Aokigahara
Aokigahara, known as the Sea of Trees, sprawls across the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji on Japan’s Honshu Island, flourishing over miles of hardened lava left behind by the volcano’s last major eruption in 864 CE. Aokigahara is the rare kind of forest that makes you slow down — not just to admire its beauty, but to listen to the quiet stories it’s been keeping for over a thousand years.
Getting to the Forest
It isn’t easy and the highway system in Japan will charge you for the privilege with multiple tolls on the roads. When we turned off at our exit and headed toward the forest, the eeriness began. It was dark, grey and and the fog crept in just above the lake. Snow started to fall, in fact it wasn’t even snow it was somewhere between snow and hail and it came down slowly in the form of small round pebbles similar to styrofoam pellets.
You can get lost here quicker than you think — and when you do, the forest wastes no time turning from enchanting to unsettling. It’s thick and lush, with only narrow shafts of light slipping through the canopy. Step off the path, and within moments, every direction looks the same, as if the forest itself has closed in behind you.
Three of the caves are open to the public to explore: the Bat Cave, Ice Cave and Wind Cave. All 3 caves are located in Aokigahara, a forest growing on top of a layer of lava that was the result of a major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864 –the same eruption that formed the caves.
Additional Sources
Documentary on the forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FDSdg09df8&rco=1
Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara
Movies on the forest:
Aokigahara is a place where folklore lingers in the air—where tragedy, pain, and suffering seep into the soil. Yet, somehow, it’s also a place of staggering beauty. Sunlight filters through the twisted canopy, dancing on moss-covered roots, and for a moment you forget the stories… until you feel it. That prickle at the back of your neck. The hush that seems to hold its breath. It’s an experience that’s both mesmerizing and unsettling, and one I’d urge you to witness for yourself.
