The Suicide Forest of Japan and its shocking truth!

‘Think carefully about your children, your family,’ and ‘Your life is a precious gift from your parents’.

These are the warning words you’ll get to read outside the entrance of the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, also known as the Suicide Forest globally. So, ever heard of Aokigahara Forest of Japan? If not, then let me tell you that this beautiful-looking green forest is not meant for your leisurely morning walks but rather holds an ill-fated reputation of being the world's second most popular place to commit suicide (first is the Golden Gate Bridge)! I wish it was a joke but this is the utter truth behind this gorgeous yet eerie looking forest in Japan, which is less than 2 hours away from Tokyo, the bustling capital city of the country.
Read on to know more about this doomed Suicide Forest of Japan.

Location of the forest
The Aokigahara Forest or Suicide Forest is located northwest of the mighty Mount Fuji. Spread across a huge area of about 35 sq km, the forest of Aokigahara is so thick with foliage that it is also called the ‘Sea of Trees’. Getting lost here is quite easy but coming out is nearly impossible because of the denseness of the forest.
The spooky legend associated

The forest holds a reputation of being home to yūrei, which according to Japanese mythology means ghosts of the dead. As per official records, around 105 bodies were discovered from the forest back in the year 2003 and most of them were severely decomposed or eaten by wild animals. Most of the Japanese spiritualists are of the belief that these suicides have permeated Aokigahara’s trees, which in return has given birth to paranormal activities.


Secondly, all the modern technologies and devices such as compasses and mobile phones fail here due to rich deposits of magnetic irons created by volcanic soil in the region. Compasses behave weirdly and show wrong directions while mobile phones don’t receive signals. So now you know why coming out of the forest is nearly impossible. Because nothing works inside the forest!

According to people, the bodies of the people who commit suicide must not be left alone in the jungle so forest workers bring them back and these corpses are kept in a special room of the local forest police station. It is done because people believe that it’s a bad luck for the suicide victims and their spirits cry and scream whole night and move their own bodies.

A budding hub for hikers and adventure seekers


Being naturally beautiful, the place is visited by hikers and adventure lovers in large numbers who come to witness the beauty of Mount Fuji from here. Also those who visit the forest for tourism purposes don’t come alone and also keep a plastic tape with them as a marker to avoid getting lost. They keep marking the trees with plastic ribbon or tape and loop around the trees, which helps them finding their way back. In addition to this, the forest is home to some unique trees which are more than 300 years old, another feature of the forest.

Things to keep in mind before you visit


Don’t leave the path and follow the signs always.
Don’t ever venture alone
Always carry a plastic tape or ribbon as marker
Avoid visiting during night time