Shinrin Yoku: The Art of Forest Bathing | Short Film

Stuck swiping Insta every day? The practice of “forest bathing” can change your life. Unplug with Mike and Kati on an ancient Japanese trail, learning the creative and health benefits of Shinrin Yoku. #travel #shortfilm #outdoors #fores t
Shinrin Yoku: The Art of Forest Bathing was a 2020 Webby Honoree in Video: Travel & Adventure.
DOWNLOAD OUR APP
APPLE: itunes.apple.com/us/app/trave...
ANDROID: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
MORE FROM MATADOR NETWORK
WEB: matadornetwork.com/
INSTAGRAM: / matadornetwork
KZbin: / matadornetwork
FACEBOOK: / matadornetwork
ABOUT MATADOR NETWORK
MatadorNetwork.com and its social channels are the #1 digital destination for affluent millennial travelers and adventurers. With over 9 million monthly uniques and millions of social followers, we are the world's leading independent travel media outlet.
ABOUT MATADOR STUDIOS
MATADOR STUDIOS specializes in ideating, producing and distributing the most engaging branded video content on the Web. We work with some of the most talented filmmakers in the world to create broadcast quality video content for use across digital, social or broadcast.
WEB: matadornetwork.com/content/ab...
TRAVEL | ADVENTURE | TRAVEL CULTURE | #TRAVELSTOKE

[@peteroxley4987]

Personally, I don't think this video clip has anything to do with Shinrin Yoku, which is more about absorbing nature, finding a quiet place and space, breathing, meditation, and becoming one with nature! Beautiful though some of their photography is, their five-day adventure seemed to be more about physical exertion and completing a marathon, both of which, of course, can stimulate mental highs.

[@christopherwood1668]

Was going to say the same thing. This is not Shinrin Yoku, this is just taking a break from technology and hiking in nature. Really, with Shinrin Yoku, you shouldn’t walk more than a kilometre in 2 hours. All about stopping and being calm. Clearly they didn’t learn much while talking to the Japanese people they met with.

[@matthewstevens4871]

I agree - the focus of this documentary is their trek across Kumano Kodo - another wonderful thing. But that isn't really the same thing as Shinrin Yoku. Of course, the whole time they are in nature so Shinrin Yoku is always happening, but it doesn't need to be a strenuous activity. This is especially noteworthy at 12:30 where she makes an interesting point about the value of physical discomfort - yes, she makes a good point, but that is not necessarily at the heart of "forest bathing". Bathing is supposed to be relaxing, not necessarily work.

[@mariannewolf57]

@@matthewstevens4871 Well said- I feel the same.

[@bekindnomad7415]

I came here to say the same thing. It's just a video of some kids hiking using Shinrin Yoku as an excuse and then does nothing pertaining to the actual practice of forest bathing. Also, I'm a disabled person and can easily do 10 miles of straight hiking in a day so how they took so long for this trek I don't understand either other than them wanting to just drag it out. The climb is intense, yes, but I've done big climbs too as a disabled person.

[@chriskaza9640]

agree

[@sunglassshinpan1352]

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲REAL Forest Bathing doesn't begin until you get OFF the trail! 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

[@lizalane5745]

A shinrin-yoku experience typically involves no hiking, no exertion, no elevation. It is an entering into nature, a slowing down, a time to connect with nature using all the senses. There are prompts and invitations along the way to observe, experience, and feel. The experience ends with a tea gathering and sharings of what feels complete. It isn't a goal-oriented outing. It isn't a hike. It isn't a trek. It isn't exhausting. The story here is about a physically and mentally challenging experience. The words exhausted, difficult, tough, funk, hike, and journey are used. Those concepts are not part of shinrin-yoku. Shinrin-yoku can be done by anyone of any physical ability. It can be done simply in a park or on an easy trail. The duration of the experience can be two hours. Mike and Kati have a genuine desire to detox from urban life. I hope they will have a chance to experience a real forest bathing experience--possibly in their own back yards--very soon. xx Liza, forest therapy guide in training.

[@iwonaurbaniec3216]

I agree with You. Definitely it isn't a real Forest bathing. It looks like a ultra marathon 😅. It that exhausted breathing isn't relaxstion at all. But maybe nice and challenging for the. Beautifull nature there. Best wishes for You from Wales from SY guide ❤

[@claredonegan9842]

A lovely little film, well done both. However the title is misleading- this is not a film about Shinrin Yoku

[@MikeDewey]

thanks clare!

[@chiaracaielli3188]

This is a nice short film on trekking in forests in Japan, Shinrin Yoku is something completely different. You detox from social media but you did not let go the "western mind" approach.

[@mixingsunandmoon2356]

definatly felt exact same thing this was off Shinrin-Yoku

[@davidash2727]

Hard to let go of letting go

[@dkane7863]

"Some people feel the rain, others just get wet." - Bob Marley 11:45 ... Perhaps you GOT to experience a beautiful Japanese forest in the rain? You got to experience it differently than the other 4 days, and could have enjoyed it for what it was? Maybe not a "bummer" not something to complain about? Perhaps drop the negativity?

[@Schattengewaechs99]

This film is way too hectic for a topic that is meant to be calming and relaxing.

[@liazakia]

Totally agree.. The background music in some scenes really increase my heart rate and made me anxious. I was expecting to relax before sleep. I then unsubscribed the channel lol

[@arvadaseomarketing1194]

@@liazakia FTW!!!!!

[@capturebymichael]

Just another polished youtube clip to generate clicks.

[@IndiErik]

This thread is exactly why we need to get of our phones and get outside. 🙄

[@Schattengewaechs99]

@@IndiErik ???

[@kingofcomments4832]

this isn't Shinrin Yoku - you two are just doing " a hike " that is seemingly too much for you and causing stress - you really need to do your research on a subject and what it is actually about

[@lukepocock]

great name.

[@onelovelivity]

Thanks for the beautiful scenes of the Japanese Forests and insights into the culture and the shrines along the trails. Made me want to go to Japan within the first 5 minutes! As a Forest Bathing guide on the Caribbean island of Dominica the pace for my journeys are slower as we focus on details along the way and feel into how our body changes with the walk by tuning into the heart, awakening the senses, smelling the herbs, leaves and soil, tasting fresh spring water, tree hugging, exploring the magic of nature’s signs and simply soaking in all the delicious uniqueness of the present moment. I’m sure you did some of that behind the scenes on your adventure but I guess too much of it would be too slow a pace for a short film :-) To me, Forest Bathing has a different energy to hiking although both do have their own value. The emphasis in Forest Bathing is not so much about getting to the end but savoring the small interactions along the way so that even a short walk can take hours…which even leads us to experience time as timelessness! I live in a beautiful place where ‘escaping to the forest’ is often just a short walk away but I also like to show people how they can use the techniques of Forest Bathing in daily life so that it can be applied even when not in vacation mode which is when we truly need it! A short nature meditation is something people can explore in their lunch break in a park with even one tree and Forest Bathing then can become a way of life even in the city or anywhere we choose to consciously connect with nature around and within us… Wild Love. Keep Exploring! .

[@natureboystyle77]

Terri Henry it’s funny I came across this video because I was searching for more activity I can add to my adventures. And there I was thinking of starting something like this . And there I found someone from or in The Caribbean is doing it . How nice. I would love to get some more in formation on this please.

[@nohatarek6153]

I agree, even hiking seems to be fast paced like our daily activities... forest "bathing" needs to be more indulging, slow, timeless, without destination or pace, grounded within a space*time like a tree...

[@curtisblondel6542]

A great interpretation. I’m from Dominica and wherever I am on nature isle it’s quite easy to be in a timeless zone…especially in the wilder locations.

[@pbirkwood]

A beautiful film which grows more beautiful the more I watch it. I did a 1,200 km Buddhist Pilgrimage in Shikoku in Japan in 2017 and it was all up and down like in this film and took 50 days of walking. I did think about this title of shinrin yoku and the pilgrimage and were they the same thing? I believe the pilgrimage is the state of mind you get to in shinrin yoku practice and the mindful nature of the spaces in the journey. The benefits I got from the 50 day walk were quite remarkable including crystal clear memories that wash back over time. I believe the forest bathing in the pilgrimage setting are the same thing in retrospect and in light of this film. I plan to do the Kumano Kodo but take the Iseji route from Ise which is about 170km walk in the up and down forest as a start. Then several other pathways in the Kii Peninsula. Thank you for this film!

[@MikeDewey]

Experience of a lifetime!

[@stephendulajr.8124]

Thank you! This was great! Inspiring to me.🙏❤️☮️

[@sarahgrow8069]

Thank you for making this film! I facilitate mindfulness and yoga sessions for a recovery program and I used this film as an introduction to the practice of shinrin yoku to give a cultural context to forest bathing in Japan.

[@dandelossantos89]

😍 Thanks for the wonderful journey of healing by connecting to nature. ❤️❤️❤️

[@GM_Flynx]

This was an interesting documentary. They were inspired to attempt shinrin-yoku, with their talk with the professor. Then, they heard about the nature trail and thought that enduring the trail would be shinrin-yoku. They did enjoy nature, experience and appreciate the beauty of Japan's natural splendor and cultural heritage. Did they ever practice shinrin-yoku? No. shinrin-yoku is about slowing down and really just losing yourself to the feel of nature's touch to your senses. Regardless, it was a well executed, technically sharp feature with a great soundtrack. I definitely have rethought how I will eventually plan a tourist trip to Japan. Getting lost in the countryside like this sounds absolutely marvelous. I doubt I will grind the trail like they did, but I will certainly hike portions of it, and spend half a day just basking in the dappled sunlight amidst ancient trees.

[@louisesouthgate5231]

Thanks guys for sharing! I too have become aware of Shinrin Yoku and try to go to the forest whenever possible. Its benefits are undeniable! 😊

[@claudelucienwarner]

Really enjoyed this. The beauty, the sounds and the culture. By the end I felt quite moved. Thank you for sharing your experience at no cost to us.

[@ainationaldiscovery]

Thank you ❤️❤️❤️ 😊

[@lewkbauer]

I am only beginning my study of the Japanese culture. I think their heads were in the right place. I agree with some of you saying that their hearts weren't. But it wasn't for lack of trying - it just takes everyone a long while to understand the depth and nuance of the Japanese culture. At least those are my thoughts. What the heck do I know, really? :) Have a wonderful and blessed day everyone.

[@Roamaroo]

Dewey, Great work! This looks like an amazing journey and it was shot so well! Amazing to think it was just the 2 of you.

[@MikeDewey]

cheers guys!!

[@sunglassshinpan1352]

This is HIKING, NOT Forest Bathing!

[@Cris-ft1oc]

shhhh stop hating just relax its ok

[@pajdajyang6340]

It’s a nice video - as Americans we tend to visit other countries and have this expectation while we are visiting they should speak English to us, and we are frustrated when they don’t. I noticed your comment. It made me reflect on my own travel to a different country and I was frustrated with folks when I got lost or couldn’t get them to understand my needs, and later realized that was crappy of me. I should have learned some basic language and equipped myself instead of expect people in their home countries to know how to speak English . I still think your video was nice, not too much on forest bathing itself though.

[@forestclouds5349]

Beautiful scenery

[@janky_yardbird3417]

Epic!

[@simoncassel4030]

I've never even watched this youtube channel before but this editing and production quality is better than anything i've ever seen before

[@MikeDewey]

so kind of you to say!

[@thedabbinunicorn5432]

Literally breathtaking!!

[@user-yq4ez2cb6l]

Thanks Mike and Kati for a great film. I'm confident I will refer to this film when I talk more and more about Shinrin Yoku on my bonsai channel. I've shied away from clinging too all of the Japanese traditional bonsai practices, but love this Japanese way of thinking, restorying the mind, body and spirit. I first learned of this through the book The Natures Fix, and love how this short film brought it all front and center for me. Great work!

[@Traveltoppereu]

Well done, nice video about nature

[@devencareer]

Great team work and motivation on capturing thrill and the nature ! Thank you Both !

[@stayhappy8213]

I live i Wales. Uk. I often go for a forest bath when i can and it is only a 20 min walk to my local forest, so i am very lucky. I love Wales!

[@Katie-w9]

Check out Bodnant Gardens they're doing it!

[@PatrickJaszewski]

Great video - that looked like a beautiful journey!

[@acatinny]

Wow, what a beautiful video this is! I expected a little forest bathing video, but this turned out to be much more than that. It was about a spiritual journey by connecting with nature, which is what Japanese pilgrimage is all about. Shintoism is not about one God telling you how to live your life, but paying respect to all elements in the nature, including something not particularly pleasant like cold rain and hard climb on a steep hill. So you experienced everything during this trip. I really wish this would be a longer video.

[@davidash2727]

Wonderful, thanks so much.

[@TheNighteternity]

This is a great mini documentary that has so little views, and with a subject that is more and more important now with more technology coming. I just want to say that I will share it as much as I can, thank you for doing an amazing job of showing all the benefits that those beautiful forest brings. (Sorry for my English) Cheers from Mexico. 🇲🇽

[@MikeDewey]

thank you!

[@happybolton455]

I loved this, thanks for sharing!!!

[@lauratate7599]

Loved this. Beautiful sights, and so wonderful to see your approach to the journey as a detox. Thinking of showing this as part of a lesson to urban planning students on designing with nature. Congrats on the journey and the film.

[@stephenryan297]

Thank you for this video

[@kirbyloz]

Beautiful work and what an experience you both must have had. Thank you.

[@MikeDewey]

experience of a lifetime

[@kathleenroberts6931]

Sustainable living 😊

[@lawwliett]

This deserves more views, beautifully executed video!

[@vanpeer4232]

Awesome

[@sangkuriangtv7128]

Goood..i like vidio

[@brandischneider2915]

This has to become a part of all human beings daily or at least weekly life. We must reconnect to the earth. The earth needs healing and we need to be healed. This is part of addressing climate change. It's changing the mentality that we are a part of this earth not separate and that we MUST take action NOW to save life on it.

[@rafawojt2508]

What a beatifully place I wish I could go there ...

[@francismausley7239]

Excellent spiritual presentation... Thank you. "The country is the world of the soul, the city is the world of bodies." ~ Baha'u'llah, from Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, Baha'i Faith

[@rogerspw]

Been to Japan. Walked, hiked lots of trails and islands, visited the shrines, interacted with locals, ate some great food and had some nice hot baths. I was a tourist checking out Japan. I was not forest bathing.

[@globetownrecords]

Really Enjoyed this - thank you for sharing your journey x

[@subfairy3385]

Was reading a book about forest bathing and search about this on youtube. So happppy I found u

[@elvira.silverguld]

This was incredible, thank you 🌲🌳🌴

[@IndiErik]

Beautifully done! We had plans to go to Japan this November 2020. Those plans were squashed by the Pandemic. We're hoping to go next year and your mini documentary only reinforces my desires. I highly recommend doing the Tiger Leaping Gorge in the Yunnan province of China. I've done and I promise you it's worth of another mini documentary. I've spent a lot of time outdoors and I can assure you there is unquestionably something to Shirin Yoku! Thanks for making this beautiful little film. 🙏

[@IndiErik]

Boy, reading the comments is sad. People are so critical. I'll understand if you don't read my first comment. You're doing great BTW, please keep it up.

[@luismatabrito]

Wao, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful video, for a moment I've that I was in Japan, what a wonderful trip and learning you must have had, I'm recommending this video to my friends, thanks again guys.

[@tyronepereiradefigueiredo4335]

Awesome video, beautiful scenery, definitely a place I would like to add on list of things to do. I will however say this that I love nature and at least 2 to 3 times a week I go hiking in the mountains. I cannot find my balance with technology but I can find my balance with the body and why I do this. I definitely have seen the difference, especially when I stopped hiking for 6 months, my body took a downward spiral, I was more stressed, performing low, I aged faster and so much more. I did get back into it and why I do it more frequently. I call it my detox session from society, tech, friends, family the whole lot. I can say that my stress levels are far lower and I don't stress so easily anymore.

[@wdominicwdominic]

Amazing journey and great production 👍 Shinrin-yoku will catch on globally

[@MikeDewey]

thank you :)

[@syamji12]

Inspirational

[@jroscamps]

I think if I had made this trip I would have ended up crying excitedly

[@Mahi-vo3vf]

Good stuff

[@MichaelVJJones]

BRILLIANT Video Mike I like the combination of the more intense Green Exercise from the Forest Hiking and the more slower Wandering / Sauntering style of Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing 🌲💚🤗💚🌲🌎🌍🌏

[@MikeDewey]

thanks!!

[@flamoonigirlolivia]

🌎 Such an important video and message for us 🌟 Grateful for nature and connection 💚

[@markosz666]

Another thing on my bucket list! Thanks :D

[@user-mj8yf2px1y]

يض١٢

[@maryngshwuling9916]

Thanks for sharing 🌻 very interesting and I hope one day I can experience this 🌹

[@heinrichwendel7157]

Thank you so much .at the end of the film the speed of talking ( and breathing ? ) is more awesome .

[@signupsayan]

❤

[@adamforest1986]

The whole point is to go on an easy walk and to Intrigue all five senses you're basically telling people that have to go on an enduring walk to be able to reap benefits completely false you're supposed to go slow and take your time but then again you guys are the experts and those who know no LOL beautiful spots

[@vaughanreid5292]

This was not Shinrin Yoku. This was a hike. An interesting hike, mind you, but not Shinrin Yoku.

[@sunglassshinpan1352]

The Wakayama Prefecture's Governor is pissed off that you didn't even MENTION that the trail is there!!

[@makshrastar3763]

idk if anyone realised, but theese guys are verified and only have 37.7k subs. You have to have at least 100k and upload frequently. I just fkin hate youtube for doing this

[@mariathoma2004]

Just WOW!!Really enjoyable video! Where is this location exactly??

[@Mari-hh6it]

The song at 12min sounds a lot like natsume yuujinchou's soundtrack, it's really pretty

[@susansavelli5521]

I have questions! How many miles a day was the trail? Is the trail well marked so you don't get lost? What travel company did you use to help you book the stays? I am very interested in doing this trail after having done the camino de santiago in Spain.

[@drewrodrigues]

Very well edited and awesome shots. I would have loved to learn more about Shinrin Yoku instead of following your hiking trip, but thanks for the video anyways!

[@nohatarek6153]

Thank you for this amazing video... I'm in the most depressing suicidal space*time in my life now, & I'm in desperate need to heal, but don't have financial resources... you inspired me to go hike through the Colorado Trail next summer :-)

[@lyricaldawn]

I hope the crazy times on the planet now have offered you an opportunity to shift, maybe slow down and heal. Hope you’re feeling better and finding your way.

[@nohatarek6153]

@@lyricaldawn thank you Donna :-) the closing off's of everything made me get so much worse because of the isolation! but I hope that I do better things to inspire others, even if I couldn't find power in my own life!

[@kasparbhauser9707]

How much does a trip like this cost? Is it budget friendly because of all the hiking?

[@sunglassshinpan1352]

It's not about the destination, and trying to get there; it's about taking your time, lollygagging in the forest for hours on end....... Like the way Japanese lollygag in the 🛁... This vid was like an army boot camp, 60 second shower! 😰

[@mixingsunandmoon2356]

yep totally agree

[@sunglassshinpan1352]

Forest Bathing is nothing without WEED!

[@trioultimo]

So where did you bath in this film?

[@rebeccacollins1218]

Meaningful and vital! I think leaving out the background music during the beginning would have been better - I found it a bit discordant and distracting. The rest of the music seems to flow well with the point of Shinrin-Yoku.

[@kathybramley5609]

This reminded me a little bit of the Reese Witherspoon hiking movie Wild!? You also made it look very like the Japanese version of the Kamino - a pilgrimage in the Pyrenees across the top of the Iberian peninsula through France and Spain (also with a film and documentary or two about it) - in the video!? I do not know if it is like this. But maybe there are similar almost Ignatian retreats but more to do with being away from pressure, social and otherwise, and _with_ altered realities and nature.

[@brandongarland1841]

where I come from, this is called hiking.

[@greeleymiklashek6774]

Mike is a stress addicted urbanite and he would need a longer exposure to nature's calming rhythms before getting in-tune with the true healing there-in. If you're in LA, then visit and spend at least four days at the Esalen Institute on Big Sur. I've been their 4 or 5 times over 40 years and the restorative effects have lasted a lifetime. Stress R Us

[@cho99en]

can you drive in these roads?

[@ejd2678]

NOT Shinrin Yoku, but it looks like a nice hike.

[@ubelove4410]

it's not. it's more of Forrest trek vlogging.

[@Justinsullivanphoto]

Thanks for making this and for documenting your journey!

[@janetginger8571]

Any where in the world, the hours between 3 a.m. to 6 a. m. are the quiet time

[@mattz8234]

If you just switch off your phones and take them with you, you do not disconnect.

[@joew2842]

hiking sticks, technology. Backpack with build in watertank, technology. flashlight technology. drone, technology. You really didn't get the hole thing at all

[@San_89]

Thanks for the hard work and documentary.....! But I think the narration could be a bit slower......?

[@bbfixed]

Forrest= For rest

[@willreubin9503]

BUT THEY DO ALSO DO THAT

[@debralegere9076]

This is a great video but it is really about a pilgrimage - not forest bathing. It's a great video though! You inspired me to do the pilgrimage.

[@youngforest8793]

I am indian botany student I want this book

[@floaterwomyn]

This is NOT forest bathing. It's a nature hike. Why would you go talk to a forest bathing expert and then not do it?!

[@kwablatetetorsu9055]

THIS KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN WITH AFRICAN CULTURE FOR MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF YEARS.....IT'S NOT A NEW FINDINGS NOR NEW RESEARCH NOR NEW KNOWLEDGE....

[@DocInfectDis]

Thanks for the wonderful video. I am fascinated with Forest Bathing -- and although it was common in my childhood days to go for hikes in our nearby Ravine area, children nowadays do not have "going on a walk" on the top of their agenda. Most of the time, it involves the computer or handheld devices - then TV. When we talk about going on a hike, our children react - as if the experience is life threatening -- "No No No!" Nevertheless, when they get to the woods, they don't want to return back to the car!Christopher Cirino, DO MPHyourhealthforumbydrcirino.org

[@neuroniuans]

Forest bath is not a Japanese method - it has been practised in ancient times around the world, at least in a slavic culture. Japanes only gave it a name in the 80s.

[@bruceli9094]

Who came here from Medcram?

[@PaulNB]

The most interesting thing about this film is how young 21st C. Americans have become so shallow in their perception, reflection and overall sense and sensibility.

[@crzk4006]

The word detox hurts me every time.

[@heronbanach8323]

Wonderful forests...I had to push the mute button...american bla bla bla explanation...

[@sgtpluck8344]

This isn't really a video about forest bathing, it's a video about two people hiking through a forest. Forest bathing is about living in the moment, appreciating the different smells, textures, etc. of the forest, etc. It's a nice enough video, but it's not what it says it is.

[@QAhri]

You guy were hiking, not forest bathing. Bathing in Japan culture is a slow act of enjoy the moment with sensation and vibration from earth elements of Asian's theory like water, wind, soil... that washing and calming your 5 senses.