The Suicide Forest at Aokigahara on Mt Fuji

At the foot of Mt. Fjui lies the suicide forest named Aokigahara or Sea of Trees as it is sometimes known, it is a notorious place where people who wary of life can exhale their last breath. Frighteningly a large number of people travel there making the foot of Fuji their final resting place. This popular spot is filled with strange masses of moss and volcanic rock, it is the world's second most popular suicide location after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Since the 1950s, more than 500 people have lost their lives inside the forrest. In 2002, 78 bodies were found within it, replacing the previous record of 73 in 1998. By May of 2006, at least 16 new suicides had been reported and more than a few of them were carrying Wataru Tsurumi's bestselling book The Complete Manual of Suicide, who quotes "The perfect place to die." In the depths of the forest warning signs are nailed to trees reading "Please reconsider" and "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" The locals can always tell the difference between who is planning a nature walk and those who are on a macabre journey to death.

Jyukai, The Sea of Trees Behind Mt. Fuji was made about the forest, by director Takinoto Tomoyuki. The film was based on four people who commited suicide at the forest. During production the director reported he found a wallet that had 170,000 yen ($3,760).  

Legends surround the land, one being that underground iron deposits can cause compasses to go haywire, trapping innocents along with the purposely suicidal. Spiritualits say that the trees are filled with malevolent energy built up from centuries of suicides. Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan, for the unsettled ghosts of Japan howl in the winds. Bodies have been found in various states of decomposition, usually hanging from trees or partically eaten by animals.

It is a place filled with the supernatural calling to the living, hopelessly ending their melancholy lives… it is believed to be very bad luck if the corpse is left along, for the "yurei" (ghost) of the suicide will scream throughout the night, and the body will move itself on its own.

"Aokigahara", Wikipedia. January 19, 2010.

Hawkins, Craig. "Aokigahara", MP Most Paranormal: Information & Resource. February 28, 2009.

"Aokigahara Suicide Forest", Atlas Obscura: A Compendium of the World's Wonder, Curiosities and Esoterica. 

The Haunted Stanley Hotel

I have always longed to stay in room 217 of the haunted Stanley Hotel, best known as an inspiration for the "Overlook Hotel" in Stephen King's novel The Shining. The 138-room Georgian hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was built by Freelan O. Stanley of the Stanley Steamer. The Stanley has hosted many guests over the years but still holds several permanent guests, the supernatural kind that is!

Many believe this famous hotel is haunted, having reports of a number of cases. Freelan Stanley has been spotted in the lobby and his favorite room, the Billiard Room. Sounds of discordant grand piano notes can be heard from the Music Room, said to be played by Stanley's wife, Flora. Guests also have reported seeing a man standing over their beds then disappearing in the cupboard, how about waking up to that? There has been claimed that an apparition is responsible for stealing jewelry, watches and luggage that have gone missing. And children can be heard during the night and some have claimed to have seen a red ball moving up and down the hallway, like it was being passed between two curious children playing. Room 418 features odd noises and impressions on the bed when no one was in the room, that would terrify me, but a part of me has always wished to see a true form, much like the ghoul shadow people from Ghost.

On the second floor, Stephen King supposedly even witnessed an apparition of a young child calling out to his nanny. Many guests request room 217, in which King stayed in. Some of the more interesting sections of the hotel are stairs to the bell tower, in which voices are heard yet no one is allowed up there. Also be sure to check out the underground tunnels beneath the hotel, where tree trunks rise out of the cement foundation, and where an apparition of a little girl can repeatedly be heard playing.

Believing in the paranormal and the unseen, I often get inspired by true hauntings or dark tales such as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark illustrated by the fabulous Stephen Gammell. Combing found objects often leads to a story in itself and hoarding single pieces eventually find companions.

A new arrival this week is named after the Haunted Stanley Hotel, the necklace features brass chain met with three mysterious pieces. A flat round metal piece possibly from an industrial pipe features an engraved Fluor 920, almost reminds me of a number plate on a hotel room door. An antique skeleton key hangs from knotted chain, this key is actually a twin of two, said to be two identical security guard keys, I purchased from this old spanish man at the local flea market. Hanging from the clasp features a small relic from the Fairmount Ave flea market that surrounds the haunted Eastern State Penitentiary, a dark shielded relic for such a dark place of penitence.

These things are interesting phenomenon, one could never know without a true personal experience. Do you believe in the paranormal or have ever had a haunting experience? We'd love to hear your story!

Gothic: Dark Glamour

The current exhibition Gothic: Dark Glamour at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, is a dedication to the strange history of the macabre and dark gloom of the gothic style. Over the years, the term gothic has been known to have negative connotations and symbol for the dark, mourning and the mischievous. The imagery of this new exhibit touches on the imagery of death and decay, and the erotic macabre that has often attracted many designers.

There are several collections of the exhibit that take you through different genres of dark glamour. The first is Night, it explores the symbolism of black. It has long been associated with death, evil, mystery and the Prince of Darkness.

The second is the Cabinet of Curiosities, which refers to wonder rooms or memory theaters of the Renaissance, a little world filled with collections such as natural history, religious reliquaries and art objects. One of my favorites is the human skull, it was often treasured as a memento mori, as a reminder that you must die.

This pig skin tattooed top hat, created by Justin Smith can be seen, as well as this Bat Belt Buckle made of gunmetal with paste lent from the Collection of Mark Walsh Leslie Chin.

The Strange Beauty collection is characterized by bizzare shapes and odd sources of imagery, such as this Rodarte evening dress inspired by Japanese horror movies. The designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte experimented with red dye and fabrics to resemble blood in water.

Other parts include the Bat Cave, Mourning inspired fashions, the Haunted Palace inspired by the architectural metaphor of the disturbed mind that recalls Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." You can also see medieval inspired fashions in the Ruined Castle collection and corsetry, veiling and masking fashions surrounded by a graveyard fence in the Cemetery collection.

Gothic: Dark Glamour is on view through February 21, 2009. Additional programming includes the Goth Talk panel, a Gothic: Dark Glamor talk and booksigning as well as screenings of Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd and Corpse Bride.