Walking through Finnish Forests and Japanese Gardens

Today, with accelerating urbanization, mental health crises, and ecological problems, environments that promote healing and connection are more urgent than ever before. One answer to this need lies in what we call restorative environments.

A restorative environment is typically seen as a place where your mind and body can rest, refocus, and recover. Green spaces, in particular, have been widely recognized for their capacity to reduce stress, restore attention, and promote overall well-being. The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans are inherently drawn to nature because of our evolutionary past, explaining why natural settings often feel so soothing and meaningful.

While the idea of restoration has been central to much research and design, a broader concept is gaining traction: regeneration. Regeneration goes beyond human recovery. It invites us to consider how our environments heal and how we might contribute to that healing in return. This includes not just ecological regeneration, but also cultural and value-based dimensions that reflect how humans perceive themselves in relation to the environment. 

Although scholars have made great progress in understanding restorative environments, there is still much to explore, especially how these experiences influence and are influenced by regenerative design practices. Recognizing that restoration is not only about the individual but also about our reciprocal relationship with the ecosystems we inhabit is vital. Research shows that repeated, positive encounters with nature can shape environmental attitudes and, over time, foster more sustainable behaviors and care. 

My research project investigates these themes through two deeply rooted cultural landscapes: Finnish forests and Japanese gardens. These environments offer contrasting relationships to nature. One appearing “wild” and unmanaged, the other intentionally shaped and cultivated. Yet both are places where people report deeply restorative, sensory, and even spiritual experiences. 

Forests continue to hold profound meaning in Finnish culture. A majority of Finns believe that nature supports well-being, and many turn to forests to find peace, clarity, and perspective. In particular, older forests, rich in biodiversity and sensory variation, are often described as more calming and restorative than managed monoculture forests. 

Japanese gardens can be seen as miniature representations of natural landscapes. While highly curated and maintained, they are designed to evoke the same emotional and sensory responses as wild environments such as forests. Despite their controlled nature, many design principles are rooted in a philosophy of cooperating with nature, allowing its forms, rhythms, and materials to guide the creative process rather than dominate it. 

I explore the visible and invisible qualities that make these places restorative, not just for the individual, but also in terms of how they support ecological and cultural regeneration. The guiding questions include: What are the visible and invisible qualities associated with restorative experiences in Finnish forests and Japanese gardens? How can this knowledge support the design and maintenance of regenerative environments? 

The methods include phenomenological walking interviews and on-site visits with Finnish participants in personally meaningful forests, as well as walking interviews with Japanese garden designers, spiritual practitioners, researchers, and other local experts. These encounters aim to grasp the lived, felt dimensions of the place. 

The distinction between “visible” and “invisible” qualities is inspired by the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who emphasized that we experience the world not only through what we see, but also through embodied perception and felt presence. Visible qualities include spatial structure, vegetation, materials, light, and sensory richness. Invisible qualities point to for example, emotional resonance, cultural meaning, memory, spirituality, and atmosphere. 

By understanding these layered experiences, we can begin to reimagine how restorative places also become regenerative places. Supporting not just our minds and bodies, but our relationships, values, and planetary future. 

Author: Miia Heikkilä, Landscape architect, doctoral researcher.

Aalto University, Landscape Architecture.

Read more about research in Landscape Research Laboratory from the link below: