The word shinrin-yoku — forest bathing — originated in Japan, where it developed over decades from a loosely defined public health idea into a structured practice with documented physiological research behind it. Studies have measured its effects on blood pressure, cortisol levels, and immune function. That research eventually shaped something concrete: a certification system administered by the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan, with trained guides and designated trails that have undergone physiological testing at individual sites.
If you’re visiting Japan with an interest in both its natural landscapes and its approach to sustainability, the forest therapy network around Tokyo is worth knowing about. Within roughly two hours of central Tokyo, there are certified forest therapy sites, nationally designated conservation areas, and — in one case — a garden that earned a rare environmental classification from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment in 2025.
This article covers seven places that appear in the Forest Therapy Society’s certified network or hold a national environmental designation, plus one non-certified inn included for its documented nature-based qualities. We used official sources throughout — certification registries, facility websites, and government agency pages — and separated what we could confirm from what we couldn’t. Whether you’re planning a day trip or an overnight stay, the goal is to give you the information to make your own decision — including the option of skipping all of it.
How We Selected These Places
Not being listed here doesn’t mean a place isn’t doing meaningful work. Our selection criteria focus on what was publicly verifiable.
- Official forest therapy certification Listed by the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan as a certified Shinrin-yoku Base (Mori no Therapy Kichi) or Forest Therapy Road (Therapy Road), with the certification confirmed on official registries
- Guided programs with certified therapists A forest therapy assistant or nature guide accompanies visitors, with programs described on the official facility or organization website
- Third-party sustainability certification Recognition by an international or government body — such as Japan’s Ministry of the Environment “Nature Coexistence Site” (OECM) designation — publicly disclosed by the facility
- Documented conservation practices Specific commitments to native species protection, pesticide-free management, or biodiversity conservation, confirmed on official facility pages
All information reflects what was publicly available in May 2026, based on official websites and certification registries.
Related article: What Is Shinrin-Yoku? The Meaning, Science, and Philosophyof Forest Bathing
A Note on Japan’s Forest Therapy Certification System
Before diving in, it helps to understand how the certification works — because the terminology matters when you’re choosing where to go.
The NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan administers two types of certification. A Forest Therapy Base (Shinrin-ryoho Kichi) covers an entire forest area as a designated therapeutic environment and must include more than two certified Therapy Roads. A Forest Therapy Road (Shinrin-ryoho Rodo) certifies a specific trail and requires physiological and psychological effect studies — measuring indicators such as stress hormones, blood pressure, and pulse rates — conducted at that site. The extent and rigor of this testing varies by location; the Society’s site describes the framework, but individual site documentation is not always publicly available in detail.
Certification is granted to the area or trail, not to individual hotels, inns, or restaurants within it. When this article notes that an accommodation is near a certified area, that means proximity, not endorsement. The distinction matters.
The Places
1. Okutama Forest Therapy — General Foundation of Okutama
Location | Okutama area, western Tokyo / JR Ōme Line to Okutama Station, approx. 2 hours from central Tokyo
About this place
In 2008, Okutama Town became the first municipality in Tokyo to receive Forest Therapy Base certification. The town has five designated therapy roads across its mountain forests, and the General Foundation of Okutama (Okutama Chiiki Shinkō Zaidan) runs regular guided tours for the public.
What we verified
The foundation’s official website lists guided tours held regularly throughout the year, led by certified forest therapy assistants. Tours depart from Okutama Station. Optional blood pressure measurement is available. Seasonal programs — forest yoga, soba-making, pottery — are offered alongside the standard walks. Schedules change by season; check the official site for current dates.
For overnight stays, Okutama Town maintains a designation called Yuuyado (healing inn) for accommodations linked to the therapy program. Four inns appear on the foundation’s official list: Hatonosu-so (along Hatonosu Gorge, dinner uses local Akigawa beef and Okutama yamame trout), Arasawaya Ryokan (five minutes’ walk from Okutama Station, traditional irori hearth), Gyokusuisou (three minutes from Okutama Station, rooms overlooking the Tama River), and Yamabatonososonoyado (along Hatonosu Gorge, popular with older hikers). None of these inns independently provide guide services — guided walks are arranged through the foundation’s programs.
Best for
Visitors who want structured, repeatable access to a certified forest environment. The foundation runs family programs where adults and children follow separate itineraries, meeting up afterward. Day trips and overnight stays are both practical from Tokyo.
Things to know
Most of Okutama’s therapy roads involve significant elevation change. The Toke Trail is the gentler exception. Check trail details before visiting if you have mobility concerns. The Yuuyado designation may change; confirm current status on the foundation’s website.
Check the details
Rakuten Travel
2. Yamashiro Farmhouse Inn / Hinohara Tokyo Citizens’ Forest
Location | Hinohara Village, Kazuma area, western Tokyo / JR Itsukaichi Line to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, then bus approx. 60 min to “Kazuma” stop, 1-min walk
About this place
Hinohara Village received Japan’s first Forest Therapy Road certification in Tokyo in 2007 — a trail-specific designation, distinct from the area-wide Base certification that Okutama received the following year. Four kilometers from the village’s Kazuma bus stop is the Tokyo Metropolitan Hinohara Citizens’ Forest, a 197-hectare mountain park with hiking trails through beech forest at elevations between 1,000 and 1,500 meters.
Yamashiro is a traditional farmhouse inn (kominka) that has operated on this land for generations, with roots traced back to 1336. It accepts a maximum of one to two groups per night by reservation only. The inn’s listing describes it as a registered tangible cultural property under Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs — we recommend verifying this independently in the Agency’s database.
What we verified
The inn’s official website includes directions to the Citizens’ Forest, noting a free connecting bus from the Kazuma stop (approx. 8 minutes). The Citizens’ Forest itself offers a wood crafting center open without prior reservation. The forest is generally closed on Mondays; a telephone service (042-598-6700) provides current status.
Yamashiro does not offer guide programs. What it offers is something harder to schedule: a quiet, centuries-old farmhouse in one of Tokyo’s most remote inhabited valleys, with no more than two other groups present.
Best for
Travelers who want to combine a certified forest walk with an immersive stay in rural Tokyo — far removed from the city’s pace. Those drawn to Japanese vernacular architecture and slow travel.
Things to know
Yamashiro is not itself a certified forest therapy facility. Its value lies in proximity to Hinohara’s certified therapy road. Reservations fill up quickly, especially in fall foliage season.
Check the details
Rakuten Travel
3. Hakone Ashinoko Forest Therapy Base (Mori no Fureau-kan)
Location | Hakone, Lake Ashi western shore area, Kanagawa Prefecture / Hakone Town Forest Contact Center (Mori no Fureau-kan)
About this place
In March 2016, the area around Lake Ashi in Hakone received Forest Therapy Base certification from the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan. The base facility is the Hakone Town Forest Contact Center (Mori no Fureau-kan). Two certified therapy roads run through the area: the Kuzuryuu Forest and the Hakone Healing Forest.
Hakone is one of the most visited destinations in Japan, roughly 90 minutes from Tokyo by train. This particular part of it — the western shore of Lake Ashi — sits away from the main tourist circuits.
What we verified
The Hakone Healing Forest road is nearly flat, with a plaza accessible by wheelchair with assistance. The contact center offers stress measurement using salivary amylase testing. Craft workshops and nature quiz activities are available, making this one of the more accessible entry points for children or visitors unfamiliar with forest therapy. A local consortium called Hakone no Mori Consortium Japan (Hakojo) organizes regular guided forest walks, forest yoga sessions, and other therapy events.
The center documents plant and bird species recorded in the forest; for current counts, check the official site directly.
Best for
First-time forest therapy visitors. Travelers with limited mobility. Families with young children. Anyone combining Hakone sightseeing with a quieter natural experience.
Things to know
The certified Forest Therapy Base covers the Lake Ashi western shore area — specifically the Kuzuryuu and Healing Forest zones. This is geographically separate from Hakone’s more famous areas (Gora, Owakudani, the hot spring town). Event schedules and fees change seasonally; check the official site.
Check the details
Hakone Town Forest Contact Center
Hakone Town forest therapy information
4. Hakone Gora Onsen Mizunokori
Location | Hakone, Gora area, Kanagawa Prefecture / Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Hayakawa-Yama Station, 15-min walk
About this place
Mizunokori is not part of the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan’s certification network. It is included here as a nature-based stay — a small hot spring inn in a mountain setting with a documented therapeutic offering that differs from the other entries in this article. Readers looking only for certified forest therapy sites can skip to the next entry.
Mizunokori is a seven-room hot spring inn tucked into the far end of the Hayakawa-Yama villa district in Gora. It sources its milky white nigori-yu (cloudy spring water) directly from Owakudani, one of Hakone’s volcanic vents, and runs it as a free-flowing bath.
What we verified
The inn’s standout offering is fango therapy — a treatment using volcanic spring mud (biofango) sourced from Owakudani. The spring water is aged over a period of continuous flow before use. The inn’s official website describes it as the only place in the Kanto region offering this treatment. That claim is the inn’s own; we have not independently verified it against other operators. Pricing and availability change; check the official site.
The outdoor bath faces Mt. Myojogatake. The inn closes its outdoor facilities from December through March.
We’re including Mizunokori here not as a forest therapy certified property — it has no connection to the NPO’s certification network — but as a documented example of a small inn offering a nature-based therapeutic experience in a mountain environment. Its location in Gora is geographically distant from the certified Forest Therapy Base on Lake Ashi’s western shore.
Best for
Travelers prioritizing thermal therapy and physical recovery. Those interested in volcanic onsen culture. Visitors looking for a quiet, small-scale alternative to Hakone’s larger resort hotels.
Things to know
No forest therapy certification applies to this property. Fango appointments are recommended in advance. Outdoor baths are seasonal.
Check the details
Yahoo!Travel
Jalan
5. Nanasawa Forest Park (Kanagawa Prefectural)
Location | Atsugi, Nanasawa area, Kanagawa Prefecture / Odakyu Line to Hon-Atsugi Station, then bus to “Hirozawaji Onsen-guchi” stop, 7-min walk
About this place
At 644,000 square meters, Nanasawa Forest Park is the largest urban park in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Atsugi area, which includes Nanasawa, appears in the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan’s regional network pages, though the park’s own website does not explicitly state a Forest Therapy Base or Road certification. We are including it here based on its documented conservation programs and its position within the broader Atsugi forest therapy area. There are no accommodations in the park.
What we verified
The park’s official website describes a recurring satoyama (traditional rural landscape) conservation program. Participants prune the secondary growth forest themselves, then cook outdoors using the wood they’ve cut. This is documented as an ongoing maintenance activity, not a packaged tour. Fees and frequency may change; check the official site for current information.
The park also maintains a craft workshop space (Mori no Atelier) for pottery and woodworking, and a folklore corner (Mori no Minwakan). The landscape shifts visibly across seasons: cherry blossoms in April, rhododendron in May, hydrangea from June through July, and fall foliage in late autumn.
Best for
Visitors who want active participation in forest stewardship rather than a guided walk. Families looking for a half-day outdoor experience within easy reach of central Kanagawa. Those staying in the Atsugi or Odakyu corridor.
Things to know
No overnight facilities. Nearby Nanasawa Onsen has several ryokan-style inns. For guided forest therapy walk details, contact the park management office at 046-247-9870 or check the official site.
Check the details
6. Kitamoto Forest Therapy (Sunameti Kitamoto Camp Field)
Location | Kitamoto area, Saitama Prefecture / JR Takasaki Line to Kitamoto Station, then bus or on foot
About this place
Kitamoto was the first municipality in Saitama Prefecture to receive Forest Therapy Base certification. The certified area borders the Kitamoto Nature Observation Park, a forest that retains the character of the Musashino woodland that once covered much of the Kanto Plain. The anchor facility is Sunameti Kitamoto Camp Field, which offers both day programs and overnight camping.
What we verified
Certified guides lead regular forest therapy tours. One documented experience is the Forest Break — lying down in a grove of zelkova trees and feeling the ground beneath you. The official site describes the experience as a deliberate pause, a way of receiving the forest rather than moving through it. Program names and schedules are subject to change; check the official site for current offerings.
The paths are flat, surfaced with wood chips and boardwalks, which keeps physical demands low. Kitamoto is approximately one hour from central Tokyo — the closest certified forest therapy site to the city in this article.
Best for
First-time visitors to forest therapy. Families with children, and older visitors who prefer flat terrain. Travelers with limited time who still want a certified experience. Those who want to combine forest therapy with a night of camping.
Things to know
Tour schedules require advance booking through the official site. Camping reservations are separate from the therapy program booking.
Check the details
Jalan
7. Taibusamizaki Natural Park (Campground)
Location | Minamiboso, Tomiura area, Chiba Prefecture / Tomitate-Tateyama Expressway to Tomiura IC, approx. 8 min by car; or JR Uchibo Line to Tomiura Station
About this place
In March 2014, Minamiboso City became the first municipality in Chiba Prefecture — and the 57th nationwide — to receive Forest Therapy Base certification. Taibusamizaki Natural Park sits within this certified area, on a wooded cape extending into the Pacific. The park includes a visitor center, observation deck, campground, and lodge.
What we verified
A program called the “Sea and Forest Therapy Walk” runs year-round, led by local certified guides. The route passes through a dense stand of matebashii (a broadleaf evergreen), includes hammock time in the forest canopy, and ends at the shoreline with beachcombing. Participants encounter bird calls, filtered light, and the smell of the sea in close proximity. The program accommodates groups from one to eighty people; bookings close three days before each session. Contact: phone 0470-28-5307 or email info@cm-boso.com. Prices are subject to change; check current rates on the official site.
The campground has two sites. From the headland, the Pacific is visible at night.
Best for
Travelers who want to experience both forest and ocean in a single visit. Those driving from central Tokyo or Yokohama (roughly 90 minutes). Larger groups, families, or couples — the program’s capacity range is unusually wide.
Things to know
The campground is occasionally reserved for group bookings or park maintenance. Verify availability before planning.
Check the details
Taibusamizaki Natural Park
Forest therapy information (Minamiboso City)
8. Moeginomura Hotel Hut Walden
Location | Kiyosato, southern Yatsugatake area, Yamanashi Prefecture / JR Koumi Line to Kiyosato Station, approx. 10-min walk
About this place
Hotel Hut Walden sits within Moeginomura — a village-scale resort in the Kiyosato highlands at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. In February 2025, the garden surrounding the hotel, called Natural Gardens MOEGI, received designation as a “Nature Coexistence Site” (OECM) by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. At the time of the Ministry’s announcement, it was the fourth such designation in Yamanashi Prefecture and the first in Hokuto City. For the current list of designated sites, check the Ministry’s official registry.
What we verified
Natural Gardens MOEGI is a 32,000-square-meter garden developed under the supervision of landscape designer Paul Smither starting in 2012. It is managed without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers and supports over 700 plant species, including endangered native varieties. The garden received its OECM designation as a privately managed area contributing to Japan’s obligations under the global “30×30” biodiversity target — the international commitment to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030.
Hotel guests have access to the full garden. From May through November, free informal garden talks (Garden Talk) are held at the on-site information space, Niwa Tekuteku. Dinner is a multi-course menu created by a head chef who holds a vegetable sommelier certification, using produce from the surrounding Yatsugatake and South Alps region.
Best for
Travelers with an interest in native plant ecology or biodiversity conservation. Those looking for accommodations with documented, third-party-verified environmental commitments. Anyone wanting a mountain highland retreat accessible by train from Tokyo (approximately 2.5 hours by limited express from Shinjuku).
Things to know
The hotel is closed on certain dates between January and March. Garden Talk schedules vary; check the official site. This property is not affiliated with the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan’s certification network. Its documented environmental value comes through the Ministry of the Environment’s OECM designation.
Check the details
Rakuten Travel
Ikkyu
Before You Go: What to Double-Check
One entry in this article is not a certified forest therapy site. Hakone Gora Onsen Mizunokori (entry 4) is included as a nature-based stay with documented therapeutic qualities, but it has no affiliation with the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan’s certification system. Nanasawa Forest Park (entry 5) appears in the Society’s regional pages but its individual certification status is not explicitly confirmed on the park’s own official site; we have noted this in the entry.
Certification applies to areas, not individual businesses. When this article notes that an inn or campground is located within or near a certified forest therapy area, that refers to geography, not endorsement. Hotels, restaurants, and tour operators in a certified area are not automatically certified themselves.
Two types of certification exist, and they differ in scope. A Forest Therapy Base (Shinrin-ryoho Kichi) covers an entire forest environment and must include more than two certified Therapy Roads. A Forest Therapy Road (Shinrin-ryoho Rodo) certifies a specific trail following physiological and psychological studies conducted at that site. Both are issued by the NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan.
Information changes. Certification status, program offerings, prices, and business hours are subject to update. Verify directly with each facility before your visit. The NPO Forest Therapy Society of Japan maintains a searchable registry of all certified sites at https://fo-society.jp/.
All information in this article is based on official sources as of May 2026.
A Final Note
The word shinrin-yoku is now used across health magazines, wellness apps, and tourism campaigns far beyond Japan. Something tends to get lost in that translation — the specificity of the original concept, the decades of physiological research, the infrastructure of trained guides and certified trails that Japan built around it.
The places in this article are connected, in different ways, to that infrastructure. Some are certified base areas with regular guided programs. One is a privately managed garden that qualified for a national biodiversity designation. One is a farmhouse inn near a certified trail that has been in the same family for nearly seven centuries.
What draws you to the idea of forest bathing in Japan — and what would make the experience feel real to you?
All information is based on official sources verified in May 2026. Certification status, program details, pricing, and operating hours may change. Please confirm directly with each facility before your visit.
