It is said that the Aokigahara Forest is a phoenix rising from the ash. This couldn’t be more true. The Aokigahara Forest is on the northwestern side of Japans Mt. Fuji. It was created when Mt. Fuji last erupted in 864CE. The forest has grown up through and over the hardened layer of lava.
As far back as the mountain its self, death has been associated with the Aokigahara forest. There is a legend in Japan that talks about the Ubasute or “Abandoning Elderly in the Woods”. When there were times of hardships it was said the elderly and sickly were taken to the tops of the mountain to die. In turn cutting losses/costs in times of trouble such as a famine. It is unsure if the legend is true or not but it is said this is how the Aokigahara forest and its hand with death came about. The yūrei or souls of the dead are said haunt the forest, in particular they haunt/aggravate those that come into the forest who may have negative thoughts on their mind. This in turn is the suicides the forest is most known for.
There is more to Aokigahara forest then its dark history. The forest its self is an anomaly. It’s soil depth is only about 12 cm. It sits on top of roughly 12 square miles of hardened lava rock from the eruption in 864CE. Most things don’t grow on lava fields yet here nature thrives. Hence the phoenix rising from the ash. As a new phoenix emerges from its own ash so rose the Aokigahara forest from the lava. If looking down from the mountain or flying over it is so dense that even sunlight doesn’t penetrate the forest. This is how it got its other name Jukai or “The Sea of Trees”.
Because of the pores rock the forest sits on there is virtually no sounds from the forest such as insects and animal. It is rumored there are no living creatures in the woods because of the silence. This is untrue they are just further in, away from the main paths people take. The moss covering the grown and trees it what allows/helped the forest to grown when virtually no soil is present.
