Aokigahara (青木ヶ原^?), also known as the Sea of Trees (樹海, Jukai^?), is a 35-square-kilometre (14 sq mi) forest that lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations. Due to the wind-blocking density of the trees and an absence of wildlife, the forest is known for being quiet.^[1]
The forest has a historic association with demons in Japanese mythology and is a popular place for suicides; 54 committed the act in 2010,^[2] despite numerous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions

Geography

The forest floor consists primarily of volcanic rock and is difficult to penetrate with hand tools such as picks or shovels. There are also a variety of unofficial trails that are used semi-regularly for the annual "body hunt" done by local volunteers. In recent years, hikers and tourists trekking through Aokigahara have begun to use plastic tape to mark their paths so as to avoid getting lost.^[4] Though officials try to remove the tape time and time again, tourists and thrill-seekers inevitably leave more and more litter, and a great deal of it lies scattered throughout the first kilometer of the forest, past the designated trails leading to tourist attractions such as the Ice Cave and Wind Cave. After the first kilometer into Aokigahara towards Mount Fuji, the forest is in a more "pristine" condition, with little to no litter and few obvious signs of human presence

Visitors and suicides

The forest is a popular place for suicides, reportedly the most popular in Japan and second in the world after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.^[5][6] Statistics vary. In the period leading up to 1988, about 100 suicides occurred there every year.^[7]
In 2002, 78 bodies were found within the forest, exceeding the previous record of 74 in 1998.^[1][8] In 2003, the rate climbed to 100, and in recent years, the local government has stopped publicizing the numbers in an attempt to downplay Aokigahara's association with suicide.^[9] In 2004, 108 people killed themselves in the forest. In 2010, 247 people attempted suicide in the forest, 54 of whom completed the act.^[2] Suicides are said to increase during March, the end of the fiscal year in Japan.^[10] As of 2011, the most popular means of suicide in the forest were hanging and drug overdoses.^[11]
The high rate of suicide has led officials to place signs in the forest, in Japanese and English, urging those who have gone there to commit suicide to seek help and not kill themselves. The annual body search, consisting of a small army of police, volunteers, and attendant journalists, began in 1970.^[12][13][14]
The site's popularity has been attributed to the 1960 novel Nami no Tō (波の塔^?, lit., "Tower of Waves") by Seichō Matsumoto,^[15] which ends with two lovers committing suicide in the forest. However, the history of suicide in Aokigahara predates the novel's publication, and the place has long been associated with death: ubasute may have been practiced there into the 19th century, and the forest is reputedly haunted by the Yūrei (angry spirits) of those left to die.^[9]
In 2008, members of the American television programme Destination Truth visited and investigated Aokigahara.



In Bahasa Indonesia

Aokigahara merupakan sebuah kawasan hutan di kaki gunung Fuji yang juga dikenali sebagai Jukai (Sea of Trees) yang terletak di Jepun. Sekali pandang, hutan ini sangat tebal dan gelap sehinggakan jika tersesat mungkin tiada kemungkinan untuk dijumpai semula. Tapi bukan itu sahaja yang unik dan seram mengenai hutan ini



Ianya adalah hutan terkenal untuk bunuh diri.


Setiap tahun lebih kurang 100 mayat yang dijumpai kerana mati membunuh diri di hutan tersebut tapi bilangan yang tidak berjaya dijumpai mungkin lebih ramai. Dikenali sebagai tempat membunuh diri paling popular di Jepun, dan kedua di dunia selepas Golden Gate Bridge di San Francisco.

Dikatakan trend membunuh diri di hutan Aokigahara ini bermula selepas Seicho Matsumoto menulis novel bertajuk Kuroi Kaiju (Lautan Hutan Hitam) di mana dua pasangan kekasih mati membunuh diri di situ. Selain mayat, tulang dan barang peninggalan yang ditinggalkan si mati, hutan itu juga dipenuhi dengan papan tanda yang menasihati mereka yang berhasrat untuk membunuh diri supaya memikirkan semula niat mereka.

Antara yang tertulis pada papan tanda tersebut; "Hidup anda adalah sebuah hadiah yang sangat berharga daripada ibu bapa anda. Tolong fikirkan keluarga anda. Jangan simpan masalah anda, luahkannya kepada mereka yang terdekat."

Walaupun ramai yang tidak mengendahkan rayuan tersebut, namun terdapat juga yang berubah hati. Mungkin tidak begitu nekad dengan niat untuk membunuh diri, mereka akan membuat tanda dengan pita sepanjang perjalanan supaya mudah untuk mencari jalan pulang apabila berhasrat untuk terus hidup.

Dalam kebanyakan kes apabila pita tersebut dijejaki, selalunya akan terdapat kesan seseorang pernah berada di situ atau yang malangnya, menjumpai mayat yang membunuh diri.

Kadar membunuh diri di situ dikatakan meningkat pada bulan Mac, di mana ianya merupakan pengakhiran tahun fiskal bagi negara Jepun. Untuk mengurangkan nama Aokigahara sebagai jolokan tempat untuk membunuh diri, kerajaan Jepun telah berhenti mengeluarkan statistik kematian di situ.

Mungkin ini harga yang perlu dibayar bagi negara maju seperti Jepun di mana kebanyakan rakyatnya siang malam bekerja dan belajar sehingga timbul tekanan hidup yang terlampau tinggi yang akhirnya tidak dapat lagi dibendung. Akhirnya, membunuh diri menjadi punca penyelesaian terakhir.

"It takes more courage to go on living than killing yourself"