Tragedy Tourism: Aokigahara
Over the Halloween weekend, I went to the movie theater for the first time since I’ve returned from Tokyo. Crimson Peak, the new del Toro “horror” movie was actually more of a period drama more than anything, which I would like if I intended to see a period drama. Even so, I did enjoy the costumes and my date was interesting enough that I could always look over to him whenever the screen started to bore me. However this post isn’t about that movie as much as it is about one of the trailers that came before it.
There was this trailer for a new horror film starring Natalie Dormer called “The Forest.” Ok, I really like her in Game of Thrones. It’s about her trying to find her twin, when she feels like something is wrong with her “twinometer.” Creepy twins… it’s a little cliche but otherwise inoffensive. Then it shows her going to Japan to find her sister and she recruits a rugged American guide to help her traverse the spooky Aokigahara suicide forest. This is when I knew this movie would not only be terri-bad, but it would just bug the hell out of me on a personal level.
If there is one thing I don’t trust Hollywood to get right, it’s Japan, or any Asian culture for that matter. On top of having Japanese actors, whose sole role is to ominously warn dumb white people about the dumb shit they are about to do, the ghost aren’t even interesting. They are just scarecrow people as far as I can tell, which is annoying because Japan has a super rich mythology of various ghosts and demons that are just really fucking cool. You can watch the trailer right here and sigh along with me.
So I could go on and on about how Hollywood sucks. I really really could. Like forever. However the setting, Aokigahara, is the main reason this trailer remained relevant with me for more than the 5 minutes it took to watch it. If you google this particular forest, which lies at the base of Mt.Fuji, you will get tons of results detailing the popular suicide spot. People have known about this forest for as long as it has been around, but I noticed it first getting a lot of attention in the western world following a video from Vice that was published in 2012.
While the video definitely has moments where morbid curiosity seems to be the driving force, it also heavily focuses on the “why.” It follows a man who goes out to the forest to try and dissuade people who are on the edge and buckling under societal pressure. Japan is well known for it’s high suicide rate compared to other similarly developed countries. It’s a real issue that remains to be even marginally solved, and this video is poignant window into that society.
Unfortunately, the morbid curiosity part is one the strongest of human conditions. In years since the Vice video was published I’ve met quite a few people who know very little about Japan or Japanese culture, but somehow are not only aware of what once was relatively obscure trivia, but very eager to see it for themselves. In low level Japanese courses, the students who would always barrage the teacher with questions about Ninjas, Samurai, and if they had seen the latest episode of “Pure White Lover: Bizarre Jelly 5” (and none of the middle-aged Japanese women, A.K.A the only kind of Japanese teacher in this universe, has seen it. If you were curious) would also start asking questions like “Do you know about the suicide forest?” or “Have you ever been there?”
It’s never been a secret that a large portion of people who take Japanese language courses lack certain social graces (It gets much better at higher levels, when people start learning that it’s gonna take years of hard work and dedication to learn the language, and copying anime won’t get you too far) but this was a little uncouth, even from people that I didn’t expect very much from. Seeing the professors awkwardly try and change the subject was hard. In a country, where in 2014 an average of 70 people committed suicide everyday, I imagine that almost everyone has lost someone close to them; a friend, a parent, a spouse, or a child. But from a an ocean away, it becomes this crazy factoid.
It’s not just weebs in JPN 101. Outdoorsy Dude-bros, Fashion-conscious bloggers and tons of my friends, who I like and are cool, have this forest on their bucket list as well. I think there is a definitely a connection with the readership of VICE and the fascination behind these types of places. I personally like VICE most of the time. VICE based music articles have turned me on to some of my favorite bands throughout the years, and I would have never found that radical green curry ramen near my place in Tokyo without reading an article on the restaurant. VICE is appealing because they have a reputation for reporting on things that are
- Cool
- Underground (relatively)
- Something you can be a part of
It’s food you can try, it’s shows you can go to, it’s places you can see and they are all off the beaten path of what most people know… or at least that’s the image. So why should this creepy forest with a cool spooky history be received any differently, by the people who are excited to have these experiences. It wouldn’t and I think this is largely a part of why Aokigahara has gotten the exposure it has lately.
Honestly, I also had a fascination with the forest and it’s history when I first heard about it. I have a big interest in the paranormal and ghost stories and this seemed to be right up my alley. Japan + Ghosts + Hiking = Wolfgang. Luckily when people start to like the things I like, I start to reconsider why I like them. Part of that is simply that I am a filthy VICE reading hipster contrarian, but I also think having other people there who have the same interest as you provides a good reflection to look upon to figure out why you yourself decided to like said thing. So when other people were like “Aokigahara bruh, lets go!” it allows to reflect upon my inner douchebag in a way I never could alone.
I am going to close this post with a visual aid of how this all feels to me.
This is Rihanna at the beach. It seems a little silly (and I laughed for like a full 2 minutes when I first saw it), but everyone wants a picture of that celebrity. They want to be a part of it.
Now imagine that instead of Rihanna these people are all walking around taking cell phone photos in the place where 50-100 people take their lives every year. A place where people who have lost all hope and the will to continue living in a society that they don’t feel values them. It’s a little distasteful if you put in that perspective. Let Rihanna have a beach day, and don’t ask rando Japanese people about where to find the coolest suicide spot. It’s just common sense.
Happy Post-Halloween ya’ll