Abstract
Coastal forests have protected against storms and salt damage for a long time and played a role in maintaining a healthy life of people. They have also been reported to have prevented the disaster caused by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, few studies have mentioned the physiological and psychological effects of coastal forests. This study aimed to examine healing effect of coastal forests using salivary cortisol concentration and a questionnaire. I also examined the healing effect of the seashore using a similar approach and compared both results. It was confirmed that men experienced relaxation in coastal forests and on the seashore; however, woman experienced this effect only in coastal forests. Furthermore, coastal forests are perceived as “calm” (vs. restless ) and “quiet” (vs. noisy ) , and seashores are perceived as “bright” (vs. dark ) and “open” (vs. closed ) .
