Sounds like such a frightening place doesn’t it? Suicide Forest, full of despair and darkness. It’s located at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan and is also known as Aokigahara. This fourteen square mile forest is so thick with trees and other natural formations that it makes it difficult to hear anything that doesn’t belong there.

If anyone wants to visit the Sea of Trees, be forewarned for it harbors an egregious reputation. It’s reported to have an association with demons and more than fifty suicides took place among the woods in 2010. Sadly, this forest is one of the top three most popular locations worldwide for suicide. Up until around 1988, nearly thirty reported suicides occurred yearly. These lost lives have not gone unnoticed. Because of their tragedies, a warning sign has been erected at the beginning of the trail pleading that anyone contemplating suicide to please consider their loved ones and to contact a suicide prevention hotline.

Why the dark history? It’s believed that an old Japanese custom referred to as ubasute was practiced there until the 1800s and that the victims of this tragic era are to blame for the hauntings. Ubasute refers to an act where an elderly relative would be taken to an isolated location and left there to perish, be it by starvation, exposure to the elements, dehydration, etc….. all for the sake of euthanasia.

This weekend a feature film has been released titled, The Forest starring Natalie Dormer and Taylor Kinney. Here’s the cinematic trailer…

Suicide is nothing to take lightly and should be treated as an extremely serious matter. The following is contact information for suicide prevention.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (website)          1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Below is a photo of the warning sign pleading that anyone contemplating suicide to please consider their loved ones and to contact a suicide prevention hotline.