| "Aswang & Haunted Forest" | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 17 | |
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| Air date | October 1, 2008 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Ahool & Pinatubo" |
Next "Issie & Icelandic Elves" |
|
"Dubbed "the suicide woods" by locals. The forest has been referred to as a perfect place to die." |
Aswang & Haunted Forest is the eleventh episode of the second season of Destination Truth and the seventeenth episode overall. The episode investigates the hauntings of the Aokigahara Forest of Japan and the mythical Aswang . This episode aired on October 1, 2008.
Aswang[]
Aswangs are ghoulish creatures in The Philippines, and, in fact, are the most feared supernatural creatures in a nation already rich in colorful folklore. They find their way into a wide variety of myths and stories. Aswangs feed on people and stolen cadavers, leaving behind facsimiles that they create out of tree trunks and other plant materials. It is their appetite for children, however, that really gets the attention of believing locals.
The Adventure[]
The team flew 13 hours to Manila before connecting to the small island city of Kalibo. They were welcomed by the typhoon's destruction that made landfall days ago. At the tarmac of the airport, the president of The Philippines made a surprise appearance to help the typhoon vitims and the team volunteered in distributing the goods. Before making their way to the infamous tree, Josh decide to head to the local market to stock up on supplies before embarking in the journey. On the way to the remote village, their first stop is to speak to an anthropologist to learn more about the Aswang's behavior and apperance.
The typhoons destruction now makes the road impassable so Josh takes the long way around by passing a river with a raft. Upon getting to the other side of the river, they hired motorcycles to drive the rest of the journey to the remote village. At the outskirts of the village they interviewed numerous eyewitnesses about the sightings. One of the witnesses directed Josh to a local medicine woman to aquire great strength before facing the Aswang, Feeling prepared, Josh now heads to the tree and the adjacent church to start the investigation. For dinner, the team tries a local delicacy, the Balot.
The Investigation[]
The team schooled out infrared and night vision cameras around their nearby base camp in hopes of seeing the Aswang in its physical form. At their first sweep, Josh and Ryder heads to the chuch. On their way the team starts hearing distinct ticking sounds. At the tree, Josh notices that a lot of frogs started coming out of the
Josh at base camp.
ground. Puzzled about the frogs, Josh decided to go near the village. Josh spotted a heat signiture on the Flir but it dissappeared too quickly for them to check it out. Jarrod keeps hearing the ticking sound so Josh decided to go with them. At the river, the team spotted a big heat signiture that is later revealed as a cow. The team heads back to base camp and Josh decided to have another sweep. Josh and Richie went inside the church and started recording in hopes of the Aswang making an appearance. Minutes later they were startled by strange sounds on the roof of the church that they said it sound like footseps and moaning. Josh rushed outside to see whats on the roof but sees nothing in the darkness. At basecamp, Ryder and Casey saw something very close at Camera 2 which is close to the old tree. Josh now heads to the tree and sees
The bat that flew to Ryder and Casey.
something jumping in the tree tops. Now Camera 5 caught a cat heading outside the church. The animals get quiter and Josh heads back to base camp. Casey and Ryder now leads the third sweep and goes to the church. Inside the church, Ryder and Casey was frightene
The sitting dog.
d by a flying bat that flew right to them. Ryder and Casey sits inside the church and stars hearing conversations outside. Ryder went outside the church and sees a sitting dog that looks like a statue and watching them. The dog disappears when their attention is caught by something moving in the nearby trees. Ryder now freaks out and walks away from the investigation. After that strange event, Josh decided to close the investigation and went home to analyze their findings.
The Findings[]
They isolated and amplified the ticking sound for Mike Dee to see what they've heard that night. Mike indentified
At the analyzing room.
that the clicking sound as an insect or a beetle. Troy Tackett reviews their audio and heard indistinct conversation and commotion. The footage that Camera 2 caught is concluded as a cat or a dog that got close in the camera's lens. The other cats and dogs, frogs and bats they encountered during the investigation are certainly atmospheric but extremely common.
Haunted Forest[]
A crowded, dark forest bordering Mt. Fuji, Aokigahara is infamous throughout Japan as a popular spot for those who wish to commit suicide. In 2002, 78 bodies were found within it. By May 2006, at least 16 new suicides had been found. No one knows how many bodies go undiscovered. Signs emblazoned with messages are nailed to trees throughout the forest.
No sounds can be heard other than those produced by the forest itself. Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan. Spiritualists say that the trees themselves are filled with a malevolent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides.
The Adventure[]
The team travels 11 hours to Tokyo, Japan, where Casey convinces Josh to use what he thinks are cooling eye drops (though he's not really sure what they are because no one on the team reads Japanese). The drops burn Josh's eye and because he is squeezing one eye shut, he tells everyone he has become a pirate.
After loading their gear into SUVs, the team travels 60 miles west to Mt. Fuji. On the way, they stop at the Japan Research Society, where the researcher says that ghost sometimes appear in Aokigahara forest as fog or as human figures.
Josh then goes to speak with a forest ranger to find out where most of the ghost sightings happen. The translator tells him that it might not be a good idea to ask about the suicides because the ranger works for the government and the government is very sensitive about the subject. She tells Josh when the authorities found out about their intended investigation, their shoot was almost shut down. The ranger confirms that there are many suicides in the forest, and that the bodies have been discovered throughout the grounds.
Josh wants to cover as much ground as possible on a scouting expedition, and Ryder jokes that she got him a mini horse as transportation. He asks her where she found the mini horse, and she quips, "eBay!" Meanwhile, Jarrod dresses up in a black cowboy duster and hat, and since Josh has no idea where Jarrod got this outfit, he asks him if there is nude Japanese cowboy running around somewhere.
The Investigation[]
The team finds a clearing in the forest and sets up base camp.
Gallery[]
Others[]
- Leonardo Estacio - Anthropologist
- Luz Vismenda - Witness
- Jason Tarrayo - Translator
- Marietta Gumban - Witness
- Peria Bangalisan - Medicine Woman
Quotes[]
Josh: On the way we stopped at the Japan Research Society which like everything else in this country is based on Star Trek technology too advance for me too understand. |
Josh: On the tarmac of the airport, my celebrity status was no match for the surprise appearance by the president of the country. |
Josh: Sir I know we have a language barrier between our cultures but your boat is sinking. |
Josh: Hello! That is a world record on a single motorcycle. |
| Previous: "Ahool & Pinatubo" |
"Aswang & Haunted Forest" | Next: "Issie & Icelandic Elves" |