The episode systematically traces how Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees (Jukai), developed its global reputation as the Suicide Forest, arguing that this infamy is a recent cultural phenomenon rather than ancient history. This morbid status is attributed to a perfect storm of factors, starting with its impassable volcanic geography that creates an eerily silent environment and makes recovery difficult. Crucially, the forest’s use as a suicide site was amplified and cemented by modern cultural touchstones, including a best-selling 1960 tragic novel and the infamous 1993 suicide manual, which endorsed the location for its certain lethality. While the forest accounts for a small fraction of total Japanese suicides, Western media sensationalism further exaggerated the image, often ignoring significant prevention efforts and patrols that have led to a sharp statistical decline in deaths since the mid-2010s. Ultimately, the source concludes that the location is a tragic symbol shaped by literature, media, and sociology, rather than the cause of suicidal ideation itself.