The Rise of Forest Bathing
How Japan's Nature Therapy Boosts Global Happiness

About this book:

In a world of endless notifications and concrete landscapes, the ancient Japanese practice of *shinrin-yoku*—forest bathing—offers a revolutionary return to ourselves. *The Rise of Forest Bathing* traces the remarkable journey of this practice from its roots in Shinto reverence and *satoyama* harmony to its formalization as a national health initiative in 1980s Japan, and finally to its emergence as a global wellness phenomenon. Through vivid storytelling and rigorous science, this book reveals how simply being present among trees—breathing in immune-boosting phytoncides, lowering cortisol levels, restoring cognitive clarity, and awakening a sense of awe—can transform our physiology, psychology, and communities.

More than a history or a science text, this is your practical guide to nature's most accessible prescription. Discover how forest bathing is being adapted for urban parks, corporate campuses, classrooms, and hospital gardens—and how you can weave its restorative power into daily life, whether you have access to ancient cedar groves or a pocket park on your lunch break. With personal transformation stories, guidance from certified forest therapy guides, and a vision for a greener, more connected future, *The Rise of Forest Bathing* invites you to step off the treadmill of modern stress and into the healing embrace of the living world. Your nervous system already remembers the way.