The forest at the northwest base of the mountain is named Aokigahara.
Folk tales and legends tell of ghosts, demons, Yūrei and Yōkai haunting the forest, and in the 19th century, Aokigahara was one of many places poor families abandoned the very young and the very old.
Aokigahara is the world's third most popular suicide location after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge .
Since the 1950s, more than 500 people have died in the forest, mostly suicides.
Approximately 30 suicides have been counted yearly, with a high of nearly 80 bodies in 2002.
The recent increase in suicides prompted local officials to erect signs that attempt to convince individuals experiencing suicidal intent to re-think their desperate plans, and sometimes these messages have proven effective.
The numbers of suicides in the past creates an allure that has persisted across the span of decades.

Many of these hikers mark their travelled routes by leaving coloured plastic tapes behind as they pass, causing concerns from prefectural officials with regard to the forest's ecosystem.
The forest at the northwest base of the mountain is named Aokigahara. Folk tales and legends tell of ghosts, demons, Yūrei and Yōkai haunting the forest, and in the 19th century, Aokigahara was one of many places poor families abandoned the very young and the very old. Aokigahara is the world's third most popular suicide location after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge . Since the 1950s, more than 500 people have died in the forest, mostly suicides. Approximately 30 suicides have been counted yearly, with a high of nearly 80 bodies in 2002. The recent increase in suicides prompted local officials to erect signs that attempt to convince individuals experiencing suicidal intent to re-think their desperate plans, and sometimes these messages have proven effective. The numbers of suicides in the past creates an allure that has persisted across the span of decades.
Many of these hikers mark their travelled routes by leaving coloured plastic tapes behind as they pass, causing concerns from prefectural officials with regard to the forest's ecosystem.
Mount Fuji