Leaves shimmer in shades of verdant green. Sunlight reflected from a rippling creek dances up a tree trunk. Birds chirp, bullfrogs croak and earthy scents of plants and soil fill the air.
A visit to a forest soothes our senses. But researchers say that volatile organic compounds released from the trees, whose concentration peaks from June through August in Japan, can do a lot more to make us healthier.
Japan is the birthplace of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku 鈥� the process of taking in the forest through your five senses as a means of relaxation. Coined in 1982 by then-Forestry Agency chief Tomohide Akiyama, the concept is now well-established in Japanese culture, and most people consider it a given that it鈥檚 healing to spend time in the great outdoors.
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