Shinrin-Yoku: Find Wellness in the Woods with Japanese Forest Bathing

You’re probably thinking, what the heck is ‘shinrin-yoku,’ so let’s get that out of the way first. The direct Japanese translation of shinrin-yoku is “taking in the forest atmosphere,” and has taken on a loose translation of “forest-bathing.” In America, we might compare this to taking a hike, or simply going for a walk in your local nature preserve. While this may seem straightforward and somewhat, anticlimactic to the 14’er climbing folks, there are strong reasons why this practice is considered both therapy and medicine in Japan, South Korea, and so forth.