Aokigahara is always the most haunted place in Japan, even though it is just a forest, but it always makes many people shiver.

Due to the influence of the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project, and its sequel produced in 2016, most people often have to think a few times when deciding. go into a forest I’m not familiar with. Narrow, winding roads, dense old trees … always make many people afraid.

Many people say that this forest always has a scary, haunting atmosphere for anyone who has ever set foot. Photo: JPvisitor.

However, for Japanese people, without watching the two movies above, they still have such a feeling of fear when they come to Aokigahara – the place known as the “suicide forest”, a place where only go, not return. Over the past 1,000 years, this 30 square kilometer forest, located at the foot of Mount Fuji, has welcomed many uninvited guests. Those are the people who have come here to end their lives. It was once considered the “ideal point” for death, according to JPvisitor.

This is where the mobile waves are difficult to communicate, the compass doesn’t work. Many people used to get lost in the woods and desperately found a way out. Therefore, people who enter the forest for sightseeing often bring paper maps. Today, many people tie ropes to trees in the forest to mark their way out.

When visiting this forest, pictures of items of the dead here also make visitors haunt. Most people who commit suicide often leave all papers related to themselves, the image of their loved ones behind so that no one can find their whereabouts.

With the above characteristics, Aokigahara is also a favorite place for ghost hunters. Many still tell each other about the spirits that appeared hidden around the trees, where they chose to end their lives.

Some people commit suicide in dissimilar ways, but the two most common methods are intentional drug overdose and hanging. Photo: The Straits Times.

In 2003, there were 105 bodies found in the forest and 2002 was considered the year with the most deaths, with 132. After that, the number of people committing suicide gradually decreased. In 2010, more than 20,000 people came to this forest, but only 54 people committed foolish actions.

For many years, the Japanese government announced the number of people committing suicide in the forest. But in recent years, they decided not to release the data because they believed that the popularity of the forest increased the number of people dying there.

In addition, with the desire to turn this haunted place into a tourist destination, the government has taken many measures to change people’s negative thoughts. Along the trails, visitors can easily see the engraved positive content message.

Some people who have been here also record hotline numbers in case someone wants to commit suicide. In the forest there is also a sign engraved with the words telling those who want to seek death to think again, but not for themselves, but for their families, parents and children.

According to many, these inscriptions are engraved to remind visitors that their lives are meaningful and precious. Initially, these words were not noticed by many people. But then, they were recognized that play an important role in helping many people change their minds at the last minute.