Our Story

It began as a passion and a weekend hobby. Milena and Pin love to explore the forest. As expats living and working in Kyoto for a number of years, we spent our weekends picnicking in the woods, exploring Japan’s many off-the-beaten forested paths and searching for the quietest places on earth. Friends kept asking if they could come along and soon we were organizing trips for a wider circle of friends from Instagram, Facebook, blogs and all over the world.

From these trips, we realized that many of the people we guided were suffering from stress, burnout, work-related health issues, modern lifestyle health complaints or even emotional and psychological traumas. However, we noticed that people who participated in Forest Bathing trips with us on a regular basis experienced better physical health, improved mood and overall better sense of well-being and vitality.

With our backgrounds in Wellness, Holistic Health and Psychology, we became very interested, so we did an extensive research on how trees and spending time in nature can help you find health and happiness. From our own experience and experiment, we found that Forest Bathing is also a great complementary practice to other holistic wellness modalities. For these reasons, we start to share our expertise and passion in Forest Bathing and founded The Mindful Tourist, in Kyoto, Japan, where we were inspired by our passion for Shinrin Yoku. With our training, you, too, can deepen your knowledge about the healing powers of nature and get certified in Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing.

As we continue to pave the way and raise the industry standards, we look back on our journey thus far with pride that our Nature for All project and TMT Shinrin Yoku training have touched lives in ways beyond our imagination, with the help of our students and Expedition Empower.

At the present moment, TMT has certified guides and instructors in 19 countries, covering all continents.

森林 (shinrin, “forest”) + 浴 (yoku, “bath, bathing”) or しんりんよく in hiragana, another writing system in Japanese

The Wooden Plague

From the trail we have walked a thousand times: We stumbled upon this rustic looking wooden plague that blends so well into its surrounding environemnt which says “This is Kodaiji-yama National Forest managed to foster co-existence of forest and people.” Japan was amazing like that! There is so much thought process put into the way cities and residential areas are designed in such a way that nature and forest are easily accessible to everyone.

From this discovery, we made it our mission to create a world where our forests and parks can prosper without human abuse through education. Our world is blessed to have luscious green lands where us, nature lovers, can get in touch with ourselves. Our goal is to raise awareness and inspire ways for our audience to help keep our earth green.

Our Services

• TMT online and on-site Shinrin Yoku Forest Bathing Certification Training (Guide & Instructor Levels)
• Forest Bathing & Mindfulness Retreats in Thailand & Japan
• Shinrin Yoku trail designation and Nature Connectedness activities consultation and training for luxury spas & resorts
• Forest Bathe Around The World: Offering you some very unique and authentic Forest Bathing experiences in some of the most beautiful places in the world, in-person or virtually

Why We Do What We Do

Shinrin Yoku (森林浴) or forest bathing has become a vital part of preventative healthcare in Japan. The results of Japanese studies have shown forest bathing improves sleep quality, mood and ability to focus, strengthens the immune system and reduces stress levels. Chronic stress and inactivity can contribute to the development of many diseases. Spending time in nature, away from modern technology and the hustle and bustle of big cities can improve your physical, mental and even spiritual health by reducing the effects of stress on your body and fostering nature connectedness. Prescribed forest bathing in Japan has led to a healthier lifestyle for people of all ages.

With growing interest in forest therapy and the health benefits of forest bathing among researchers and psychologists, The Mindful Tourist aims to promote the practice of forest bathing, increase aware of nature’s holistic healing powers and make the practice of Japanese Shinrin Yoku more easily accessible to a wider range of audiences.

We and our team of instructors also use this platform as a way to inspire a balanced and sustainable way of living at the grassroots. We believe that developing pro-nature attitudes through positive participation in nature can help develop a more sustainable relationship with the natural world and inspire humans’ reverence for nature.

Learn the art and science of Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku (森林浴) in one of the most beautiful forests in Japan or Thailand, and get certified to lead forest bathing groups wherever you are.