Sean Daniel Shortwinter Saves The World

Aokigahara Forest

WARNING:DISTURBING CONTENT

A Very Popular Place To Die....Unfortunately

I saw a very disturbing video today of a place I'd heard of, but didn't know much about. Look, I don't like this either. But some things need to be talked about.

The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular place to kill yourself in Japan, and the second most popular place to end your life in the world - the first being the Golden Gate Bridge.

The forest is a sea of trees growing on top of lava left behind after Mount Fuji's last eruption in 864 A.D.

Azusa Hayano...a real hero

The spot became popular for suicides when the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, the tale of a double lover's suicide in the Aokigahara Forest.

People now come to the forest to kill themselves at a rate of about 100 per year. In 2010, there were 247 attempted suicides in Aokigahara, with 54 being successful.

Azusa Hayano is a geologist that studies the volcanic activity of Mt. Fuji, but his life has morphed into something quite different.

Hayano spends a good deal of his time now either finding bodies of the deceased - and more importantly - talking to people that are contemplating killing themselves.

I think Mr. Hayano deserves a medal.

The 21 minute video is below...

Help is available if you want it...

There are individuals that claim the Aokigahara Forest is the 'perfect place to die' and that it's haunted with the abandoned souls of those who have ended their life there.

I don't care about that crap.

It's a lonely, sad place to die and we should be helping those that want to end their life - like Mr. Hayano.

I have a lot of Japanese visitors to this site, mainly because I turned Junko Furuta into a character in my books.

If you are having thoughts about ending your life, stop for a moment. People do care about you.

People do love you and will miss you.

Even if you feel that nothing good has ever happened to you, or that nobody cares about you...that is a feeling that we all have from time to time. That feeling will pass if you give it a bit of time.

Take a moment and talk to someone about your problems.

Heck, contact me and I'll listen to you. We all need a little help now and then, so please put those thoughts of ending your life aside for the moment and get some help.

I have lost 6 friends to suicide. Please don't be number 7.

You can contact me at sdanielshortwinter@yahoo.com or seek help from the organizations below....

Help in Japan:

Befrienders International, Tokyo
Tokyo
Contact by: Face to Face