日本自杀森林：富士山脚下每年发现百具尸体

来源：沪江英语


At the foot of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain peak in Japan, sprawls a 30 square kilometer forest called Aokigahara.
在日本最高的山峰富士山脚下，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.
青木原森林是数目的海洋，有着无与伦比的美丽和平静。一到这篇区域，你需要在树木中间穿梭徘徊，经过盘绕的树根和岩石，才能到达观赏富士山景点的最好位置，探险隐蔽的冰冷洞穴。
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.
在森林里，周围绝对漆黑一片。除了树的顶端会有星星点点的阳光从缝隙射入，周围是死一般的沉寂，四周都十分压抑。因此这是与世隔绝反思的绝好地方，当然也是自杀的好地方。据称每年至少有100人会在该森林选择自杀。
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.
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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.
青木原森林充满了诡异的秘密和传说。日本一个广为人知的风俗是将年长的亲戚抛弃在远方（多半是森林），任其自生自灭。除去关于该风俗的故事之外，森林里有魔鬼和鬼怪的传言也极其逼真。这个“自杀森林”的名号始自1950年，当时游客首次在青木原森林发现被肢解的尸体，“自杀森林”也成为了该处的象征。自20世纪70年代早期以来，一小队警察、志愿者和记者每年都会进入该地区寻找尸体。


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.
人们普遍认为偏爱在此处自杀源于日本作家松本清张1960年的小说《树的波浪》，书中的男主角最后在青木原森林自杀。当地自杀率每年呈增长趋势，在2004年达到了高峰，108个人在森林中自杀。在森林里看到上吊的尸体，动物在未被发现的尸身上进食都不足为奇。
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杀率最高的地方，仅次于旧金山的金门大桥。政府当局目前已在入口处贴出了醒目的警告：“请三思” 和 “考虑考虑你的孩子们，你的家庭” 。
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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人在森林试图自杀，只有54个成功。先前自杀者的私人物品遍布整个森林，成了令人不安的历史证据。布满苔藓的鞋、照片、箱子、笔记本和腐烂的衣服在森林里随处可见。
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