{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T15:14:14Z","timestamp":1786115654945,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research for Priority Areas of Cancer","award":["17015018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17015018"]}]},{"name":"Innovative Areas","award":["221S0001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["221S0001"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grants","award":["16H06277"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["16H06277"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grants","award":["18K11065"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["18K11065"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grants","award":["21H02246"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21H02246"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grants","award":["22H04923"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["22H04923"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grants","award":["23K21219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["23K21219"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001700","name":"Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001700","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/048rj2z13","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health","IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>A number of studies have examined the acute effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), or forest walking; however, only a limited number of epidemiological studies have examined the association between habitual forest walking and daily health. The aim of this study was to examine the association of daily happiness, the Japanese concept of ikigai, and enjoyment of daily life with the frequency of forest walking. We used data from the secondary survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Daiko study for this cross-sectional study. A total of 3472 participants (2518 women) were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analysis showed that the aORs for frequency of feeling happy, degree of happiness, ikigai, and daily life enjoyment were 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29\u20132.28), 1.54 (95% CI: 1.14\u20132.09), 1.65 (95% CI: 1.25\u20132.20), and 2.38 (95% CI: 1.60\u20133.35), respectively, for those who reported going for forest walks at least once per month when those who reported rarely engaging in this practice served as the reference. This study found that the frequency of forest walking was associated with daily happiness, ikigai, and enjoyment of daily life, suggesting that occasional forest bathing may lead to improved well-being and quality of life.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23081020","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T10:38:08Z","timestamp":1785839888000},"page":"1020","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Associations of Happiness, Ikigai, and Enjoyment of Daily Life with Frequency of Forest Walking in a Japanese General Population: The Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Daiko Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Emi","family":"Morita","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Forest Research and Management Organization, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba 305-8687, Ibaraki, Japan"},{"name":"International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8577, Ibaraki, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5156-4880","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sayo","family":"Kawai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute 480-1195, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7417-5693","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tae","family":"Sasakabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute 480-1195, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rieko","family":"Okada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yoko","family":"Kubo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yoko","family":"Mitsuda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yasufumi","family":"Kato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takashi","family":"Matsunaga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1196-146X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mako","family":"Nagayoshi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takashi","family":"Tamura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kenji","family":"Wakai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (2011). State of the World Forests 2011, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Available online: http:\/\/www.fao.org\/docrep\/013\/i2000e\/i2000e.pdf."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1007\/s004840050064","article-title":"Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing and walking) effectively decreases blood glucose levels in diabetic patients","volume":"41","author":"Ohtsuka","year":"1998","journal-title":"Int. J. Biometeorol."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Cabinet Office of Government of Japan (2025, March 04). The Opinion Poll on Forests and Life 2023, (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Stier-Jarmer, M., Throner, V., Kirschneck, M., Immich, G., Frisch, D., and Schuh, A. (2021). The psychological and physical effects of forests on human health: A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18041770"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hansen, M.M., Jones, R., and Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy: A state-of-the-art review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph14080851"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ideno, Y., Hayashi, K., Abe, Y., Ueda, K., Iso, H., Noda, M., Lee, J.S., and Suzuki, S. (2017). Blood pressure-lowering effect of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing): A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 17.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12906-017-1912-z"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"337","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-020-00363-4","article-title":"Effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"20","author":"Kotera","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Ment. Health Addctn."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1117","DOI":"10.1007\/s00484-019-01717-x","article-title":"Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"63","author":"Antonelli","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Biometeorol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1186\/1751-0759-5-13","article-title":"A before and after comparison of the effects of forest walking on the sleep of a community-based sample of people with sleep complaints","volume":"5","author":"Morita","year":"2011","journal-title":"Biopsychosoc. Med."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhe.2006.05.024","article-title":"Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction","volume":"121","author":"Morita","year":"2007","journal-title":"Public Health"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Subirana-Malaret, M., Mir\u00f3, A., Camacho, A., Gesse, A., and McEwan, K. (2023). A multi-country study assessing the mechanisms of natural elements and sociodemographics behind the impact of forest bathing on well-being. Forests, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/f14050904"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1655","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(08)61689-X","article-title":"Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: An observational population study","volume":"372","author":"Mitchell","year":"2008","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e264","DOI":"10.1097\/EE9.0000000000000264","article-title":"Disparities in greenspace associated with sleep duration among adolescent children in Southern California","volume":"7","author":"Zhong","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"413","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sleh.2018.08.001","article-title":"Exposure to neighborhood green space and sleep: Evidence from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin","volume":"4","author":"Johnson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sleep Health"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e003094","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2013-003094","article-title":"Does access to neighbourhood green space promote a healthy duration of sleep? Novel findings from a cross-sectional study of 259 319 Australians","volume":"3","author":"Feng","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100074","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhip.2020.100074","article-title":"Association between forest and greenspace walking and stress-coping skills among workers of Tsukuba Science City, Japan: A cross-sectional study","volume":"2","author":"Ikeda","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Health Pract."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Morita, E., Kadotani, H., Yamada, N., Sasakabe, T., Kawai, S., Naito, M., Tamura, T., and Wakai, K. (2024). The inverse association between the frequency of forest walking (shinrin-yoku) and the prevalence of insomnia symptoms in the general Japanese population: A Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Daiko study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph21030350"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1007\/s12199-010-0197-3","article-title":"No association between the frequency of forest walking and blood pressure levels or the prevalence of hypertension in a cross-sectional study of a Japanese population","volume":"16","author":"Morita","year":"2011","journal-title":"Environ. Health Prev. Med."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"489","article-title":"Frequency of forest walking is not associated with prevalence of hypertension based on cross-sectional studies of a general Japanese population: A reconfirmation by the J-MICC Daiko Study","volume":"81","author":"Morita","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nagoya J. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Capaldi, C.A., Dopko, R.L., and Zelenski, J.M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Front. Psychol., 5.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2014.00976"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"afaf318.050","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afaf318.050","article-title":"What do we know about ikigai (purpose in life) in research on ageing, health and wellbeing? A rapid literature review","volume":"54","author":"Kodate","year":"2025","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"(2026, June 26). Digital Daijisen Dictionary. (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychores.2017.02.013","article-title":"Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and incident functional disability in elderly Japanese: The Tsurugaya Project","volume":"95","author":"Mori","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Psychosom. Res."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.2333\/bhmk.42.191","article-title":"Sense of \u201cikigai\u201d (reason for living) and social support in the Asia-Pacific region","volume":"42","author":"Park","year":"2015","journal-title":"Behaviormetrika"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.31662\/jmaj.2020-0027","article-title":"Epidemiologic research on healthy life expectancy and proposal for its extension: A revised English version of Japanese in the Journal of the Japan Medical Association 2019; 148(9): 1781\u20131784","volume":"3","author":"Tsuji","year":"2020","journal-title":"JMA J."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"718","DOI":"10.1525\/eth.1996.24.4.02a00060","article-title":"The Stuff of Dreams, Fading: Ikigai and \u201cThe Japanese Self\u201d","volume":"24","author":"Mathews","year":"1996","journal-title":"Ethos"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"419","DOI":"10.1007\/s11482-017-9532-9","article-title":"On the Concept of Well-Being in Japan: Feeling Shiawase as Hedonic Well-Being and Feeling Ikigai as Eudaimonic Well-Being","volume":"13","author":"Kumano","year":"2018","journal-title":"Appl. Res. Qual. Life"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"615","DOI":"10.46747\/cfp.7110615","article-title":"Ikigai: Rethinking fulfillment in medicine","volume":"71","author":"Moonen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Can. Fam. Physician"},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (2026, June 17). Survey on Older Adults\u2019 Health Awareness, Available online: https:\/\/www8.cao.go.jp\/kourei\/ishiki\/h08_sougou\/a_15.html."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (2025). White Paper on the Labour Economy 2025."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hajek, A., Imai, T., Zwar, L., and K\u00f6nig, H.H. (2024). Translation and validation of the German version of the Ikigai-9. Societies, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/soc14030039"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1097\/PSY.0b013e31817e7e64","article-title":"Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan: Ohsaki Study","volume":"70","author":"Sone","year":"2008","journal-title":"Psychosom. Med."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.2188\/jea.JE2007388","article-title":"Effect of having a sense of purpose in life on the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases","volume":"18","author":"Koizumi","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"100391","article-title":"Ikigai and subsequent health and wellbeing among Japanese older adults: Longitudinal outcome-wide analysis","volume":"21","author":"Okuzono","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Reg. Health West. Pac."},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"187","article-title":"Study profile on baseline survey of Daiko Study in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study)","volume":"73","author":"Morita","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nagoya J. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"454","DOI":"10.1007\/s10310-012-0375-9","article-title":"Large-scale survey of frequency of forest walking and related factors in a Japanese population inhabiting a large city, and comparison of an urban area and a rural area","volume":"18","author":"Morita","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. For. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"Aichi Prefecture (2023). Annual Report on Forestry Statistics, Fiscal Year 2021, Aichi Prefecture. (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"Forestry Agency (2025, March 04). Percentage of Forested Area and Planted Forests by Prefecture, (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e469","DOI":"10.1016\/S2542-5196(19)30215-3","article-title":"Green spaces and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies","volume":"3","author":"Nieuwenhuijsen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Planet. Health"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118990","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2022.118990","article-title":"Green space and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review with meta-analysis","volume":"301","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105261","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ebiom.2024.105261","article-title":"Credibility of the evidence on green space and human health: An overview of meta-analyses using evidence grading approaches","volume":"106","author":"Xie","year":"2024","journal-title":"eBioMedicine"},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan (2026, June 25). Guidelines for the Implementation of the Urban Green Space Act, (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan (2026, June 25). Detailed Mesh Data on Land Use in Urban Areas, (In Japanese)."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102864","DOI":"10.1016\/j.healthplace.2022.102864","article-title":"Gender and sex differences in urban greenness\u2019 mental health benefits: A systematic review","volume":"76","author":"Maneja","year":"2022","journal-title":"Health Place"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7730","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-019-44097-3","article-title":"Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing","volume":"9","author":"White","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Houlden, V., Weich, S., Porto de Albuquerque, J., Jarvis, S., and Rees, K. (2018). The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review. PLoS ONE, 13.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0203000"},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2026, June 06). Urban Green Spaces and Health: A Review of Evidence. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/europe\/publications\/i\/item\/WHO-EURO-2016-3352-43111-60341."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"745","DOI":"10.1037\/hea0001475","article-title":"Influence of psychological well-being on health: Systematic review and meta-analysis of hypertension, overweight\/obesity, and mortality, including suicide","volume":"44","year":"2025","journal-title":"Health Psychol."},{"key":"ref_49","first-page":"113","article-title":"Psychological factors and mortality in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer (JACC)","volume":"8","author":"Tanno","year":"2007","journal-title":"Asian Pac. J. Cancer Prev."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110971","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychores.2022.110971","article-title":"Positive psychological factors and the risk of pneumonia-associated mortality: Japan Collaborative Cohort Study","volume":"160","author":"Sumiyama","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Psychosom. Res."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/8\/1020\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T04:23:10Z","timestamp":1785990190000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/8\/1020"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23081020"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23081020","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]}}}