"It was late November, and I was standing in an ancient beech forest at the edge of Towada-Hachimantai National Park in Japan's Tohoku region. The area, deep in the Ōu Mountains on the northern tip of Honshu, is known for its autumn colors, hundreds of species of moss, and the Oirase Gorge, a river valley with abundant waterfalls. The Oirase Stream is fed by Lake Towada, a volcanic double caldera that is the primary source of the region's rich biodiversity."
"As I plunged deeper into this mysterious habitat, I realized, with some amusement, that this was forest bathing. Not the Western adaptation that began appearing on spa menus and in hotel programming a decade ago (basically a rebranding of hiking) but the real thing. Contrary to popular belief, forest bathing isn't an ancient Japanese ritual but a more recent wellness technique introduced in 1982 to anchor practitioners in the present by using all of their senses to take in the natural environment."
A new coastal trail supports recovery in communities devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Towada-Hachimantai National Park's ancient beech forests and the Oirase Gorge offer autumn colors, hundreds of moss species, abundant waterfalls, and biodiversity sustained by Lake Towada's volcanic double caldera. Native wildlife includes bears, foxes, tree frogs, tanuki, and bioluminescent moonlight mushrooms. Forest bathing anchors practitioners in the present by using all senses to absorb the environment. Forest bathing originated in 1982 as a wellness technique developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to help urban residents counter burnout, anxiety, stress, and overwork.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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