Random Haunting Facts About Japan's Suicide Forest (15 items)

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  (#12) The Suicide Epidemic Has a Concrete Origin

  While people had been committing suicide in Aokigahra for decades, the epidemic first started to be tracked in the 1950s. It didn't truly become a national problem until 1960, when author Seicho Matsumoto published a novel called Kuroi Kaiju (Black Sea of Trees) in 1960. The story ends with two lovers committing suicide in the forest, and a noticeable uptick in suicides was seen afterwards.Wataru Tsurumui’s controversial 1993 bestseller The Complete Suicide Manual recommended Aokigahara as the perfect place to die, and the book is often found near suicide victims and their belongings.
  
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  (#8) Spirits Called Yurei Are Said to Haunt the Forest

  In Japanese folklore, spirits known as yurei are said to haunt the forest. They usually take the form of pale women in white gowns with long, black hair. They concentrate in Aokigahara because tradition says that those who take their own lives can't join the spirits of their ancestors. 

  Yurei are still considered, even in modern times - as evidenced by the ritual of the forest worker sleeping with the corpse of a suicide, so their spirit doesn't become angry.
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  (#5) Aokigahara Has More Than Trees

  While it's famous for its impenetrable canopy of trees, Aokigahara also has a number of astounding natural features. The most prominent are its deep, icy caverns, such as Narusawa Ice Cave, and Wind Cave. Hikers can go deep underground and encounter sheets, columns, and pillars of ice - all hovering at freezing temperatures.
  
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  (#1) The Forest Is In the Shadow of Mount Fuji

  Located at the base of Mount Fuli, Aokigahara is a thick canopy of trees, with a hard floor made of compressed volcanic rock. The soil is so thick and packed together that it's virtually impossible to dig into. Combine featureless ground with thickly packed leaves, and hikers easily lose their way.

  Not only that, but iron deposits in the volcanic soil render GPS and cell phones useless. It's extremely easy to get lost in the "Sea of Trees."
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  (#10) Forest Workers Have to Take the Bodies Out

  When a body is found, the workers of Aokigahara have a solemn and complicated task to carry out. The sheer number of corpses found every year has led to a series of codified procedures and rituals, carried out every time. The workers must carry the bodies down from the forest to the local  police station, where the bodies are put in a special room used specifically to house bodies from suicides.

  The forest workers then play jan-ken-pon (rock, paper, scissors) to see who has to sleep in the room with the corpse overnight until it's picked up the next day. This is part of a ritual so that the spirit of the deceased is not left alone.
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  (#15) Aokigahara Is a Fixture of Film, Music, and Video Games

  Beyond being the setting for the upcoming thriller The Forest starring Natalie Dormer, Aokigahara has been featured in a number of other artistic works. Gus Van Sant's 2015 film Sea of Trees, with Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe, was set there, along with a number of Japanese manga, anime, and several video game levels.

  Seicho Matsumoto's 1960 novel Kuroi Jukai (Black Sea of Trees) sparked much interest in the site.  The Forest is also referenced by a number of black metal bands, including several from Japan.

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