I came across Aokigahara on Tumblr. Yeah, I know Tumblr is an online outlet for teenage hipsters posting images of couples kissing in front of a sunset with sayings like “just because we’re young doesn’t mean it can’t last forever” or “when he kisses me slowly #thelittlethingsinlife”. Gynosome finds inspiration in the strangest of places though, and the micro blogging platform is just one of them.

 

So, on Tumblr a re-blogged image of Aokigahara informed me that it was the second most popular suicide destination in the world, after the Golden Gate Bridge. Just from one image and a small piece of text it was immediately obvious what a haunting and intriguing place this was.

 

Also known as ‘The Sea of Trees’, coined by author Seicho Matsumoto, Aokigahara is a 35 km forest that lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks. The forest floor is made up of volcanic rock, with trees jutting at all angles due to the previous eruption of the volcano. This area is not a practical suicide destination, with no obvious heights or ease of access- suicides here must be meticulously planned. However this forest is incredibly beautiful, which suggests that those who do end their lives here do so because it is an outstanding last sight.

 

In 2003 105 bodies were found, exceeding the record of 78 in 2002. In 2004 108 people killed themselves and in 2010 247 people attempted suicide, but only 54 succeeded due to the increase in forest wardens, dedicating their time to saving peoples lives. Since then the government has put a stop to releasing the death count within the forest in order to step away from the association with suicide- but it is no secret that suicide rates are ever increasing in Japan. In 2014 the suicide rates of the country were listed as 60% higher than the global average according to The Japan Times. A record number of bankruptcies and rising unemployment are often blamed as the main causes; the importance laid on reputation and success is potentially killing the Japanese.

 

It is a wonder, though, why so many choose to commit suicide within Mount Fuji’s woodlands. The amount of people committing suicide at some points of the year are around one a day, according to Baggaley, a freelance photographer that spent a month alone in the forest. What is it about the forest that draws in so many lives but doesn’t allow them to leave?

 

The rate of the suicides is said to increase during March, the end of the fiscal year in Japan and as of 2011 the most common means of suicide in the forest were hanging and drug overdoses. Baggaley, who is known for photographing dispiriting sites, believes that Aokigahara is a D.I.Y death scene for many reasons; “I guess when anything gets popular in this way its going to catch on, it is a beautiful place, and a spiritual place (being near Mount Fuji). I can’t really say what brings so many people here but I can think of worse places to see as your last sight. What is interesting is that a lot of people coming here would have to travel quite a long way to get here, which gets rid of any kind of spontaneity in the suicide”.

 

Mount Fuji is believed to be the most spiritual of all locations in Japan, so perhaps the location rather than the surrounding is what creates an emotional connection between people and Aokigahara. However another contributor to the appeal could be the best selling ‘Complete Manual of Suicide’, in which the Sea of Trees is listed as “the perfect place to die”. Last year the manual sold more than 1.2 million copies, it cannot be proven but surely this book acts as influence?

 

There is a novel, Kuroi Jakai, which translates as ‘Sea of Trees’, written by Seichō Matsumoto in 1960. In the book two lovers commit suicide amongst the forest, and many blame Matsumoto’s work for the rate of suicides in Aokigahara. I’ve looked everywhere to buy the novel, but have found no English translations, so it’s hard to know exactly how the forest is portrayed. Perhaps the romanticising of suicide within the bewitching woodland is a large contributor to the vast amounts of lives ended amongst the volcanic land of Suicide Forest.

 

The history of deaths amongst the forest predates Kuroi Jakai, luckily for Seichö Matsumoto. In the times of ancient Japan, families would abandon their old, infirm, very young or mentally ill relatives during periods of financial instability, this practise is known as Ubasute and is said to still occur today. Japanese culture, amongst Western countries, can be regarded as cold and withdrawn, especially when it comes to family. This practise seems quite barbaric to me, it is definitely one that I could not ever imagine myself doing; however it is appreciated amongst Japanese folklore where it forms the basis of many legends, poems and koans.

 

The Japanese’s approach to death alone is quite intriguing; rather than seek help or admit mental or financial suffering, many choose to ensconce to somewhere discrete and end their lives. After spending a month within the forest and amongst natives Baggaley concluded that, within Japanese culture, suicide “is seen less as a cowardly way out and a more noble thing to do if you can’t earn enough money to support your family, or if you have become a burden on your family”. It is an approach that is quite spine chilling to western culture, however Eastern civilization find it commonplace.

 

If individuals have grown with the understanding that this is how to live your life; who is to tell them they are wrong? Today there are plenty of wardens guarding Aokigahara and police carry out random body searches on visitors to prevent suicides - but who’s right is it to save an unwanted life? Those that choose to kill themselves within the forest have planned and determined their course, if they want to die amongst the hauntingly serene nature of Japan, why should they have to wake up in a hospital because a warden caught them before the deed was done? It’s a completely selfless and honourable job to guard the lives of those in the forest, but it’s a wonder if the wardens are employed to protect the people or the reputation of Aokigahara. It’s not just despairing natives that venture into Aokigahara, many journalists and photographers visit the awe-inspiring landscape. Baggaley was already interested in “dark tourism”, having previously documented life in Chernobyl, and hoped it could add to his series looking into the visitation of areas where deaths or traumatic events have happened; “I think really I was hoping it would make a good story, and to raise awareness of this fascinating yet dark place, and the issues of cultural attitudes towards Suicide in Japan”.

 

Unsure whether it’s down to the knowledge of the goings on within Suicide Forest or the historic association with bodies leaving their souls to haunt the location, the Bournemouth- based photographer found that it had a large sense of morbidity and described it as “huge, beautiful and sad”. The photographer traveled alone, “I traveled to the forest with a large format camera, a big heavy camera that forces you to think very hard about every photo you take. I thought it was important to be alone so that I could focus entirely on the project and my surroundings”. 

 

I can admit that the thought of terminating your life amongst the roots of the trees; the density of which is so strong that the forest is recognised for being eerily quiet, or perhaps to some peacefully silent, is quite copacetic. What can be said for sure is that the relationship between Aokigahara and humanity is incredible; many choose to be with ones they love at their homes but millions of people in Japan have chosen to end their lives with just the company of the hauntingly harmonious arms of nature.

The forest doesn’t just enhance the melancholy of suicide; but just standing amongst the forest as an observer can be emotionally commanding, according to Baggaley; “it was depressing and I soon became disillusioned about my project. The thought that I was walking around looking for artifacts of others misfortune, I wondered what I would do if I found a body, and how it would make me feel”.