Kunimi Forest Therapy, Mt. Shiso

Kunimi Forest Therapy at Mt. Shiso has a guided course you can sign up for with a forest therapy guide. I went with friends and we took a small monorail to the top. The course follows the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, also known as "forest bathing" / "forest therapy" where you immerse yourself in nature using all your senses to help reduce stress and improve your health. 

It was a great way to slow down. The guide informed us about some of the plants on the trail, and we also walked in silence for a portion of the trial to really hear the sounds of nature around us. At one point he surprised us with hammocks! We set them up and relaxed for a few minutes, and afterwards we drank some tea from a spice bush that is grown by the park. Forest bathing is a wonderful way to reconnect with nature and slow down in our busy, fast-paced world. This was such a relaxing, refreshing experience, and I can't wait to enjoy nature more often and mindfully with all 5 senses in the future.