At INFOM, as a continuing event from last year, we held a special event called "Walking Forest Therapy Roads® with a Doctor" from September 2012 to February 2013. It was subsidized by the Green and Water fund which is under the auspices of the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization.

The event was held at 9 locations that were selected from a total of 48 existing Forest Therapy Base nationwide. Seven of these have opened a PR page on the INFOM website to make themselves internationally known ( namely: Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture; Yamanouchi Town, Nagano Prefecture; Agematsu Town, Nagano Prefecture; Iinan Town, Shimane Prefecture; Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture; Kitago Town, Miyazaki Prefecture and Yusuhara Town, Kochi Prefecture), and two more are scheduled to open a PR page (Tsu City, Mie Prefecture and Ohita City, Ohita Prefecture). Including the kick-off event, a total of eleven events were held.

A total of 148 people, ranging in age from 20 to 84 participated in the events. According to the questionnaire survey, a very high figure of 96% of participants reported being either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the doctors' treatment. Some of the doctors confirmed that they saw reductions in stress among participants, as participants' readings of saliva amylase measured after their return from the event were lower than those measured before the start of the event.

Reports of the events at each base were well covered by the mass media (i.e. TV, radio, the press and magazines). Iinan Town, Shimane Prefecture, where one of the events was held, has received the "Contributor to the Promotion of Green Space Development in 2012" Award from the Prime Minister. Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture, had intended to hold the event again this year, but unfortunately was unable to do so, due to the bridges and roads to the site being destroyed by floods and landslides ( caused by an unexpected severe low-pressure weather system.)

In response to requests from each Base as well as from participants, we will be holding the "Walking Forest Therapy Roads® with a Doctor" event next year as well.