Aokigahara, Suicide Forest
WARNING THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS IMAGES AND STORIES THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE, DISTURBING OR FRIGHTENING. PLEASE BACKSPACE OR SELECT ANOTHER SECTION IF YOU FIND DEATH OR SUICIDE DISTURBING. VIEWER DESCRETION ADVISED.
Located northwest of the majestic Mount Fuji lies Aokigahara. Aokigahara is a very large and sprawling forest (13.5 square miles) that is named the “Sea Of Trees” because of the thick growth of vegetation and the intense foliage.
Tragically, this serene place has attracted many, many unfortunate and desperate individuals who have chosen it as the last stop for their final day on this planet. They have come to Aokigahara to join the massive amounts of suicides in this forest. Aokigahara is known for having the second-highest suicide rate in the entire world. The highest being the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
In addition to its grim reputation, Aokigahara has been associated with Yūrei [Link].
Yūrei. are vengeful spirits from Japanese folklore, ghosts, filled with anger and resentment and are believed to inhabit and roam the Aokigahara forest, even today!
Every year, hundreds of people seeking to end their lives venture into Aokigahara and set up camp in tents. They spend several days if they are contemplating their decision before ending it all. Fortunately some realize that death is not the answer and are fortunate enough to reconsider, face their fears, shame or failures and continue on with their lives. Interestingly Another interesting fact is that suicide cases typically increased during the month of March, coinciding with the end of the fiscal year in Japan. Must have been a tough year?
No one actually knows the exact number of dead bodies or the Aokigahara’s suicide rates , because due to the forest’s dense vegetation it makes it very difficult to find or even discover bodies, which may remain undiscovered for years or even forever. Older estimates suggest that up to 100 people took their lives there every single year. Unfortunately, we will never know because the Japanese government has ceased releasing numbers to the public in hopes to prevent increasing suicides from occurring in the future. God forbid it became a YouTube challenge!
Another reason for Japan’s high suicide rate seems to be killing oneself has less of a stigma than in the West (USA). The practice of seppuku was a samurai’s honorable suicide. Hari -Kari dates back to Japan’s feudal era. Harakiri and seppuku mean exactly the same thing in Japanese, but, Japanese people almost never use the word “hara-kiri” and prefer the word seppuku instead While the tradition is no longer the norm, “vestiges of the seppuku culture can be seen today in the way suicide is viewed as a way of taking responsibility,”
Hari-Kari/Seppuku is a brutal self inflicted suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a sword, dagger or knife. This type of suicide was regularly but formerly practiced in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced. Or if sentenced to death. Hari Kari/Seppuku was considered an honorable way to escape the shame of failure. “The Japanese do not feel that suicide is something bad, and it becomes part of aesthetics and part of accepted behaviors’.
Today, the most popular ways that people commit suicide in Aokigahara are drug overdoses and hanging and some individuals even choose to jump from the high cliffs.
More than 100 people who were not from the area surrounding Aokigahara committed suicide there between 2013 and 2015, according to a local government report.
Countrywide, suicides totaled roughly 24,000 people in 2015 alone, .
Experts have long sought to understand why some individuals choose Aokigahara as their final destination. Three decades ago, a Japanese psychiatrist named Dr. Yoshitomo Takahashi, who interviewed several survivors of Aokigahara suicide attempts, noted a significant factor: the belief that they could end their lives discreetly and without drawing attention. Dr. Takahashi also suggested that movies and media reports may have influenced some individuals, as they sought to be in the same location as others and belong to a shared group.
Following the burst of Japan’s economic bubble, the majority of bodies discovered in Aokigahara have been those of middle-aged men. Suicides linked to economic factors witnessed a 16% increase last year, with expectations of further escalation as bankruptcy and unemployment rates reach record highs. Particularly hard-hit regions like Osaka and Hokkaido have reported suicide increases surpassing 50% in recent months.
Last heard was in 2010, when the authorities documented a minimum of 200 individuals expressing suicidal intentions in Aokigahara. However,we will never know what the most recent or even decades of attempted and successful suicides are because the Japanese government ceased publishing the death toll figures in an effort to highlight the forest’s natural splendor rather than its infamous association with death.
As they say ” Nice place to visit-but-I wouldn’t want to live there”.
YouTube Snafu
In 2017, popular YouTube personality Logan Paul uploaded a travel vlog to his channel, documenting his trip to Japan, including a visit to Aokigahara. 
Shockingly, he included footage of a deceased individual who had tragically taken their own life by hanging in the Suicide Forest. The video sparked significant public backlash, leading Paul to promptly remove it from his channel. He issued a written apology on Twitter and also released a video apology on YouTube. As a consequence of the incident, he was removed from Google Preferred, and many of his sponsors severed ties with him.
In an attempt to make amends, Logan Paul donated $1 million to Suicide Prevention Agencies. Three weeks after the controversy, he resumed uploading his daily vlogs on his channel. The ill-fated Aokigahara video, lasting 15 minutes, blended in with Paul’s usual content, intended to be part three of his “Tokyo Adventures.” It featured casual banter, jokes about Mt. Fuji and Fiji water, comedic antics, and humorous headwear.
During the vlog, Paul and his entourage stumbled upon what appeared to be a hanging body in Aokigahara. Initially making insensitive remarks, they soon realized the gravity of the situation. Paul turned the camera on himself, expressing shock and remorse. He emphasized that suicide and mental illness should never be taken lightly and acknowledged that many people struggle with their lives.
Other members of Paul’s entourage, including Andy Altig, also shared their versions of the visit to Aokigahara, titled “WE FOUND A DEAD BODY!!! .” These videos similarly contained footage depicting a person who had recently taken their own life.
Logan Paul made it clear that he did not monetize the controversial video, and the YouTube description provided information for the American Society for Suicide Prevention. Despite this, the video garnered 6.3 million views within 24 hours of its upload, further fueling the widespread controversy.
Seriously – If you or someone you know is considering or thinking about commiting suicide and live in the U.S. please DIAL 988 or click this LINK for help !
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