English Version
Irei no Mori is the site associated with a tragic aviation accident in which a passenger aircraft and a Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet collided in midair and both crashed. The passenger plane broke apart in the sky, and all passengers and crew on board were killed.
This is not a place to visit out of curiosity or for a thrill. It is a memorial for people who died in a sudden and devastating accident.
Visitors can climb the stairs up through the forest. Near the upper area, there is a stone monument inscribed as the “Forest of Memorial Monuments.” Some people say that as you continue upward, the atmosphere begins to feel different, though this should be understood as a personal impression rather than a confirmed phenomenon.
Farther up, the path opens into a plaza where the memorial comes into view. Taking photos or treating the area like a haunted attraction is widely considered disrespectful to the dead. Because so many people lost their lives here in tragic circumstances, Irei no Mori should only be approached with quiet respect.
Location: Nishianiwa, Shizukuishi, Iwate District, Iwate 020-0572, Japan.
If you visit, do so only to pay respects. Stay on marked paths, follow local rules, avoid disturbing the site, and never treat the memorial as a place for pranks, dares, or casual ghost hunting.
Japanese Language
旅客機と航空自衛隊の戦闘機が空中で衝突し両機とも墜落した事件の発生場所。旅客機は空中分解して乗客と乗員全員が死亡した。遊び半分では絶対に行ってはいけない場所。慰霊の森は階段を使って登ることができ、頂上付近まで行くと『慰霊碑の森』と刻まれた石碑がある。次第に空気が変わってくるのを感じることができると言われている。さらに登ると広場があり慰霊碑が目に入る。写真を撮るなどの行為は死者を冒涜する行為。無念の事故で亡くなった人が大勢いることからも遊び半分で行くような場所ではない。
〒020-0572 岩手県岩手郡雫石町西安庭第 ４７地割
