How Swimming in a Japanese Forest Can Save Your Life
Walking in the woods brings tangible health benefits, and Professor Yoshifumi Miyazaki is exploring how to spread these benefits to as many people as possible. According to his research, spending time in nature can lower blood pressure and lower levels of stress hormones, and the effects of the hike last for days. You can reduce your stress levels by keeping the plant at home or at your workplace. Dr. Miyazaki is even investigating whether VR forest simulation can provide the same benefits.
We took a walk with Dr. Miyazaki in the Okutama Forest, which is part of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, a two-hour drive from central Tokyo. Okutama is one of the many forests recognized by the Japanese government as a forest bathing site. This means it is especially suitable for stress-relieving and health-promoting walks. Unlike challenging hiking or climbing trails, these walks are accessible to those with health problems or the elderly, who make up a growing portion of Japan’s population. To certify a forest, regulators go through it, measure their physiological responses, and evaluate routes for things like gentle inclines and well-groomed trails.
With a background in both horticulture and medicine, Dr. Miyazaki is particularly well positioned to research the health benefits of nature – in fact, he says, he is the only in-house researcher conducting research on forest baths, known in Japanese as shrinin yoku. … But he found that the global medical community was receptive to his message as many countries deal with aging populations and the widespread need for improved preventive medicine.
In the United States, forest bathing has become one of the many trendy wellness activities that resorts and resorts are adding to their service menus. Unlike Japan, the US does not have a regulatory body for forest baths certification, but Miyazaki says there is no need to. Find a well-kept park or forest with fresh air, gentle paths, and away from noise and crowds. Walk quietly and calmly, don’t use your phone, and pay attention to the sights and sounds around you. Soak it so that when you return to work, you can remember this peace and quiet.