Aokigahara: the Sea of Trees

Aokigahara is a forest in Japan on the slopes of Mount Fuji. It is one of the most popular suicide locations in Japan. About 100 bodies are found per year. Many people see the forest as haunted by evil spirits or simply as a place of evil. The following piece explores the mental journey of a man who has decided to end his own life in this forest. It starts with a slow and hollow sounding theme to represent the forest until new material is introduced signifying the man going into the forest. He goes three times over the course of the piece and each visit leaves him with a more warped perception of the forest that is so beautiful in and of itself. The piece ends with a return to the forest theme and finally a short theme in the flute that has been revisited three times throughout the piece which signifies the mystery of this tragically beautiful place.