Aokigahara Forest, Japan: The Sea of Trees

Aokigahara Forest (青木ヶ原樹海) is a vast national forest in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, located to the northwest of Mount Fuji and about 111 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. It grew on the lava that flowed from a major 9th-century eruption of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain. It is a popular tourist destination with caves such as Narusawa Ice Cave (鳴沢氷穴), Fugaku Wind Cave (富岳風穴), and Saiko Bat Cave (西湖蝙蝠穴). The forest has an observation deck and a parking lot. It covers a total area of about 30 km² (about 12 sq mi).

Aokigahara Forest is a dense, stunning forest that is also significant in Japanese mythology. It is said that forests like Aokigahara are haunted by yūrei (幽霊), meaning ghosts or spirits of the dead in Japanese folklore.

The forest has very rich and diverse flora and fauna, home to numerous mammals, birds, trees, and plants. These include the Asian black bear, red fox, small Japanese mole, Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Japanese pygmy woodpecker, wild boar, sika deer, and the Japanese forest rat snake, as well as a wide variety of herbaceous plants such as Erigeron annuus, Corydalis incisa, and many more.

Aokigahara has been featured or referenced in various films and documentaries, including Gus Van Sant's 2015 film The Sea of Trees, starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts.