Aokigahara forest

A friend and myself went to the notorious Aokigahara forest the other day; after hearing all of the unsettling stories of its haunting and grim history, I have to admit, I was a little nervous when heading there, more so from an ''unsure what we'll come across'' point, I think...(however my slight inner superstition was also ringing)

The first thing I observed upon getting out of the car was the silnece...complete silence...but not an eery silence, it felt tranquil and peaceful...It didn't let on any unsettling concern at all; we stood for a moment and admired it's awe'ing marvel before grabbing the cameras and wandering off into its "haunting" branches.


You immediately notice the free-formed landscape, it's like nothing i've seen before; a platform formed by the lava of Mt. Fuji some moons ago, now covered in vibrant plant life, making it look like a floor of green bubbles, tree's creeping through nooks and crannies, intertwining their way between one and other above your head and creating an almost light blocking coverage over the forest below. 


The place is still, very, very still; due to the wind-blocking density it seems void of visible fauna, other than the distant raspy squawks of some birds. You can just sit in complete silence and admire the flowing greenery, but without the thought of how this seemingly surreal masterpiece of nature has acquired it's haunting reputation...



Even with Aokigaharas' history in the back of my mind and still sitting amongst forest in the dwindling hours of light, it just couldn't make be believe it was in fact "haunted". Regardless of its beauty, its' grim reputation came crashing back as we left...passing a car with a flashing blue beacon on its' roof and Japanese writing down the side; I couldn't understand what the writing said, though I had a fairly good idea; my later readings confirmed it was in fact a suicide patrol vehicle, one of the few that are employed permanently to scour the forest. 

That's the reality of this place....may peace be found. 




This entry was posted on Wednesday 6 May 2015. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

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