I read about a reading forest bathing in our newspaper and I had no idea what forest bathing, or a reading at all, entailed. So I went.
The forest
The reading took place in the library in Volendam and I expected that we would all sit on chairs and listen to someone on stage. But nothing could be further from the truth. There was a beautifully decorated table with dried leaves, books, sweets and much more on it.
We received all kinds of explanations about trees and their leaves. A tree drinks an average of 600 liters of water per day. Some species even produce up to 1200 liters per day. Not normal, right! The tree always wants to protect its leaves against chemicals. People contain a lot of chemicals, especially when they are under a lot of stress. When a person comes close to a tree, the tree will produce extra oxygen to purify the air for its leaves. That is why a forest is always very dry, because the trees drink up everything. And that is why a forest is soothing, because we get extra pure oxygen.
The inside of the leaf is shiny and smooth, the underside is matte and rough. I’d never noticed it before, but it’s true.
Wood or a leaf never dies. If it is printed as a book, then it is still alive.
When a book is printed there is a special layout. The first page is empty as an ode to the magazine, the second page is as an ode to the writer, the third is again an empty page with an ode to the reader. In Japan they read from back to front, so that’s how they make the books. In the Netherlands, more and more printers are also printing their books on the back in this way.
Japan
In Japan, nature is central, especially trees. Even the writing characters often have the tree as a basis. The word ‘I’ has as a sign a tree with a nose towards the tree. So basically: I’m with the tree, funny right.
They also have many holidays that all have to do with nature. The start of spring with the blossoms blooming, the start of autumn with the coloring of the leaves. As soon as they see the first leaves of the blossom, they drop everything and go for a picnic under those trees. Everyone together, no matter how busy. No one is allowed to be alone, so everyone is invited.
Being one with nature is truly a Japanese way of life. They fold origami paper as a present for the neighbors. They write beautiful calligraphy texts with a special pen. Children learn this from an early age. The people in Japan only live on 30% of the land, the rest is nature, which they all share.
We also received Japanese sweets. It was a small bag containing pure fruit, from which a gel has been made. Delicious!
Conclusion: super fun!!!!