For a long time, a person has been attracted by mysterious phenomena and events, the reasons for which he cannot explain. Most often they occur in the so-called anomalous zones, of which there are many on planet Earth. One of them is the Aokigahara forest located in Japan. It has several intimidating names:
- Dzyukai (suicide forest);
- wooden sea;
- the forest of death.
The forest thicket, like a magnet, attracts people who have decided to commit suicide. The Japanese know many legends and myths associated with this eerie place.
From the history of the forest
Aokigahara Forest is located at the foot of Mount Fuji. During one of the volcanic eruptions, the northern slope escaped a lava flow. Over the years, a dense forest of conifers appeared there. The soil on which it grew is a very hard volcanic rock. The forest is located in a lowland, and its thickets are so dense that, getting there, a person seems to plunge into absolute silence, which, according to eyewitnesses, first evokes a feeling of peace, and then evokes disturbing and even obsessive thoughts. The traveler's consciousness cannot get rid of the sensation that someone invisible is following him.
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It is easy to get lost in Aokigahara, as in this place underground deposits of iron ore are located, incapacitating the compass needle, and cellular communication is impeded by the Fujiyama massif. There are no animals in the forest, but throughout its territory there are many mountain falls and unexplored caves.
Secrets of the thicket …
Despite the fact that the forest is a national park and excursions are constantly conducted in its vicinity, this place is considered deadly for a lone traveler. According to legend, the thickets are full of ghosts, called yurei in Japan. Being in a depressed state and being subject to thoughts of suicide, a person generates negative psycho-energy, which ghosts feed on. By pulling the poor fellow into the depths of the thicket, they are able to change consciousness so that the thought of suicide becomes a reality for him.
Anyone who has been to Aokigahara was struck by the fact that the trees there grow as a dense wall. There is a belief that, peering into the bark of a tree, you can see on it the face of a deceased person, whose soul wanders restlessly in the thick of the forest. And there are many such souls here, because this forest is a favorite place for suicides.
Spooky finds
At the entrance to it, tourists can see a sign on which it says that life is the main value of a person, a gift from his parents, and there is no need to rush to part with it. There is a path in the forest, which is allowed only for specialists in the study of this anomalous zone. The entire area of Aokigahara is marked with colored ribbons tied to trees to make it easier for those who are lost to find their way back. From the middle of the twentieth century, the authorities began to organize search groups to rescue the lost. But quite often, search engines instead of living people find the corpses of suicides: the number of such finds ranges from fifty to one hundred per year. For the most part, these are poor people who hanged themselves in trees or poisoned, whose personal belongings are scattered around.
Lumberjacks also often find the dead and take them to a specific location. There is a legend among the Japanese that the spirit of "yurei" infiltrates the body of a suicide, and the corpse screams at night, wandering in search of the living. According to psychologists, there are several possible reasons that may serve as reasons for committing a suicide ritual.
Death call
In the traditional culture of the Land of the Rising Sun, the attitude towards suicide has always been somewhat different than in Europe. Not only was it not considered a sin or an act of despair, but on the contrary, in some cases it was a debt of honor: it was not for nothing that the custom of hara-kiri was widespread here in the Middle Ages. Traces of such an attitude towards this act have survived to this day. The Japanese writer S. Matsumoto in the middle of the twentieth century wrote the book "Black Sea of Trees" about the suicide of two lovers, in which he romanticized the act of suicide. Another Japanese author, W. Tsurumi, published a bestselling book entitled The Complete Guide to Suicide in 1993. This book was found next to many of the dead in the Aokigahara Forest. In it, he seems to be the ideal place to settle accounts with life.
Influence of cinema
The practice of suicide was not exclusive to samurai. Among the common people, he appeared in the difficult times of the Middle Ages: families of the poor got rid of old people and newborns whom they could not feed, leaving the unfortunate to die in the forest or in the mountains. Many examples of Japanese cinematography are devoted to this topic, the most famous of which is the film "The Legend of Narayama".
Influence of society
In modern conditions of developed capitalism, a person is forced to constantly fight for a "place in the sun". Sometimes such a struggle takes on a very tough, and even cruel form, and not everyone is able to withstand it. Falling into despair from the collapse of life plans, a person is pushed by society to the idea of his own uselessness, from where it is a stone's throw to suicide.
Suicide or starving to death?
But not all those killed in Aokigahara Forest die of their own accord. Often, once in it, people lose their orientation and die of exhaustion, not finding a way back. Some of them become prisoners of forest caves and rock falls.
Fighting suicide
Most people in Japan these days are firmly convinced that if others have a chance to prevent even one suicide and save someone's life, it should be used. To this end, the Japanese society is taking a number of measures:
- at the entrance to the forest, signs are installed with an appeal to desperate people to calm down and change their minds, and a telephone number for psychological assistance;
- video surveillance cameras are everywhere; the image from which is transmitted to the rescue service specialists who are on duty nearby;
- shops in the area are prohibited from selling means that can be used for suicide: ropes, straight razors, certain types of medicines;
- organized regular patrols of the area by teams of volunteers in order to detect people who are about to take the fatal step;
- Psychological assistance is being promoted through the media.
In view of the above, a person should remember that life circumstances can always change, and not necessarily for the worse. Therefore, because of unfulfilled plans, material collapse or the seeming betrayal of loved ones, it is not worth rushing to step into oblivion. The great Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky is right for all time: life is beautiful and amazing!