日本富士山腳下每年發現百具屍體
At the foot of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain peak in Japan, sprawls a 30 square kilometer forest called Aokigahara.
在日本最高的山峯富士山腳下，有着30平方公里的青木原森林。
More commonly referred to as the Sea of Trees, Aokigahara is a forest of unbridled beauty and serenity. Upon entering the region, one must wade through a thicket of trees, slipping over the knotted roots and rocks, to access amazing vantage points to view Mount Fuji and explore hidden icy caverns.
青木原森林是數目的海洋，有着無與倫比的美麗和平靜。一到這篇區域，你需要在樹木中間穿梭徘徊，經過盤繞的樹根和岩石，才能到達觀賞富士山景點的最好位置，探險隱蔽的冰冷洞穴。
In the forest, one is also completely shrouded in darkness – save for the sporadic stream of sunlight from gaps in the treetops – and experiences an overwhelming silence, pressing in from all sides. As such, it’s a perfect place for solitude and reflection and correspondingly, is the perfect place to die. At least according to the 100 people who commit suicide here every year.
在森林裏，周圍絕對漆黑一片。除了樹的頂端會有星星點點的陽光從縫隙射入，周圍是死一般的沉寂，四周都十分壓抑。因此這是與世隔絕反思的絕好地方，當然也是自殺的好地方。據稱每年至少有100人會在該森林選擇自殺。
Aokigahara has always been dogged with morbid myths and legends. It is widely believed that the Japanese custom of ubasute, where an elderly relative is left to die in a remote location, was widely practiced in the forest. Aside from tales of ubasute, rumors of demons and hauntings in the forest are also pervasive. The more recent tag of the ‘Suicide Forest’ began to dog the region after tourists began to encounter decomposing bodies in Aokigahara in the 1950’s. Since the early 1970’s, a small army of police, volunteers and journalists annually scour the area in search of bodies.
青木原森林充滿了詭異的祕密和傳說。日本一個廣爲人知的風俗是將年長的親戚拋棄在遠方（多半是森林），任其自生自滅。除去關於該風俗的故事之外，森林裏有魔鬼和鬼怪的傳言也極其逼真。這個“自殺森林”的名號始自1950年，當時遊客首次在青木原森林發現被肢解的屍體，“自殺森林”也成爲了該處的象徵。自20世紀70年代早期以來，一小隊警察、志願者和記者每年都會進入該地區尋找屍體。
It is believed that the penchant for suicide in the area stems from the 1960 novel, ‘Wave of Trees’ by Seicho Matsumoto, in which the protagonists commit suicide in Aokigahara forest. The death rate has shown a significant annual increase, reaching a peak in 2004 when 108 people committed suicide in the forest. The sight of hanging bodies in the forest is common, as is the sight of animals feeding on yet undiscovered corpses.
人們普遍認爲偏愛在此處自殺源於日本作家松本清張1960年的小說《樹的波浪》，書中的男主角最後在青木原森林自殺。當地自殺率每年呈增長趨勢，在2004年達到了高峯，108個人在森林中自殺。在森林裏看到上吊的屍體，動物在未被發現的屍身上進食都不足爲奇。
Currently, Aokigahara is considered the second most popular suicide location in the world, losing out only to the Golden Gate Bridge. Authorities have placed signs emblazoned with warnings, “Please reconsider” and “Think carefully about your children, your family”, at the entrance of the forest.
目前青木原森林被看成是世界第二大自殺率最高的地方，僅次於舊金山的金門大橋。政府當局目前已在入口處貼出了醒目的警告：“請三思” 和 “考慮考慮你的孩子們，你的家庭” 。
In 2010, 247 people attempted suicide in the forest, though only 54 were successful. A disquieting reminder of the forest troubled history are the scattered personal belongings found throughout the forest from previous suicides. Moss covered shoes, photographs, briefcases, notes and ripped clothing have all been discovered strewn across the forest floor.
2010年有247人在森林試圖自殺，只有54個成功。先前自殺者的私人物品遍佈整個森林，成了令人不安的歷史證據。佈滿苔蘚的鞋、照片、箱子、筆記本和腐爛的衣服在森林裏隨處可見。
