Ghost Stories

Aokigahara Forest At the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan sits a dense forest. To those who are unfamiliar with it's reputation, Aokigahara would appear like a run-of-the-mill forest. However, venturing inside would reveal the weight it bares. Any unexpected hiker will likely find more than trees, caverns and the lack of wild animals in this forest. Personal items, such as credit cards, wallets and rail passes are often found as well as a decomposing body hanging from a tree limb. Aokigahara is the second most popular suicide location, ranking under the Golden Gate Bridge. There is an average of 50 to 100 suicides bodies found each year. Signs posted throughout the forest telling people to seek professional has saved a few lives but still lack the power to deter all suicides. Why would so many choose this forest as a place to take their own lives? There area a couple of possible reasons for the high number of suicides. Seichō Matsumoto wrote a book in 1960 called Kuroi Kaiju (Black ...

At the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan sits a dense forest. To those who are unfamiliar with it's reputation, Aokigahara would appear like a run-of-the-mill forest. However, venturing inside would reveal the weight it bares. Any unexpected hiker will likely find more than trees, caverns and wild animals in this forest. Personal items, such as credit cards, wallets and rail passes are often found as well as a decomposing body hanging from a tree limb. Aokigahara is the second most popular suicide location, ranking under the Golden Gate Bridge. There are an average of 50 to 100 suicides each year and the numbers continue to increase as time passes despite posted signs telling them to seek professional help. Why would so many choose this forest as a place to take their own lives? There area a couple of possible reasons. Seichō Matsumoto wrote a book in 1960 called Kuroi Jukai which describes the suicide of two lovers in Aokigahara, leading to romanticizing the act. Although, suicide is b...

A group of Japanese wild boar hunters searched for their prey but instead came across an unknown species of cat on Japan's Iriomote Island. The Yamapikarya is described as being 3 to 4 feet long and twice the size of the known Irimote wildcat. It's reported to have a yellow, dark yellow, or orange coat with large, black spots and a long tail. Since the first sighting, there have been at least 47 eyewitness reports, hitting its peak in the 50s and 60s. Wildcats moved deeper in to the uninhabited areas of the island. Thus, reports decreased. There are only two known species of cats on the island. Could these sightings mean there is another wandering the area?

Members of the Yeti Project Japan returned on Tuesday October 21st with supposed photographs of abominable snowman footprints. These climbers equipped with long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes found them on snow at an altitude of about 4,800 meters (15,748 feet) in the Dhaulagiri mountain range in western Nepal where they spent six weeks looking for evidence. They examined the footprints and determined they didn’t belong to any recognizable animal like bear, deer, or mountain goats. Sherpas have been reciting stories of the Yeti dating back to the 1920s. One of the most famous hunt for a Yeti was carried out by Sir Edmund Hilary. Others have reported seeing these human-like footprints in the mountains, but as of yet no one has come back with absolute proof of the creatures existence. Do you think Yeti is real?