The Role of the Natural Environment in Mental Wellbeing in Japan: Past, Present, and Future

Climate change is poised to completely upend life in Japan. Rising temperatures and an increasing frequency of heavy rains, high waves and storm surges spells disaster for the island nation, which will be subject to increases in heat stroke cases, declines in water and rice quality, an expansion in the distributions of agricultural pests, and an increased risk of drought (Japan Weather Association, 2013). While this list may sound awful enough, it does not even include perhaps the worst effect of climate change: the severe degradation of the mental health of the citizenry, a product of the trauma induced by the extreme weather events associated with climate change.

Now by what means will climate change wreak such havoc in Japan? The natural environment. Water, air, plants, and animals will be instruments of destruction in its hands, the tools with which climate change does its ruinous work.

It wasn’t always this way.

In times past, and even into the present, the natural environment functioned in the opposite capacity, as a boon to mental health for the Japanese; the advent of climate change threatens to reverse this role, transforming nature into the ruiner of the human psyche.

The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, effectively utilizes nature to promote mental wellbeing. While its form as a distinct practice is a more recent development, done by the Japanese government in the 1980s to encourage more frequent usage of public lands, forest bathing has ancient roots, being based on “cultural respect and reverence for the natural world and the interactions with the landscape that occur as a result” (Beil, 2019). More than a simple stroll through the woods, forest bathing is an immersive experience where one is “mindfully present with the surrounding forest” as “the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment support and comfort [the] person” and transports them away from “the concerns and distractions of … life” (Beil, 2019).

The purported psychological benefits that arise from such a practice is supported by a large body of research. In an experiment conducted on the effects of shinrin-yoku, researchers found that it was an effective stress reduction method, and that it was “advantageous with respect to acute emotions, especially among those experiencing chronic stress” (Morita et al., 2007). This can be attributed, in part,

to the mindful walking that underlies the practice, which has been found useful in reducing “subjectively perceived symptoms of stress” (Teut et al., 2013). Forest bathing has also been found to promote positive mood states; the nature connectedness that arises from such a nature-based practice is “positively associated with vitality, positive affect and life satisfaction” as well as a sense of “meaning and purpose in life” (Mantler & Logan, 2015; Passmore & Howell, 2014). Other reported benefits include improved attention and memory, with student and worker performance being enhanced by the natural scenery observed in forest bathing, as well as a reduction of symptoms in those with PTSD (Beil, 2019).

The proven effectiveness of forest bathing has resulted in its widespread adoption into the present in Japan. Forest bathing is a federally recognized health intervention in Japan, with special land designated as “Forest Therapy Bases” that “provide forest bathing experiences to locals and visitors” (Beil, 2019). There are presently 62 centers across the country, equipped with services such as signage and on-site health experts in order to help guests obtain all the psychological benefits nature has to offer.

With the advent of climate change, this function of nature is under threat of reversal.

As Earth’s lower atmosphere becomes increasingly warm and moist, there is greater energy available for extreme weather conditions; for Japan, these primarily include heavy downpours, floods, droughts, and floods. The same trees, soil, and other natural elements that have been nurturing proper mental health for the Japanese for centuries will work to destroy peoples’ psyches. Extreme weather catastrophes have been observed to cause “acute trauma … post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety” as well as feelings of hopelessness and cynicism that can lead to “substance abuse, family issues, and even intergroup conflict” (Steinberg & Sprigg, 2016). With trauma symptoms lasting for years after the occurrence of the event, this damage to the psyche is by no means transient. Extreme weather events can also aggravate existing mental health problems in affected communities or even give rise to more psychological issues. The estimated 5 million that live with mental health issues in Japan would be subject to a worsening of their mental condition due to the adverse psychological impacts of extreme weather events.

With the devastation that these extreme weather events wrought, it is not surprising that these psychological issues develop. Flooding destroys residential and commercial properties, forcing populations to migrate to higher ground and ripping apart the social fabric of these communities. Drought exacerbates inequities in water distribution, leading to interruptions in school attendance among children and the destruction of farmers’ livelihood. Climate change and extreme weather events can induce physical maladies, such as heat-related illnesses, respiratory and cardiovascular ailments from worsened air quality, and infections such as Japanese encephalitis from the abundance of mosquitoes and other pests given the increasingly warm weather.

Included in this list, but often ignored, is the cultural conflict that will occur due to transregional human displacement. In Japan, a number of areas are predicted to go underwater, such as large swaths of Osaka and Tokyo. It is estimated that the submersion, a product of storms and coastal flooding, will displace more than 6 million persons, the majority of whom will have to settle in mainland Asia. Being viewed by those who receive them as “‘a threat to their culture … and as competitors'” and experiencing cultural and racial discrimination as a consequence of this migration leaves Japanese “climate refugees” vulnerable to negative mental health impacts (Steinberg & Sprigg, 2016).

The best course of action in mitigating the mental health impacts of climate change is to tackle the root of the problem; however, given Japan’s record of climate inaction, there appears to be very little chance of serious measures being taken to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the global warming trend. The next best option is to manage the climate change-related physical impacts and the consequent psychological impacts. Governments and local communities must cooperate to prepare comprehensive long-term action plans to encourage extreme weather event preparedness and mitigation. There must be an incorporation of early warning systems, continuous environment monitoring, and community preparations to mitigate physical impacts of extreme weather.

On the mental health front, there should be an implementation of World Health Organization guidelines on handling post-disaster mental health challenges. The recommendations outlined two phases of mental health care: acute emergency and reconsolidation. The acute emergency phase is focused on “managing urgent psychiatric complaints and organizing outreach and non-intrusive emotional support”, while the reconsolidation phase is concerned with “longer-term social and psychological interventions” such as “teaching mental health skills to primary health care workers” and patient follow-up (Steinberg & Sprigg, 2016). These activities operate within the bounds of already existing mental health systems and practices to provide a satisfactory mental health response in the wake of extreme weather events. Work must also be done to help individuals develop proper coping mechanisms in order to alleviate trauma symptoms; this is reliant on mental health professionals becoming future-oriented and ready to respond to mental health challenges that will inevitably arise after climate change-related weather events. These actions are essential to being prepared for the devastating psychological impacts of nature’s role reversal on the Japanese populace.