In October of this year, the ANFT co-hosted a Shinrin-yoku tour of Japan where guides from around the world came together for a historic collaboration between practitioners of eastern and western forest therapy schools set to the backdrop of the birthplace of Shinrin-yoku and timed to coincide with its 40th anniversary.
One of the participants of this year’s tour was ANFT certified forest therapy guide and forest therapy trail consultant Mark Ellison. In a recent blog post, Mark outlines the activities of the trip and extols the warm welcome extended to the ANFT group by their Japanese hosts from Future with Forest who eagerly and enthusiastically shared their knowledge of the practice and history of Shinrin-yoku, as well as explaining the relationship between modern Japanese people and the forests that comprise 70% of their native landmass.
In his reflection, Mark says, “There was so much about this experience that pushed my edges, challenged my thinking, opened my eyes. It changed me. I was expecting that visiting the forest therapy trails would be impactful, but more so it was the people. The Future with the Forest Association served as our host and guides from across Japan walked us through the forests, collaborated with us, and became our friends. This was such a rich cultural exchange.”
Mark’s blog includes beautiful photography from the tour and insightful remarks from Nagisa Ono, the founder of Future with Forest, as well as the musings of guides whose practices are informed by either the Japanese ways or the ANFT framework, all of which express gratitude for the experience and willingness to pursue further collaboration.
Mark’s detailed account highlights several poignant conclusions; the fundamental core of various forest therapy methodologies is love of the forest and the way forest therapy guides manifest that love presents a tremendous opportunity for intercultural exchange and understanding with the forest itself acting as a bridging medium for meaningful communication.
You can read Mark’s full account and collection of participant reflections on his blog, Hiking Research.