Wes said:

I think this was one of the best episodes yet — the figure that emerged from the woods in the Japanese forest is far more convincing than anything we've ever seen on GH or GHI.

Ryder is there for the drama, eye candy factor that helps ratings. I don't mind her because the show continues to be infinitely more credible and entertaining than any other show of the genre that's currently on TV.

I agree with you 100%. I don't mind Ryder; I think her scary moments are funny and actually represent how a lot of people would react given some of the situations. She adds to the show, even with her "Dude, Run" moments.

About the Haunted Woods-I was seriously spooked. I have no doubt in my mind that there were sightings of "yurei"-the spirits of those who took their lives and died way before their time.

I found a blog (didn't bookmark it so can't seem to find it again) where a person who works for the forestry division there indicated that the sightings of these poor souls is very common. And another point I didn't know until after Destination Truth aired–when attempting to contact someone there a wind will often come out of nowhere as the spirit is contacted. Remember the sudden wind that came up with the team started to ask questions in the spot of a possible suicide?

What they found fits in with everything that has been claimed about the area. An excerpt from a "Seek Japan" website:

"Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan, a
purgatory for yurei, the unsettled ghosts of Japan who have been torn
unnaturally soon from their lives and who howl their suffering on the
winds. Spiritualists say that the trees themselves are filled with a
malevolent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides. They don't
want you to go back out."

I have seen Josh frustrated, anxious (like when he was lost on that Icelandic lake) etc., but I never saw the look of shock on his face that I did in this episode when he said he stumbled upon a figure on the path which then disappeared. The man was truly shaken up, which says a lot about what Josh saw.

Also the figure caught on video at home base was definitely a human form. I thought at first it may have been a student but it just crumbleg away like no living human could.

This episode ranks as my #1 of Destination Truth. I look forward every week to this show. And since they have been sojourning more into hauntings, they outshine GH tremendously. The abandoned temple episode also did more to highlight their investigative skills and attitudes in a way that leaves GH far behind.

What a sad, forboding and eerie place Aokigahara Forest is. Even as a very skeptical person, I cannot deny that there are some forms of consciousness left over from all the depression of those who took their own lives. After doing more research after the show, I am convinced that something very sad wanders those beautiful but forbidding paths.

Josh is well on his way to finding proof that will eventually break the fields of cryptozoology and the paranormal wide open.

I'm looking at the image in the post above on my 22" LCD monitor and I can actually make out an upright shape there.  It's faint, but it's there.  Creepy.

When Josh brings back videos to the US they put it through their software to clean it up as much as possible.

I think that Japanese forest is enough to make a believer out of anyone who spends some time there.  It was eerie how their experiences matched up with posts I've found throughout the internet, some from people (including Japanese) who have been there.

Josh and team are much more skeptical and slow to call anything real.  In an interview last year (before he went to Japan), Josh said he's pretty convinced that the Yeti and the Oran Pendek are real.  National Geographic has been supporting a team of scientists for the last year in Indonesia and they believe they have seen this unknown primate

What's cool is that even when they don't find anything, it's fun to go along with the DT crew and see all the weird, out of the way places and how they sometimes have to make do with boats, cars etc. that are hardly trustworthy.  And then there's the food….

Alan, it is a pleasure to read your post about DT and esp. the Haunted Forest.  I have never been so creeped out while watching a paranormal investigation.  It is no joke, I was getting chills down my spine the entire time and was sitting on the edge of the couch.  The look on Josh's face was genuine when he came face to face with an apparition, and was the first time I saw true surprise and perhaps a tinge of fear. 

You're right, everything about it was weird.  And when I did research on the Forest after the show, it was amazing how what they experienced matched up with people who have been there, including the locals.  Something is going on in the sorrowful place.

Destination Truth has become my favorite show.  It really makes me feel like I am right there with Josh and team, having all sorts of funny and sometimes scary experiences.  Also a big plus is that even if they don't find anything, the viewer is not disappointed.  We get to see such out of the way places, meet some very unique people (and yucky food) and realize there are a lot of places on this planet that are far from our technologically advanced neck of the woods.  It also illustrates the trials and tribulations such as lousy vehicles, unreliable boats, and dangerous bridges.  So the viewer is always entertained.

And then there is Josh's wonderful sense of humor.  What a guy!   Indiana Jones in the flesh.

Equally important is that they have others scrutinize their evidence, unlike GH, which keeps things to themselves.  Josh really wants to find the truth.

I actually feel a letdown when the show is not on the air.  It is the one I truly look forward to every week.

Like many posting in this thread, I also like DT a great deal.  It's a nice blend of humor, information, and fun.  Now for a few points:

Ryder- Sure, at times, I believe that she's a bit annoying on film.  Do I really blame her?  Absolutely not.  Why?  I'm a fairly big guy with martial arts training from the South side of Chicago.  Put me in a jungle half way around the world in total darkness and we're picking up heat signatures of what could be a tiger…yeah, I'd be annoying on film too.  Actually, I know she's braver than me because I just wouldn't do it.  So I cut her and the rest of the team infinitely more slack then GH or GHI.  There's a huge difference between a house that is "spooky" and a jungle where there are a host of things that at best, can do you bodily harm and at worst…kill you.

Aokigahara- A very interesting place.  There was a very real sadness when I heard the background story.  I am not one who is "creeped out" very easily, but I think even I would be…"extremely alert"…in that place.

The Ghostly Image- DT does a decent job in analyzing their footage and evidence.  Or at least they give it a good try.  What they didn't address, for me at least, is more physical attributes of the actual location.  Is there water near by?  If so, a pond, a lake, a river?  Are there are mountains or large hills near by?  From the long views that we got from the show, it seemed this area contained both.  Is there any volcanic activity in the area?  What I'm getting at is possible patches of fog/mist.  Anyone who has camped out in the woods near both water and mountains can to attest to a little mist or fog forming very late at night/early morning.  If there is volcanic activity, there may be escaped gas.  Lights reflecting off of gas or mist can do tricky things.

I'm not saying this was the case.  I would just like to cross off as many rational possiblities as possible.

The Show Itself- Like Oubliette, I also look forward to watching the show as it's my favorite of all the shows.  It's a shame Sci-Fi doesn't run more re-run's.