1.
sea of trees; dense forest
A vast, dense forest that looks like a sea when viewed from above. Most famously associated with Aokigahara at the base of Mt. Fuji.
樹海の中は暗い。
It's dark inside the sea of trees.
富士山のふもとに広大な樹海が広がっている。
A vast sea of trees stretches out at the foot of Mt. Fuji.
上空から見ると、山々を覆う樹海がまるで緑の海のように見えた。
Viewed from above, the sea of trees covering the mountains looked just like a green ocean.
A poetic compound of 樹 (tree) and 海 (sea), describing a forest so vast and dense that it resembles an ocean when seen from a high vantage point.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 樹海に迷い込む: to wander into the forest
- 樹海が広がる: a sea of trees stretches out
- 青木ヶ原樹海: Aokigahara forest
- 樹海の奥: deep within the forest
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The word is strongly associated with 青木ヶ原樹海 (Aokigahara), the dense forest at the base of 富士山. This forest, formed on hardened lava, is known for its thick canopy and easy-to-get-lost terrain. It has unfortunately also become associated with suicide, a topic handled sensitively in Japanese media.