Aokigahara - sea of trees

S U I C I D E      F O R E S TI've been wanting to tell you about our trip to the Aokigahara forest, but then I've been busy with work and when we travelled to Kyoto I must have totally forgot about it. But, here it comes... We had been planning the trip to Aokigahara Forest for quite some time. Even before we went to Japan. I've heard of the forest, but mostly about the tragedies that happened here. The Aokigahara Forest that lays by the foot of mt. Fuji, is sadly know as the suicide forest. The reason is not hard to understand – except for the Golden Gate bridge, this forest is the most "popular" place in the world for suicides. They found around a hundred bodies here every year. So, why did we even want to go here?  Well, I can't deny that I've been a bit morbidly fascinated with this place, but not just because of the sad deaths. The forest is not like any forests I've seen before. It is so dense, and just by reading ofpeople's experiences of it, I felt I needed to go. To see for myself I suppose. Some people say that the forest really "spoke" to them, as in calling out for them, making them feel sad.(more text below the pictures) We went to the forest early one morning, leaving from Tokyo by bus. It tooks us approximately two hours to get there and along our way we could see mt. Fuji far away in the distance. Getting closer, I really enjoyed the view of the forest which is gigantic. There is a reason why they call it the "sea of trees". It's supposed to look like a green sea from above. When we finally arrived to the nearest station we had to buy tickets for a shuttle bus to take us to the actual forest. After about a 30 minutes bus ride, we were finally there. I watched a documentry before where they film a parking lot. The man in the video shows a abandoned car in the parking area, he thinks that the driver most probably entered Aokigahara forest, never to return. The moment I entered the forest the air instantly changed. It was something heavy in the air, something..mysterious. We walked on a pathway, following arrows. I was so amazed about the density of the forest, it is quite beautiful actually. Even though that day was so warm (about 25 degrees), the air inside the forest felt cold and chilly. Because of the density the sky can almost not be spotted from inside the forest. People who have entered the Aokigahara Forest says that you should never leave the path. If you do, you will never find your way back. And this is so true because when I walked just a few metres outside the pathway, everything looked identical. There is no way to know what direction you came from. After a while of walking on the path we saw a "no entry"-sign. Aparently – if you follow the road or path from a sign like that, you will most probably find something.. And by something I don't meananything pleasent. But, we were on a mission, of sorts. Actually I've decided to write an article about the forest, so I felt I had to follow the "no entry"-sign. But not for long, I got to scared to be honest, and I heard someone coming on the normal trail. We spent the whole day in the forest which was a very different experience. Before we came I was sure all the "hokus pokus" were just made up, people trying to scare. But I am honest when I saythat the Aokigahara forest definitely were different. It was a beautiful forest, but it also felt so sad, cold and lifeless, eventhough it was totally green and dense(more text below the pictures) We actually did found something, just before we left the forest. But I don't want to tell you here. I am going to write a proper article about this forest in our next number of our travel magazine Red Llama.Until then, remember. Be kind to others and if you ever feel lonely, seek help. There is always someone who listens and can help you. <3 xoxox