DOCSLIB.ORG

Japan's Suicide Forest

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Japan's Suicide Forest Cold Open: An alarming number of Japanese citizens have taken a dark pilgrimage to the Aokigahara (“Ah-oakee-gah-hara”) forest, more commonly known as Japan’s suicide forest, to end their lives, most commonly by hanging themselves from tree branches followed by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. An untold number have wandered in and have never wandered out. Beginning in the 1960s, between approximately ten and thirty people each year spent their last living moments in this forest at the base of Mt. Fuji. And the number of annual suicides has greatly increased recently. In 2003, 105 bodies were discovered. Comprehensive data on lives lost in the forest doesn’t seem to have been released since 2003, which is not a good sign. Why here? Why is a small patch of serene forest the second most popular suicide destination in the world, thought to trail only the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco? More than 1,500 people have jumped off that bridge and died since construction was completed in 1937. So many that the government has decided to build the world’s most expensive safety net. A stainless steel net, located about 20 feet below the bridge’s sidewalk, will span 1.7 miles of roadway on each side of the bridge and extend twenty feet out over the water. It’s gonna take four years to construct and will cost just over $200 million. It should be finished by 2021. And while that net will certainly make it a Hell of a lot harder for people to throw themselves off that bridge, how do you stop people from taking their lives in a thirty-square kilometer patch of forest? You can’t put a net under every tree. We’re gonna break down Japan’s suicide dilemma, both within the suicide forest and without - it has one of the highest suicide rates of any country in the world, and look into all sorts of explanations, including some terrifying Japanese paranormal legends, today, on Timesuck . PAUSE TIMESUCK INTRO I. Welcome! A. Happy Monday Timesuckers! Or Tuesday, Friday, last Monday for you time travelers, or whenever you’re happening to be letting the Suck knowledge slap your hearing biscuits. I’m the Man Some Call the Suckmaster, the man my mom calls Daniel Boone, the man a lot of Starbucks baristas call “Don”, so apparently I need to speak up and enunciate, because I’m Dan Cummins, and YOU are listening to Timesuck. Welcome to the Cult of the Curious. Hail Nimrod! In the Suck Dungeon again today, regarding this one early because the Reverend Doctor Josh Krell is on vacation this coming Monday. His whooping it up at Disneyland and possibly crying and shaking on the Pirate’s of the Caribbean ride because, it can pretty dark in there and there’s a lot of spooky voices and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you’re four years old. If you’re Josh, then, plenty to be ashamed of for doing that so hopefully that’s not the case! B. Open House: Another open house reminder. And, just to be clear, this is just a visiting hours situation. Just a chance for anyone who wants to come by and say hi and see how the whole thing works to be able to do so. May 29th, 3-7PM, in the Sandlewood Business Center, where we have a cool, hidden Suck Dungeon inside an unassuming, beige office complex where you might find an orthodontist, quilting catalog distributor, or storage closets packed with unsold ALF laser discs. We’ll have snacks. Some catered stuff from what I understand. We’ll have drinks. We’ll probably even have the dogs. So pop over and, put some sights to the sounds, and meet some fellow Timesuckers and Space lizards. 2215 E Sherman Ave. Suite 109. Coeur D’Alene, ID 83814. Address in the episode description. C. Memorial Day sale! A Memorial Day sale has started! It started the second this episode was released. Or, if this episode was released a few minutes early - it starts at Noon. And it lasts through Memorial Day. Sale is 25% off everything in the store, use the discount code HEROES at checkout! And Space Lizards - listen to last Thursday’s episode for your 30% off code which cannot be combined with your existing discount. Doing a big blow out to sale to make room for some new merch which will be hitting the store in waves this summer. When the following items are sold out, they’re gone! 1. We will not be restocking the first generation original logo shirt. 2. We will not be restocking the second generation 100% imported unicorn scrotum black flat earth / lizard illuminati shirt. 3. We will not be restocking the Third Generation 213% imported Koala Anus Yah-Mo Timesuck Bojangles, Michael Motherfucking McDonald, and James Ingram shirt. 4. We will not be restocking the 4th generation 311% pure domestic bald eagle head feather Timesuck logo shirt. 5. AND - we will not be restocking the red, Danger Brain Hail Nimrod shirt. 6. AND - lastly, when the current hats are gone, they are GONE. We will be getting new products in waves throughout the rest of the year. Several different products are in various stages of design and production including a new hat. Lynze is working hard with Danger Brain to make sure the new products are top quality - damn you Lucifina for making us all wait so long for what we want. Takes a minute to make good shit. So, if you’re bummed we don’t have new stuff as soon as you’d like, just know we are working on it all the time. Again, 25% off using the discount code HEROES at checkout. Sale starts Monday, May 21st, that’s today, at Noon PST, that’s now. Sale ends Memorial Day, Monday the 28th, at Midnight PST. Hail Nimrod! D. Space Newt bit by a dog! Shout out to Timesucker and Space Lizard Cody Osuna and his son Bohannon! Little Bohannon, only one year old who listens to this show and the Secret Suck with his father, got bit by a dog recently and needed 6 stitches to his cheek and four stitches across his tongue. He’s doing fine but the little dude misses his binky! Can’t suck the bink, can’t take a puff of that baby cig with stitches in his tongue. Bojangles sends positive healing energy your way young Space Newt! You shall heal at ten times normal speed now young anunnaki! Heal well! Praise Bojangles! Email Lynze your address Cody and we’ll get you a little care package. [email protected] Alright - some tour dates and then we’re off! I promise. E. Tour: May 31st - June 3rd - the Flat Earth Tour continues at the Tempe Improv with special guest Gareth Reynolds from the Dollop Podcast. Excited! June 8th and 9th I’ll be bring my flat earth mockery to the Drafthouse in Washington, DC - tickets are ON SALE! http:// drafthousecomedy.com/event.cfm?id=507358& June 15-16th I’ll be at the Funny Bone in Des Moines, Iowa - two nights only! Tickets on sale there as well. July 15th doing my next live Timesuck podcast in Orlando at the Orlando Improv AND several standup shows July 12-14. http:// www.theimprovorlando.com/ComedyClub/866e4def-e0ba-4722- b140-f1b2b8ab8940/Calendar/orlando I’ll be at The Comedy Store in La Jolla the following week, July 20-22nd. And then I’ll be in Dayton, July 27-28th, at the Funny Bone. More tour dates at www.dancummins.tv. Tampa, Palm Beach, Chicago, Sunnyvale, Portland, Tacoma, Columbus, your mom’s panic room, Grand Rapids, your dad’s crawlspace and more coming up in 2018! F. Now, let’s dig into the darkness, and find out what the Hell is going on in Japan’s suicide forest. PAUSE INTERLUDE II. Suicide Disclaimer: Quick note about today’s episode. I’ll be making jokes during an episode on suicide, but suicide is not a fucking joke. Anyone listening to this, thinking of self harm, please reconsider. Don’t stay quiet if you’re having thoughts darker than anything Lucifina could put in your head. Reach out to someone, genuinely seek help. Think about those you’d be leaving behind. Hit pause, reevaluate the potential of your life and how you could change. Think you’ve fucked up too bad, made too many mistakes? Volunteer at youth or homeless centers - teach others to not make the mistakes you’ve made. Talk to someone who can provide a different point of view. Just hold on a little longer and reach out. Call the suicide helpline at Suicide Prevention Hotline dot org 1-800-273-8255. No sponsor - just me not wanting to lose a listener! Just don’t want to lost a listener to Nimrod’s butthole. You remember that’s where you end up, right? No ballsack for you buddy. Nimrod won’t let you in his heavenly scrote if you end it all. But for real, if you know someone listening who is struggling with suicidal thoughts, who has attempted suicide, or even if you someone who has died from self harm and you need to talk to someone who understands the pain your in, hit those digits. Save yourself. Save a friend. Unless you know, for sure, that your friend is like, a serial killer. Then, maybe don’t try to talk them off the ledge. Maybe then, by saving a murderer, you’re getting other people killed.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Special Article 1
    Special Article 1 By Rene Duignan Author Rene Duignan Introduction week nights and weekends for two years. People laughed at the tiny In a war on suicide, who is the enemy? scale of our project but gave us an interview anyway. After a year doing 96 interviews and a year editing 100 hours of footage the Despite having one of the highest living standards and the longest movie was almost complete, but I collapsed from exhaustion. I life expectancy in the world, Japan has tragically lost over 450,000 remember the peace I felt while in a hospital bed on a drip. I used lives to suicide in the last 15 years. Attempted suicides could be 10 this precious time to make the final movie edits in my head as I knew times that figure, according to the World Health Organization. From each scene by heart. 1995 to 2009, a decline in suicide was achieved in most OECD I am not naive enough to believe that with this uncomfortable topic countries but the rate increased by 40% in Japan (Chart). In the we could ever make it onto Japanese TV, so we work at the international context, Japan’s suicide rate is double that of the United grassroots level. We made DVDs and have started to do screenings, States, three times that of Thailand, six times higher than Greece and and the audience reactions have been incredible. One audience 12 times larger than the Philippines. member told me that the movie was like an answer to his prayers. I felt compelled to make a documentary on how Japan could Many people have shared personal stories of suicide loss with me reduce suicide but many people warned me this was a foolish idea, after seeing the movie.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Fuji Viewed Over in the Foothills of Aokigahara-Jukai Forest Mount Fuji
    Series NATIONAL PARKS Mount Fuji viewed over In the Foothills of Aokigahara-Jukai Forest Mount Fuji With its beautiful and varied natural landscapes Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park dominated in all areas by Mount Fuji, the Fuji- Hakone-Izu National Park makes for a spectacu- lar pleasure trip all year round. KENTARO SANO uji-Hakone-Izu National Park is a national park that straddles Tokyo, Kanagawa Pre- fecture, Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture. This national park consists of fourF areas: the Mount Fuji area, which is centered on Mount Fuji, which was designated as a World Heri- tage site in 2013 and includes lakes, ponds and high- lands; the Hakone area, which originated as a post station along the Tokaido road and has long been known as a hot spring area; the Izu Peninsula area featuring the Amagi Mountain Range and richly var- ied coastlines and hot spring resorts closely associ- ated with literature and intellectuals, including The Dancing Girl of Izu by Yasunari Kawabata, a Nobel laureate; and the Izu Islands area that is made up of volcanic islands on the sea, including islands with volcanoes that are still active. According to a sur- vey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment, of about 5.5 million foreign visitors to national Oshino-Hakkai spring parks around the country in 2016, more than Video by Satoshi Tanaka 30 | highlighting japan Series Oshino-Hakkai is half, or 2,577,000 a spring sourced people, visited from riverbed Fuji-Hakone-Izu water from Mount National Park. Fuji. It features It can be said pure water that that the symbol was sourced as a of Fuji-Hakone- result of Mount Izu National Park Fuji’s snow water is Mount Fuji, being filtered which is located The hot spring resort of Hakone Yumoto through under- to the north of ground lava for the entire park and is the highest mountain in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • E Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration”
    Fujisan World Heritage e sacred place e official and source of guidebook artistic inspiration Connecting the world heritage component assets Fujisan World Heritage Association for Preservation & Utilization, Yamanashi Secretarial Office : Fujisan World Heritage Division, Resident Affairs Department, Yamanashi Prefectural Government Tel : +81-55-223-1316 Fax : +81-55-223-1781 E-mail : [email protected] Date of Issue : 1 January,2018 Translated by : Mt.Fuji Yamanashi Guide-Interpreters Association(FYGIA) Fujisan World Heritage Association for Preservation & Utilization, Yamanashi Creation 1. Creation e erce mountain and source of scenic beauty Fujisan, A Great Road to Worship source of scenic beauty 1The fierce mountain and At registration of Fujisan as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, “Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes) ”, that are distributed in an arc at the foot, were included in the list of its component assets. Let’s travel back to the time of foundation of Fujisan. You may feel ineffable emotions to the magnificent scale of nature at Fujisan, which was miraculously born as the fire and water mountain. ■Referred Component assets Lake Saiko, Lake Shojiko and Lake Motosuko ……………………………………………………………………………………………2 Worship from afar 2. Worship from afar Beginning of the worship of the worship 2Beginning In the ancient times that Fujisan was not easily accessible like present days. How people confronted with Fujisan and offered their prayers? If you travel around the ancient sacred places of Fujisan, you will find the figure of Fujisan in deep psychology of the Japanese for nature veneration and mountain worship. Kawaguchi Asama-jinja Shrine, Lake Kawaguchiko ■Referred Component assets and Omuro Sengen-jinja Shrine ……………………………………………………………………………………………9 Fuji-ko 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Fuji, Symbol of Japan
    Discovering Japan 2014 no.13 Special Feature Mount Fuji, Symbol of Japan niponica is published in Japanese and six other languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Special Feature French, Russian and Spanish), to introduce the world to the people and culture of Japan today. The title niponica is derived from “Nip- pon,” the Japanese word for Japan. no.13 Mount Fuji, contents Symbol of Japan Special Feature Mount Fuji, Symbol of Japan 04 Mount Fuji: One of the World’s Treasures 08 Reverence for Mount Fuji No. 13 12 October 31, 2014 Mount Fuji and Surrounding Area Published by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 14 An Eco-tour to a Mysterious Kasumigaseki 2-2-1, Forest on Mount Fuji Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8919, Japan http://www.mofa.go.jp/ 18 Fuji—Here, There, and Everywhere Cover photo: Mount Fuji, offset with cherry blossoms 24 (Photo courtesy of Aflo) Soak in a Hot Spring while Admiring Mount Fuji 26 Tasty Japan: Time to Eat! Wasabi 28 Souvenirs of Japan Mount Fuji Sweets Mount Fuji, so tall, so beautiful. And for many centuries, revered as a sacred place, as well as a source of artistic inspiration. These qualities were recognized in 2013 when UNESCO inscribed Fuji on its World Heritage List as “Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration.” The following pages take you closer to this symbol of Japan. Above: A work of art made in 1838, entitled Fujisan Shinzu (“A Lifelike Illustration Depicting Places on Mount Fuji”), showing points of interest in relief form. Made by gluing sheets of paper together.
    [Show full text]
  • How Places Creep Us out Francis T. Mcandrew D
    Geography & Architecture of Horror 1 The Geography and Architecture of Horror: How Places Creep Us Out Francis T. McAndrew Department of Psychology Knox College CONTACT INFORMATION: Francis T, McAndrew Department of Psychology Knox College Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-309-341-7525 Website: www.frankmcandrew.com Geography & Architecture of Horror 2 Abstract It is the goal of this paper to apply what psychologists and other social scientists have learned about human emotional responses to physical surroundings to an understanding of why some types of settings and some combinations of sensory information can induce a sense of dread in humans. The hoped-for contribution is to bring empirical evidence from psychological research to bear on the experience of horror, and to explain why the tried-and-true horror devices intuitively employed by writers and filmmakers work so well. Research has demonstrated that human beings have been programmed by evolution to respond emotionally to their physical surroundings, and natural selection has favored individuals who gravitated toward environments containing the “right” physical and psychological features. Places that contain a bad mix of these features induce unpleasant feelings of dread and fear, and therefore have become important ingredients of the settings for horror fiction and films. This article applies McAndrew and Koehnke’s (2016) theory of creepiness to the study of classic horror settings and explores the role played by architecture, isolation, association with
    [Show full text]
  • Japan's Suicide Forest
    15 Eerie Things About Japan's Suicide Forest Northwest of the majestic Mount Fuji is the sprawling 13.5 square miles of Aokigahara, a forest so thick with foliage that it's known as the Sea of Trees. But it's the Japanese landmark's horrific history that made the woods a fitting location for the spooky horror film The Forest. Untold visitors have chosen this place, notoriously called The Suicide Forest, as the setting for their final moments, walking in with no intention of ever walking back out. Here are a few of the terrible truths and scary stories that forged Aokigahara's morbid reputation. 1. AOKIGAHARA IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SUICIDE DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD. Statistics on Aokigahara's suicide rates vary, in part because the forest is so lush that some corpses can go undiscovered for years or might be forever lost. However, some estimates claim as many as 100 people a year have successfully killed themselves there. 2. JAPAN HAS A LONG TRADITION OF SUICIDE. Self-inflicted death doesn't carry the same stigma in this nation as it does in others. Seppuku—a samurai's ritual suicide thought to be honorable—dates back to Japan's feudal era. And while the practice is no longer the norm, it has left a mark. "Vestiges of the seppuku culture can be seen today in the way suicide is viewed as a way of taking responsibility," said Yoshinori Cho, author of Why do People Commit Suicide? and director of the psychiatry department at Teikyo University in Kawasaki, Kanagawa.
    [Show full text]
  • KIRSTEN CATHER Department of Asian Studies University of Texas at Austin 120 Inner Campus Dr
    Updated as of 9/24/18 KIRSTEN CATHER Department of Asian Studies University of Texas at Austin 120 Inner Campus Dr. STOP G9300 Austin, TX 78712-1251 [email protected] ACADEMIC DEGREES May 2004 Ph.D. in Modern Japanese Literature with a Designated Emphasis in Film Studies, Department of East Asian Languages, University of California, Berkeley, CA. December 1998 M.A. in Modern Japanese Literature, University of California, Berkeley, CA. May 1991 B.A. in Japanese (cum laude), Connecticut College, New London, CT; Study Abroad at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan (1989 –1990). PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS 2012–present Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UT Austin, Austin, TX. 2005–2012 Assistant Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UT Austin, Austin, TX. AWARDS AND HONORS Spring 2019 College Research Fellowship, UT Austin. 2012 – 2018 Fellow, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Chair in Japanese Studies ($5,000), UT Austin. Spring 2014 College Research Fellowship, UT Austin. 2012 – 2015 Humanities Research Award (3 year, $15,000 total), UT Austin. Spring 2010 Faculty Fellow, Humanities Institute, UT Austin. Spring 2008 Dean’s Fellow, UT Austin. Summer 2007 Summer Research Assignment, UT Austin. PUBLICATIONS MONOGRAPHS July 2012 The Art of Censorship in Postwar Japan. University of Hawai`i Press, Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. 336 pages. In Preparation Scripting Suicide in Modern Japan. 1 PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES Submitted “Noting Suicide with a Vague Sense of Anxiety.” 13,177 words. Journal of Asian Studies. Submitted: May 2018. Submitted Co-authored with Liam Grealy and Catherine Driscoll (University of Sydney). “Regulating Minority Before and After Occupation: A History of Japanese Film Classification.” Japan Forum.
    [Show full text]
  • Aokigahara ,Also Known As the Sea of Trees Is a 35 Km2 Forest That Lies at the North West Base of Mount Fuji in Japam Is on the Honshu Island
    Introduction:Introduction: Aokigahara ,also known as the Sea of Trees is a 35 km2 forest that lies at the north west base of Mount Fuji in Japam is on the Honshu Island. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations. The forest, which has a historic association with demons in Japonese mythologi, is a popular place for suicides; in 2002, 78 bodies were found, despite numerous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions. Due to the wind-blocking density of the trees, and an absence of wildlife, the forest is known for being eerily quiet. The forest floor consists primarily of volcanic rock and is difficult to penetrate with hand tools such as picks or shovels. There are also a variety of unofficial trails that are used semi-regularly for the annual "body hunt" done by local volunteers, who mark their search areas with plastic tape. The plastic tape is never removed, so a great deal of it litters the first kilometer of the forest, past the designated trails leading to tourist attractions such as the Ice Cave and Wind Cave. After the first kilometer into Aokigahara towards Mount Fuji, the forest is in a much more "pristine" condition, with little to no litter and few obvious signs of human contact. AOKIGAHARAAOKIGAHARA Xoel Pampín Picallo Daniel Núñez Martínez Javier Rodríguez Llorca Arnaldo González Baña 2ºA The forest is a popular place of suicides, reportedly the world's second most popular suicide location after San Francisco Golden Grate Birge.
    [Show full text]
  • Geographies of Suicide and the Representation of Self-Sacrifice in Japanese Popular Culture and Media
    Megan Rose O'Kane 40082809 Geographies of Suicide and the Representation of Self-Sacrifice in Japanese Popular Culture and Media 27/04/16 Word Count: 13,142 1 This dissertation has been submitted towards the degree of BSc Honours in Geography at Queen's University Belfast. I certify that all material in this dissertation is my own, except where explicitly identified. 2 Abstract Japan's suicide rate is the highest in the developed world. Despite being a nation famous for its economic prosperity, Japan has a multitude of issues relating to social development. Patrick Smith (1997) writes about 'the samurai who carries a briefcase', a visual metaphor which effectively conveys the cultural schizophrenia plaguing the mentalities of modern Japanese society. The convergence of deep- rooted traditional Japanese philosophies with the modern capitalist mindset has resulted in a very unique and convoluted moral code among the contemporary Japanese population. Unlike Western society, suicide carries no social stigma and at times is even celebrated; a mindset inherited from generations of honourable self- sacrifice instilled by the samurai code. This research paper explores two famous pieces of Japanese popular media, and assesses the ways in which representations of suicide are produced and consumed. By focussing on the identification of geographies of suicide, spatially and temporally specific Japanese social maladies, and the sensationalisation of suicide in the media, this paper provides a comprehensive insight into the social realities reflected in these fictional works. 3 Acknowledgements I could not have completed my dissertation without the emotional support from my family and friends. I would like to single out my mother for all her proof-reading and constant support, I cannot thank her enough.
    [Show full text]
  • Youtube: Theater for Gen Z's Hyperreality
    Bard College Bard Digital Commons Senior Projects Spring 2020 Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects Spring 2020 Youtube: Theater for Gen Z’s Hyperreality Marina E. Laprade Bard College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2020 Part of the Visual Studies Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Laprade, Marina E., "Youtube: Theater for Gen Z’s Hyperreality" (2020). Senior Projects Spring 2020. 161. https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2020/161 This Open Access work is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been provided to you by Bard College's Stevenson Library with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this work in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Youtube: Theater for Gen Z’s Hyperreality Senior Project Submitted to The Division of the Art of Bard College by Marina Laprade Annandale-on-Hudson, New York May 2020 2 Acknowledgements Thank you to Susan and to everyone else who supported me while writing this. Thank you Cayce Pollard and your jetlagged mirror world. 3 Table of Contents Introduction Thesis……………………………………………………………………………………………...4 Context The Vlogging Influencer………………………………………………………………..
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Road to Fujisan
    List of Component parts and Constituent elements World Heritage Site Fujisan 1 Fujisan Mountain Area 9 “Oshi” Lodging House 1. Nature of Fujisan ANCIENT ROAD 1-1 Mountaintop worship sites (former House of the Togawa Family) Fujisan, a symbol of Japan was registered as a World Heritage Fujisan of Four-story structure Birth of the Fuji Five Lakes and huge amount of Aokigahara lava from the subsequent big Jogan Site in June 2013. Fujisan, which has been worshipped as an object 1-2 Omiya-Murayama Ascending Route 10 “Oshi” Lodging House “Aokigahara Jukai” Forest (present Fujinomiya Ascending Route) (House of the Osano Family) Fujisan is considered to be a stratovolcano built up of 4 dierent eruption in 864 owed into Lake Senomumi at the northwestern TO FUJISAN of religious faith by the people of Japan since ancient times and volcanoes. e three lakes of Motosuko, Shojiko and Saiko are considered foot of Fujisan to bury most part of the lake, which resulted in 11 Lake Yamanakako gave birth to numerous artworks, is composed of 25 component 1-3 Suyama Ascending Route (present Gotenba Ascending Route) 12 Lake Kawaguchiko Chronologically, rst the Sen-Komitake volcano emerged on the to have been once a huge lake surrounding the northern side of making Lake Saiko and Lake Shojiko appear in the remained area. — Mt. Fuji Worship and “Fuji-ko” parts and constituent elements such as the mountain area in which northern side of the present Fujisan. en, the Komitake volcano Fujisan called Lake Ko-Senoumi long ago as the water levels of Taka-marubi lava ow that is said to have subsequently owed out including ascending routes, and Sengen-jinja shrines and lakes at 1-4 Subashiri Ascending Route 13 Oshino Hakkai springs (Deguchiike Pond) (Fuji pilgrimage association) — 1-5 Yoshida Ascending Route 14 Oshino Hakkai springs (Okamaike Pond) overlapped with it.
    [Show full text]
  • Read an Excerpt
    Ghillinnein Books 3 Copyright © 2014 by Jeremy Bates FIRST EDITION The right of Jeremy Bates to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Acts 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written consent of the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. ISBN: 978-0-9937646-2-2 The novels in the World’s Scariest Places series are set in real locations. The following is a Wikipedia “Suicide Forest” excerpt: Aokigahara (青木ヶ原), also known as the Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees (樹海 Jukai), is a 35-square-kilometre (14 sq mi) forest that lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations. Due to the wind- blocking density of the trees and an absence of nearly all wildlife, the forest is known for being exceptionally quiet. The forest has a historic association with demons in Japanese mythology and is a popular place for suicides despite numer- ous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions. 5 Forest is real. The Japanese call it Aokigahara Jukai (Ah-oh-kee-gah-hah-rah Ju-kii), which means “Sea of Trees.” Each year local authorities remove from it more than one hundred bodies, most found hanging from tree branches and in various states of decay.
    [Show full text]