Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Dawn shinrinyoku

My Short Forest Bathing Adventure in Japan I set my alarm for 5 am and headed off alone through the quiet streets of Kyoto to experience shinrin-yoku — Japanese forest bathing — in the beautiful Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. I'd been looking forward to this little adventure for months. There was just one complication: my Wi-Fi had run out. I'd have to navigate the trains, streets and signs using my rather patchy Japanese. What could possibly go wrong? The moon was still hanging in a pink sky as I walked past shuttered shops and elderly locals cycling gently through the streets. After a couple of wrong turns, some hesitant Japanese conversations and a train ride, I arrived at the bamboo forest just after dawn. It was cool, quiet and wonderfully spacious. Tall bamboo, little shrines, red lanterns, a railway crossing and the occasional content creator armed with a selfie stick. I wandered for an hour, breathing deeply, taking photographs and enjoying the simple pleasure of being somewhere beautiful. Did an hour of forest bathing do anything for my multiple sclerosis? Probably nothing I could measure. But I loved the slow journey, the early start, the possibility of misadventure and the small triumph of finding my way through an unfamiliar city. By 8 am, I'd found an excellent soy coffee, navigated the trains back to Kyoto and returned to my hotel just as my family was getting out of bed. The little dopamine hit of a successful adventure was quite enough. About Best Life with MS Best Life with MS explores practical ways to live well with multiple sclerosis through food, movement, nature, sleep, connection and whole-person wellbeing. Read more and subscribe: https://bestlifewithms.com #ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #Arashiyama #JapanTravel #MultipleSclerosis #BestLifeWithMS #SlowLiving