It is estimated that over five hundred people have committed suicide in Aokigahara, known as the Sea of Trees or Suicide Forest, a thick tangled forest at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. You are permitted to hike through the forest on a marked trail, but don’t bring your cellphone, compass or GPS because the magnetic iron in the soil wreaks havoc on those devices and perhaps even the mind, some say, driving a person mad. Those who live near the forest have told of hearing the spirits of the dead screaming into the night. Or it could be the last gasps of those twitching at the end of a nylon rope.
Rum Murata entered the forest and fortunately found his way out from the deadly tangle of trees and the hanging corpses of Japanese businessmen. Rum …show more content…
I believe that they are dressed normally because they don 't want people to think or notice that they might commit suicide. So, dressed normally doesn 't attract attention. There are some people trying to stop anyone from going into the woods dressed in normal outfits, to stop them from committing suicide. So, maybe if you are dressed in hiking gear, no one will stop you so you have a better chance in committing suicide?
G&C: Do you feel that the Suicide Forest serves a purpose for those who want to find a place to commit suicide and end their life in peaceful surroundings?
RUM: Committing suicide in the forest is not an old tradition. It has only been popular for about fifty years. There was a famous Japanese writer named Seichō Matsumoto, and he wrote a story about the forest, and this triggered the trend to commit suicide in the forest. Everyone thought that dying in the forest would not be a nuisance to anyone, or will not be found out. But in reality, that is not true. It created trouble for the locals living near the forest, and many bodies are always found. Mt. Fuji is said to be a sacred mountain. It might be the Japanese instinct to die in the sacred mountain so their bodies will be purified in the afterlife. As a side note, Mt. Fuji is the Father God of the Emperor of Japan, named Amaterasu Ō-Mikami, and the Patron God of the Japanese citizen, Konohanasakuya-hime, wife of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, which …show more content…
RUM: Recently, I heard a noise in the forest. I was curious, so I peeked in the direction, and saw two old ladies being paranoid and very conscious of if anyone is around. I called the police and started to talk to the ladies. I found out that they were bad-mouthed on the internet so they wanted to die. They had a tent nearby, and in the tent there was only a framed picture of their deceased mother. This gave me the creeps.
G&C: Do you ever think you might die yourself in the
Rum Murata entered the forest and fortunately found his way out from the deadly tangle of trees and the hanging corpses of Japanese businessmen. Rum …show more content…
I believe that they are dressed normally because they don 't want people to think or notice that they might commit suicide. So, dressed normally doesn 't attract attention. There are some people trying to stop anyone from going into the woods dressed in normal outfits, to stop them from committing suicide. So, maybe if you are dressed in hiking gear, no one will stop you so you have a better chance in committing suicide?
G&C: Do you feel that the Suicide Forest serves a purpose for those who want to find a place to commit suicide and end their life in peaceful surroundings?
RUM: Committing suicide in the forest is not an old tradition. It has only been popular for about fifty years. There was a famous Japanese writer named Seichō Matsumoto, and he wrote a story about the forest, and this triggered the trend to commit suicide in the forest. Everyone thought that dying in the forest would not be a nuisance to anyone, or will not be found out. But in reality, that is not true. It created trouble for the locals living near the forest, and many bodies are always found. Mt. Fuji is said to be a sacred mountain. It might be the Japanese instinct to die in the sacred mountain so their bodies will be purified in the afterlife. As a side note, Mt. Fuji is the Father God of the Emperor of Japan, named Amaterasu Ō-Mikami, and the Patron God of the Japanese citizen, Konohanasakuya-hime, wife of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, which …show more content…
RUM: Recently, I heard a noise in the forest. I was curious, so I peeked in the direction, and saw two old ladies being paranoid and very conscious of if anyone is around. I called the police and started to talk to the ladies. I found out that they were bad-mouthed on the internet so they wanted to die. They had a tent nearby, and in the tent there was only a framed picture of their deceased mother. This gave me the creeps.
G&C: Do you ever think you might die yourself in the