The first time I ever heard of Aokigahara Jukai was during dinner with coworkers. It sounded too strange to be true.

Sadly, Aokigahara Jukai 青木ヶ原 (Aokigahara woods / “sea of trees”), aka the “suicide forest” is a real place. Some friends and I visited and found the experience somber. The forest floor is covered in moss and from what I recall there was no sound of birds. It was eerily quiet.

One thing that gets lost in the discourse about this area is that the macabre specter of suicide is not the only reason to visit this area. There are some interesting geological features such as Fugaku Wind Cave 富岳風穴 and Narusawa-hyōketsu Ice Cave (Narusawa Ice Cave 鳴沢氷穴), which abut the suicide forest. There are also amazing view of Mt. Fuji from this area.

Some may argue that even posting about this is disrespectful. I understand that. Which is why I am not posting any pictures of the area, save for this photo of Mt. Fuji that I took after we exited the forest:

Here’s a map of the area:

See more:

• Mt. Fuji from Kawaguchiko: autumn splendor
• Where to see Mt. Fuji from Tokyo’s streets 東京から富士山が見える場所