Weeks 1–5 · Module 1
The Roots of Shinrin-Yoku
History, ethics, Japan, phytoncides and pathways to nature connectedness.
THE MINDFUL TOURIST · SHINRIN-YOKU GUIDE TRAINING TMT®
One shared foundation.
Three ways to become a Guide.
Whichever learning pathway you choose, your professional preparation begins with the same 10-week core curriculum. What changes is how we accompany you through your studies and practical experience: independently, through weekly mentoring, or during an immersion in Japan.
Same core curriculum
Different levels of guidance
One certification process
Shared by all three pathwaysWeeks 1–10 · The theoretical & reflective foundation
Weeks 6–10 · Module 2
心 · Kokoro — The Art of You
Well-being, sensory invitations, personal values, empathy, compassion and session design.
Find the learning experience that suits you
Where the pathways differ
The same educational foundation, with a different rhythm of meetings, mentoring and hands-on practice.
Independent and flexiblePATHWAY 01Self-paced · Online
Learn at Your Own Pace
Start at any time and progress through the course independently, with personal consultations with the founder at key milestones.
Enrol anytime · USD $599
Weeks 1–10 · Shared core
Study the same two five-week modules independently. Meet with the founder for a summative review after Module 1 and after Module 2.
Before practice · Founder consultation
Review your preparation and receive guidance before beginning the practical module.
Weeks 11–15 · Five-week practice module
Design and conduct your first four practice sessions, then complete the remaining six when you are ready.
After all requirements · Final check-out
Submit your completed practice documentation and meet with the founder for your final review.
Best for: independent learners who value flexibility and personalised milestone reviews.
Guided weekly learningPATHWAY 02Mentor-assisted · Online
Learn With Weekly Mentoring
Follow the same core programme with weekly live meetings at a scheduled time, then receive weekly support as you begin guiding.
Scheduled weekly online meetings
Weeks 1–10 · Shared core + live meetings
Study Modules 1 and 2 alongside your mentor, meeting each week at the agreed scheduled time.
Weeks 11–15 · Weekly practice mentoring
Five weeks of regular guidance as you plan, conduct and reflect on your first four practice sessions.
After Week 15 · Continue your practice
Complete the remaining minimum six practical sessions independently after the mentored module.
Once complete · Final certification review
Finish all ten sessions, submit the required evidence, and complete the final check-out.
Best for: learners who appreciate accountability, dialogue and regular support.
Immersive learning in JapanPATHWAY 03Blended · Japan
Learn in the Forests of Japan
Complete the common 10-week online foundation, then bring the learning to life through five days of in-person immersion in Japan.
Ten weeks online + five days in Japan
Weeks 1–10 · Shared online core
Complete Modules 1 and 2 before travelling to Japan.
In Japan · Five-day practice immersion
Experience guided practice, observation, reflection and session facilitation in the Japanese forest environment.
After Japan · Remaining sessions
Typically, three to four practice sessions are undertaken during immersion; complete the rest afterwards to reach ten.
Once complete · Final certification review
Submit the remaining practice documentation and complete the certification process.
Best for: learners drawn to Japan, cultural immersion and experiential fieldwork.
One professional standard, whichever pathway you choose. Certification requires ten Shinrin-Yoku sessions of at least two hours each (five individual and five group), appropriate risk assessments, session documentation, reflective evaluation and the final assessment. The full certification process is to be completed within 12 months from enrolment.
Weekly meeting times, Japan immersion dates and availability are confirmed through the relevant enrolment offer.
Discover Pathway 1
Your journey, your rhythm.
Explore our self-paced Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training, with personal consultations with the founder, practical learning, and up to one year to complete your certification. Start anytime · USD $599.
Discover Pathway 2 · Mentor-Assisted
Learn together. Grow with guidance.
Experience the same 10-week Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training curriculum with scheduled weekly meetings, followed by five weeks of guided practical training. Develop your confidence through ongoing mentoring and complete your remaining practice sessions after Module 3.
Discover Pathway 3 · Blended Training in Japan
Learn online. Experience the forest in Japan.
Begin with our shared 10-week online Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training curriculum, followed by a five-day immersive practical training experience in Japan. Deepen your understanding through direct forest experiences, develop your guiding skills, and complete the remaining practical sessions afterwards.
Questions & Answers · Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training
Curious to learn more? We're here to guide you.
Choosing a professional training is a meaningful decision. Explore our frequently asked questions about the three learning pathways, course structure, practical requirements, certification, professional standards, and the philosophy behind our approach.
森林浴 ・ Shinrin-Yoku
Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing & Forest Therapy
Explore Shinrin-Yoku through its history, science, practice and philosophy—from the study of plants and forest atmospheres to contemporary forest therapy, nature connectedness and professional guiding.
Professional Training
Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training TMT®
Three pathways support different ways of learning:
independent self-paced study, mentor-supported online
training, or blended learning combined with an immersive
practice experience in Japan.
Pathway 1
Self-Paced Online
Independent Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy Guide Training TMT®. Study the theoretical material and complete the required practical work at your own pace.
Explore Pathway 1
Pathway 2
Mentor-Assisted Online
Structured online training combining scientific foundations, reflective learning, practical work, live interaction and mentor support.
Explore Pathway 2
Pathway 3
Blended Training in Japan
Online learning combined with an immersive five-day training experience in Japan, integrating theory, sensory practice, guiding and reflection.
Explore Pathway 3
Community & Practice
Continue Exploring
Find trained guides around the world and explore invitations that can support sensory, reflective and relational engagement with forests and other natural environments.
International Community
Guide Directory
Discover trained Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy Guides in different countries and regions.
Explore Guide Directory →
Practice Resource
Invitation Directory
Explore invitations for sensory awareness, slowing down, embodied attention, reflection and relationship with nature.
Explore Invitation Directory →A forest is not a tablet. It is a living environment in which many processes occur at the same time.
Forest experience may involve air chemistry, movement, attention, sensory perception, autonomic regulation, expectation, memory, culture, ecological context and relationship. The science therefore needs to examine more than one isolated mechanism.
Scientific & Critical Overview
Explore the Field
The history and science of Shinrin-Yoku extend beyond the familiar story of Japan in 1982. Explore its historical antecedents, plant chemistry, physiological and psychological research, theories, professional tensions and philosophical questions.
History
Before Tokin & Before Shinrin-Yoku
Medicinal plants, early antimicrobial research, nature-cure traditions and forest recreation before the modern terminology appeared.
Japan · 1982
The Emergence of Shinrin-Yoku
Japanese forestry, public health, recreation and the development of modern Shinrin-Yoku.
Plant Chemistry
Phytoncides & BVOCs
Tokin's historical concept, forest volatile compounds and the need for greater chemical precision.
Physiology
Stress, HRV, Cortisol & Immunity
Autonomic, cardiovascular, endocrine and immune responses studied in forest environments.
Psychology
Mood, Anxiety & Restoration
Psychological wellbeing, perceived stress, emotional outcomes and cognitive restoration.
Embodiment
Beyond the Five Senses
Smell, sound, vision, touch, proprioception, vestibular perception and interoception.
Theory & Relationship
Biophilia, ART, SRT & Nature Connectedness
Different theoretical explanations of why relationships with natural environments may matter.
Professional Practice
Guiding, Therapy & Ethics
Guided versus unguided experience, professional identity, agency, invitations and scope of practice.
Critical Science
Limitations, Risks & Accessibility
Methodological limitations, expectancy effects, safety, environmental justice and diverse participants.
Philosophy
From Exposure to Relationship
Reciprocity, impermanence, ecological ethics and the question of how humans meet the forest.
Historical Foundations
Before Tokin. Before Shinrin-Yoku.
The history of forest-based health cannot begin in 1982. Humans had used medicinal and aromatic plants, visited forests for recreation, developed nature-based health practices and formed cultural and spiritual relationships with wooded landscapes long before the modern term Shinrin-Yoku existed.
Experimental investigation of antimicrobial effects of plant-derived substances also preceded Boris P. Tokin. His contribution was important because he developed a broader biological concept of antimicrobial substances produced by living plants.
Ancient relationships with forests should not be
retrospectively renamed Shinrin-Yoku. The relationship
is ancient; Shinrin-Yoku as a named modern concept is not.
Japan · 1982 · Terminology
From Shinrin-Yoku to Forest Therapy
Shinrin-Yoku was formally promoted in Japan in 1982 within the broader context of forestry, forest recreation and health promotion. Physiological research developed considerably during the decades that followed.
Today, Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing and forest therapy overlap considerably in international scientific and professional usage. Some institutions draw distinctions between them, while others emphasize continuity.
The more consequential distinction may not be between
“forest bathing” and “forest therapy,” but between
facilitating a therapeutic experience and claiming to
provide clinical treatment.
Plant Chemistry
Tokin, Phytoncides & Forest BVOCs
The term phytoncide has become closely associated with forest bathing, but it should not be used as a vague synonym for everything released by trees.
Contemporary environmental chemistry more precisely examines biogenic volatile organic compounds such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Their concentration varies according to species, climate, season, temperature, sunlight and ecological conditions.
Not every forest volatile compound is antimicrobial,
and not every antimicrobial plant substance is volatile.
Human Physiology
Autonomic Regulation, Cortisol & Immune Function
Forest exposure has been associated with short-term changes in heart rate, blood pressure, heart-rate variability and cortisol. Research has also explored natural killer-cell activity and other immune markers.
These findings are scientifically interesting but need careful interpretation. Changes in biomarkers should not automatically be translated into claims of disease prevention or treatment.
An increase in an immune marker is not equivalent to
evidence that forest bathing prevents cancer.
Psychology & Wellbeing
Stress, Mood, Anxiety & Restoration
Psychological outcomes represent one of the more consistent areas of forest-bathing research. Studies frequently report short-term reductions in perceived stress, tension, negative mood and anxiety.
Yet forest-bathing studies are difficult to blind. Participants usually know they are entering a forest and may know the expected outcome. Expectation therefore needs to be studied rather than ignored.
Sensory & Embodied Experience
Beyond the Five Senses
Forest experience involves sight, sound, smell and touch, but the human sensory system extends considerably further. Proprioception, vestibular processing, interoception, temperature and bodily orientation also contribute to an embodied encounter.
The forest is therefore not simply viewed. It is walked through, smelled, heard, touched, balanced within and perceived through the body.
Theory & Nature Connectedness
Why Might Nature Restore Us?
Stress Reduction Theory, Attention Restoration Theory and Biophilia offer different explanations for human responses to natural environments. Each contributes useful perspectives, but none provides a complete explanation.
Nature connectedness adds another dimension. Physical presence in a forest does not necessarily mean that a meaningful relationship with nature is formed.
Exposure and connection are related, but they are
not the same thing.
Guided Practice & Ethics
What Does a Forest Therapy Guide Actually Do?
A forest does not require a guide in order to affect a human being. Guided practice therefore needs a more specific justification than simply providing access to nature.
A guide may contribute through safety, pacing, sensory engagement, invitations, group facilitation, accessibility and the gradual creation of conditions in which participants can develop greater autonomy.
The guide does not manufacture the participant's
experience. The guide helps create conditions in
which experience can emerge.
Critical Science
Limitations, Safety & Accessibility
Forest-bathing research faces persistent methodological challenges: small samples, heterogeneous interventions, short follow-up, variable forest environments, expectancy effects and difficulty identifying a meaningful control condition.
Nature is also not universally relaxing or accessible. Terrain, weather, allergens, disability, previous experience, perceived safety and cultural context can substantially alter the experience.
The scientifically useful question is not simply
“Does nature help?” but “For whom, where, when,
how and according to which outcome?”
Philosophy & Ecological Ethics
From Forest as Intervention to Forest as Relationship
Biomedical research understandably asks what measurable change follows exposure to a forest. Yet treating the forest only as an intervention can reduce a living ecosystem to a service supplied for human wellbeing.
A relational perspective asks another question: what takes place between a particular human being and a particular living environment?
This opens questions of reciprocity, impermanence, care, ecological responsibility, place attachment and the possibility that nature connectedness develops through repeated relationship rather than exposure alone.
森の心・人の心
How does the human meet the forest?
The future of forest therapy may depend less on proving that forests are medicines and more on developing a science capable of understanding sensory experience, physiology, meaning and relationship without reducing the forest to a molecule, a score or a prescription.