If you travel by car about 135 km south from Wakayama City, you'll come to a rugged stretch of coastline known as Sandanheki. There, for a few hundred meters, a series of impressive vertical rockfaces leave you with no doubt as to where land ends and the sea begins.

At the base of these cliffs lies a small cave where the tide flows in and out. Now accessible via a 36-meter elevator that begins at the Sandanheki Visitor Center, the cave possesses historical interest. From its entrance, some 800 years ago, marauding sea pirates would sail out to attack the unwary and seize cargo. Piracy may be a thing of the past in these parts, but there are some who believe that the ghosts of those pirates have remained. If that's true, then their trade in contraband is of an infinitely sadder variety-that of souls. Sandanheki has achieved notoriety as a suicide destination.

Numbers vary, but roughly 20 people every year choose to die by jumping from the cliffs onto the rocks or into the waves at the bottom. The ages of these unfortunates range from 10 to 50 and the toll cuts across gender lines. Not everyone leaves an indication as to why death is preferable to life, but when this is done the reasons are familiar: bankruptcy, family difficulties, disease, a broken heart. Summer and winter appear to be the seasons of choice and, as for any special times, there are two. People will either jump during the day when there are crowds of sightseers or at midnight when Sandanheki is deserted.

The Visitor Center was finished 27 years ago and suicides were by then already frequent. Possibly this was because there were (and still are) no fences, so the heights offered every chance of success for those determined to end their lives. There also exist similar locales, such as Tojimbo in Fukui Prefecture, where people leap into the sea to die.

Tourists who come to admire the scenery have often found themselves reluctant witnesses to these events. This has led to complaints as to why a system of fencing hasn't been erected at the top of the cliffs. Local authorities reply that it is no easy matter to construct a fence on top of rock and that to do so would greatly disturb the very scenery tourists have come to admire.

Visitor Center staff do what they can. According to one employee, Miya Koyama, "People have a special atmosphere when they are troubled. If we see someone who looks this way, we call the police who will come, speak to them, and try to stop the suicide from happening. Some people will still try though. Also, maybe the police couldn't find them in the first place. If there has been a phone call from us, the police will patrol the area at midnight."

On the cliffs there are a few signs urging prospective suicides to reconsider. "Dying is not the solution," reads one, while another, put up by the local Baptist Church, adds, "Call me before the big decision. Your life is very important. We'll help you!" There is also a telephone atop the cliffs where a 10 yen coin is always available, along with the number of the Baptist church. If a call is made someone immediately comes. The minister, Taro Emi, has written a book, Namida Wo Mou Nugutte (Wipe Away Your Tears) that gives the reasons why people who did call wanted to die, but then highlights their process of recovery. In one case a college girl, distraught over a failed relationship, made a call from the cliffs. She has since recovered and is now working with handicapped people.

For the staff at Sandanheki, their jobs entail special challenges. They can't be bothered by ghosts, a condition that affects some visitors. Once, when a woman was being taken down the elevator to the cave, she began to scream that menacing ghosts were present. She was immediately taken back up and her money was refunded.

For Ms. Koyama, the most profound effect she experienced was the first time she saw a body floating in the water. The police were there, as well as the victim's family and the family were in tears. She wasn't able to sleep that night. Sometimes the bodies of victims will float into the cave. In that case, staff are sometimes required to help police carry the bodies onto the elevator and up to the visitor center. It is not an easy job.

Is suicide pervasive in Japan? A common misconception is that its suicide rate is the highest in the world. It isn't and the rate among Japan's youth is much lower than that of many other industrialized nations. Nevertheless, with over 20,000 suicides a year, it is a troubling phenomenon and one that mounting economic problems may serve to exacerbate.

A variety of studies have been done on the subject, and in particular its occurrence in Japan. The Thorn in the Chrysanthemum: Suicide and Economic Success in Modern Japan (1986) by Mamoru Iga, a Japanese researcher, is perhaps the best known. Iga notes many possible causes, one of which is despair. "Despair however," he adds, "does not necessarily make for suicide. Suicidal tendency is promoted by a non-rational tendency whereby the despairing person jumps to the constricted judgment that death is preferable to life." Whatever the ultimate cause, suicide is terrifyingly sad in its abject finality.

I once read that no one really wants to kill themselves; they simply want to kill that thing which is bothering them. In such a disturbed state, perhaps this is where the 'ghosts' of Sandenheki are able to operate and deceive. Standing at the top of the cliffs, I noticed a group of four Japanese women standing close to the edge. One of the women turned to her friends and, in a visibly nervous manner pleaded, "Come on. Let's move away from here. I feel that the ghosts are inviting me into the water."

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