This article is based on a visit made on Friday, 11 May 2018.
Edit 9 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited Lake Sai as part of a tour of the Fuji Five Lakes. Our next stop was Aokigahara (青木ヶ原, lit. 'field of blue trees'), or Jukai (樹海, lit. 'sea of trees'), a giant forest formed over lava flows from one of Mount Fuji's past eruptions. Our starting point for dipping our toes in this "sea of trees" was the Yacho-no-Mori Park (野鳥の森公園,
Yachō no Mori Kōen, lit. 'Bird Forest Park').
The main building of the park is a free visitor's centre, containing models (taxidermies?) of birds and other critters from around the area. There is also a photo gallery containing many varied shots of Mt. Fuji. My favourite was the "Diamond Fuji", where the sun shines just behind the mountain's peak, giving its tip a gemlike gleam.
This is an example of what a Diamond Fuji picture looks like. Bonus points if you can get the mountain reflected in one of the lakes, such as this shot taken across Kawaguchi-ko.
Behind that building is a wide clearing, a public park space where a couple of class trips were congregating. Trails into the forest begin on the far side of this open space, away from where I am looking in this shot. Fun Fact: The mountains to the north of the area, as seen above, are over 16 million years old, whereas Mt. Fuji itself is only half a million years old.
Aokigahara is a vast forest, covering 30-35km² (12-14mi²). There are some trails scattered about, as well as a few roads that cut through it, but I doubt they do more than scratch the surface of this forest. We walked only a short way in, Chris and I going slightly further than my grandmother, at least to get a feel for the area. And what a feel it was.
The surface of the forest is covered by hardened lava rocks deposited by eruptions from Mount Fuji, especially the one from AD 864-868, which also divided lakes Sai, Shoji, and Motosu from each other. In my opinion, these shots fail to capture the unique aesthetics of this place. Partly of how green it is, from the combination of densely-packed trees and patches of moss atop the lava rocks, and partly of the solitude of the place. Even for how little our party ventured into the forest itself, the noise of the groups in the neighbouring park seemed to have gotten swallowed up before they could reach us. Scientifically speaking, I've read that the porous lava rocks have properties which absorb sounds, dampening the effects of echoes and such.
Between all the rocks, the tree trunks, and the sinkholes that form from lingering gas pockets, Aokigahara can be a treacherous place to walk through. On top of that, the sheer density of trees makes surroundings appear to blend in to one anther, and it's even possible for compasses to get scrambled when you lay them directly onto the lava rocks. (They will read correctly if you hold them up in the air.) If you are going to hike through there, do yourself a huge favour, and stick only to clear, well-worn paths. I guarantee that you will still get the full Aokigahara experience without the risk of getting lost.
Sadly, some people go into the forest with the intent never to come back out again. Aokigahara is Japan's most popular location for committing suicide, and in a country where suicide is a major social issue, that's saying something. The forest's reputation as a suicide spot was spiked by its depiction in the novel
Tower of Waves (波の塔,
Nami no Tō), written in 1960 by
Seicho Matsumoto (松本 清張,
Matsumoto Seichō, 1909-1992), although it had apparently been used for that purpose long beforehand as well. Officials have stopped publishing death statistics in recent years, in the hopes of staving off its reputation, but it was somewhere in the hundreds per year earlier in the decade (2010s). Throughout the forest, you may encounter signs like the one pictured above, which says (translated):
"Life is a precious gift from your parents. Think about your parents, siblings, and children. Please do not worry alone, and talk to us first."
The sign above also includes the phone number for a local suicide crisis hotline, (+81) 0555-22-0110. I assume its service is only available in Japanese, but there are many similar toll-free services set up worldwide. For the USA, there is the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (+1) 1-800-273-8255; for the UK and Ireland, there is
Samaritans, (+44) 116-123; for Australia, there is
Lifeline, (+61) 13-11-14; and failing that, you can always call the emergency services number of your country.
And now for something completely different. As an added bonus, Chris took us to one of the caves that have formed in the area. The three largest ones are the Bat Cave, the Wind Cave, and the Ice Cave, and all three have a degree of tourist development about them. But instead, we went to a smaller one, the Dragon Shrine Cave (龍宮洞穴,
Ryūgū Dōketsu).
Seemingly, there's not much to the Dragon Cave. You just walk down a staircase -- carefully -- until you reach this little shrine at the bottom. On the plus side, you don't have to pay to get in, unless you wish to make a donation along with your prayer.
Despite how shallow the cave appears, it gets cool enough that a few icicles have formed on the back walls. Some of the other, deeper caves I mentioned before maintain consistent air temperatures at or below freezing, so that people have stored ice in there year-round, even in summer.
Chris and I went down ourselves, while my grandmother stayed behind to film us. That was a good call; I myself had to take care not to slip on the stairs, so I certainly wouldn't want her to have to deal with that. Since we were once again the only ones there, I could appreciate the aesthetic of the place even more, which likely wouldn't have been the case at any of the bigger caves nearby. However, this wouldn't be the case for our next -- and my most-anticipated -- stop, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Saiko Yacho-no-Mori Park
Hours: Closed on Tuesdays and 29 December to 3 January.
Costs: Free.
Address: 2068 Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0334
Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line
(G) bus to Saiko Yacho-no-Mori Park (#69 / "西湖野鳥の森公園", 45 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥830).
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Dragon Cave
Hours: Open 24 hours.
Costs: Free.
Address: Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0332
Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line bus to Ryugu-Doketsu / Lava Cave Entrance (#72 / "竜宮洞穴入口", 50 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥830). Facing the direction the bus was headed, take the next right off the road, then when the side road ends and you reach a pair of signs, turn right again.
The main building of the park is a free visitor's centre, containing models (taxidermies?) of birds and other critters from around the area. There is also a photo gallery containing many varied shots of Mt. Fuji. My favourite was the "Diamond Fuji", where the sun shines just behind the mountain's peak, giving its tip a gemlike gleam.
