walked for about 15 minutes and found a spot in the dense forest that we thought would be a good spot to head in. My friend tied the Paracord to a tree a few feet in and we set off. The further we got in the creepier it got. It was very quiet. You couldn't hear animals or birds or other people. There was not much light coming through but we could still see ok. After about an hour of exploring and letting out our line, which actually ended up being two large bundles of Paracord tied together, we decided to head back. We reeling in the line and heading back the way we came. At some point we started to hear a rustling. We thought this was strange cus we hadn't seen any animals but hey .. We're in a forest so who knows. But it soon became evident that something was actually following us! We were both spooked and picked up the pace. The rustling got louder but then whatever it was it seemed to take off ahead of us. We were both somewhat relieved… That is until a few minutes later when we got to a point where the Paracord had been shredded and the shredded end wrapped around a random tree! We couldn't find the other end of the cord and we started to freak out. Then… We heard the rustling again, but we could not see anything. We started to look around for the other end of the cord. As we were looking the rustling seemed to come from all around us. We kept getting more scared and my friend started crying and freaking out about being lost and telling about how we're going to end up dead like the rest of them. The rustling got louder and louder and then all of a sudden… Nothing. No rustling, no noise, nothing. We both stood there looking around. That's when I saw it. I saw a shadowy white figure off a little into the first. I thought I was seeing things at first. I rubbed my eyes and looked again and it was still there. At this point I lost it and started screaming. My friend turned around to see what I was screaming at and saw it too. It started to move towards us. It wasn't walking though it was like… Floating. As it came closer I see that the figure had no bottom half… It was basically a floating torso. You couldn't see the face as whatever it was had long wild hair. My friend started screaming as well and we both started frantically looking for the other end of our line. As the figure came closer we finally found the end of the cord and started moving as fast as we could. The figure continued to follow us, matching our speed. After what seemed like hours of moving as fast as we could through the forest with thing following us we finally came to where we started and could see the main trail. We ran on to the main trail and ran all the way to the car without looking back. Neither of us said a word on the way back to the hotel. To this day we don't talk about it. In my head I truly think that whatever that figure was trying to trap us in that forest. That figure still haunts me"

 

Creepy!!!

 

Locals in the area that reporters have spoken too, classic they have become used to the stories and they are not worried for the most part. Despite these statements there are still reports of locals hearing blood curdling screams at all hours from the forest. Some locals claim to see Nthe Yurei from time to time as well. 

 

There are numerous stories of people that may not have necessarily seen anything but definitely get the heavy sad feeling when they visit as well as the feeling that something or someone is watching them. Then of course there are those with the unfortunate story of coming upon a body which is probably the worst story you can bring home. 

 

By all accounts the forest is a beautiful place to visit and most people have no issues there. Regardless, take heed when exploring and please be respectful to the place that many have lost their lives. 

 

Movies:

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?countries=jp&keywords=japanese-horror-film&sort=user_rating&title_type=feature