Aokigahara Forest-Haunted Forest Where the Tormented go to Die- MUST READ

I searched for something about this on here, and found nothing. I had read about it a few years back and thought "Wow, what a horrible place". It's definitely a freaky location, I wouldn't want to go there.

The forest, which has a historic association with demons in Japanese mythology, is a popular place for suicides; in 2002, 78 bodies were found, despite numerous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions.

Due to the wind-blocking density of the trees, and an absence of wildlife, the forest is known for being eerily quiet

en.wikipedia.org...

"We've got everything here that points to us being a death spot. Perhaps we should just promote ourselves as 'Suicide City' and encourage people to come here," the exasperated mayor of Aokigahara has been quoted as saying.

www.seekjapan.jp...

Anyone have any theories as to why this is such a popular spot to kill oneself?

I'll be happy to be there during the end stage of my own life. thank you.

Originally posted by decadence
I'll be happy to be there during the end stage of my own life. thank you.

Any particular reason as to why? I know Mt. Fuji has a great history, but do you think this is the reason so many people take their lives here, because of the mountain?
Supposedly there's HIGH magnetic fields in the area and it makes compasses go haywire.

Wow, I have never heard of this place before!! Thanks for the post. This is super creepy. I would love to walk through there (during the day) I will be doing more reading on this place, very interesting. Second highest suicide spot in the world next to the Golden Gate Bridge! Crazy stuff. If you want to see some ghosts, this would definitely be the place to look. Thanks again for this interesting post!

I've read about this place quite a bit before, It actually supposedly in the top 10 most haunted locations in the entire world now as so many people have said to have taken their lives here.

In fact it's nickname is 'The Suicide Forest'

Here's a quick link explaining further...

Called "the perfect place to die," the Aokigahara forest has the unfortunate distinction as the world's second most popular place to take one's life. (The first is the Golden Gate Bridge.) Since the 1950s, Japanese businessmen have wandered in, and at least 500 of them haven't wandered out, at an increasing rate of between 10 and 30 suicides per year. Recently these numbers have increased even more, with a record 78 bodies in 2002.

Japanese spiritualists believe that the suicides committed in the forest have permeated Aokigahara's trees, generating paranormal activity and preventing many who enter from escaping the forest's depths. Complicating matters further is the common experience of compasses being rendered useless by the rich deposits of magnetic iron in the area's volcanic soil.

Due to the vastness of the forest, desperate visitors are unlikely to encounter anyone once inside the so-called "Sea of Trees," so the police have left signs reading "Your life is a precious gift from your parents," and "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" mounted on trees throughout.

Contemporary news outlets noted the recent spike in suicides in the forest, blamed more on Japan’s economic downturn than on the romantic ending of Seicho Matsumoto’s novel Kuroi Jukai, which revitalized the so-called Suicide Forest’s popularity among those determined to take their final walk. (The novel culminates in Aokigahara as the characters are driven to joint-suicide.)

(Source)

I don’t have much time to write alot about this place so I'll just post this link (above) but it's a pretty interesting place and definitely worthy of researching further.

ETA: Just to clarify, It's classed as the 3rd most haunted location in the world according to this link here.

Also some may find this interesting and or enlightening also.

Ghost encouters of the wandering dead are said to be often encountered more then just frequently as well as many ghost photos and EVP's.

A very popular myth states that the magnetic iron deposits underground cause compasses to malfunction and travelers to get lost in the forest. However this myth is largely false. Japan's Self Defence Force and the US Military regularly run training practices through portions of the forest, during which military grade lensatic compasses have been verified to function properly. Vehicles, GPS equipment, and other electronic devices function properly.

(Source- Same link as above)



[edit on 30-6-2010 by Rising Against]

this was on the wiki link that bestideayet posted. figured i would put it up. www.environmentalgraffiti.com... again, thanks. very interesting.