Lifestyles changed during the post-war economic boom, and the Japanese had less time to think about the forest—it became something to be looked at from a distance. But as the social infrastructure became more advanced, a growing number of people wanted to lead a truly meaningful, tranquil life. This explains the urge to commune with nature in the woods once more.

Trees emit a substance called fitontsid, which is known to promote a feeling of well-being among people enjoying the woods. The forest is a place where many forms of life live in symbiosis. This makes it an ideal place to study nature and develop new life skills. Recently, elderly people are finding it a good place to discover new meaning in life. Some wooded areas are also starting to be used as a place for rehabilitation exercises.

Tree-planting activities are being organized along the upper reaches of mountain streams, and city dwellers, especially, show an increasing willingness to participate. A company employee might volunteer holiday time to go into the woods to plant saplings and cut the underbrush, happy to be sweating it out while preserving the environment for future generations. And there are even fishermen who join in afforestation efforts, knowing that a century from now the mountain streams will be sending many more nutrients to the sea.

The forest and its trees have become part of the cultural fabric of Japan. As times change, awareness of the need to preserve the forest keeps growing in Japan.

Land area of Japan  377,829 km²

Area of forested land in Japan (Source: White Paper on Forests and Forestry, 2001)
Total area: 251,460 km²
Planted forest: 103,980 km² (41.3%)  Natural forest: 133,820 km² (53.2%)

Growing stock volume, timberland in Japan (Source: Forestry Agency)

Planted forest: 1,892 million cubic meters
Conifers: 99% (Japanese cedar: 58%, Japanese cypress: 21%, larch: 9%, other)
Broadleaves: 1% (kunugi and nara oak, etc.)

Natural forest: 1,590 million cubic meters
Conifers: 28% (pine, fir, Japanese hemlock, Japanese spruce, etc.)
Broadleaves: 72% (beech, Japanese oak, birch, chinquapin, etc.)