244 / 308
森林浴 shinrin yoku
Taking a bath in forest air.
What does shinrin yoku mean?
Walking slowly among trees with no goal, no distance target and ideally no phone. The word treats fresh forest air as something you soak in, like hot water.
Example
週末は森林浴でもして頭を空っぽにしたい。
This weekend I want to walk in the woods and empty my head.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
Culture note
Coined in 1982 by Japan's forestry agency as a health campaign. It later travelled the world as forest bathing, complete with research papers.
The story behind shinrin yoku
This one has a birthday. Japan's forestry agency coined shinrin yoku in 1982 as a public health slogan, modelled on words the country already had: kaisuiyoku for sea bathing, nikkoyoku for sunbathing. Add forest to that list and the air itself becomes something you soak in, like hot water. That single image did more work than any leaflet could.
Then the slogan outgrew the campaign. Researchers began measuring what a slow walk under trees does to blood pressure and mood, trails were certified for the purpose, and the phrase sailed abroad as forest bathing. The rules remain gloriously simple. No summit, no step count, no phone. Walk slowly, breathe, look up.
Get shinrin yoku in your pocket
森林浴 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
