In this study, we translated the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) into Japanese. The scale has been used in several studies to assess the restorative values of environments. Using this scale, we assessed the restorativeness of urban and nature scenes. One hundred and fifty-six university students (62 males and 94 females) took part in this study. The data were collected using a Web application over the Internet. First, the participants evaluated the restorativeness of four different settings with the PRS. Next, they judged the restorativeness of the settings by paired comparisons to examine the convergent validity of the Japanese version of the PRS. The results showed the total score of the Japanese PRS was strongly associated with the result of paired comparison, and the score pattern of the PRS subscale was consistent with the concepts of these scale items. These results suggest the validity of the Japanese PRS scale. In addition to this, some limitations of this study and suggestions for future study were discussed.

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This is a reflective view of environmental psychology in the USA. Based on a meta-analysis of review articles, as well as a reading of a wide body of literature, it presents an individual perspective on the development of the field, a critique of its limitations, a summary of its contributions, and an exposition of five areas that could gain from further research attention. These are the physicality of the environment, senses and sensorial environment, emotions and emotion-laden environments, designers and planners and their minds, and specific populations and the environment Also discussed are definitions of the field, questions regarding its multidisciplinarity, its boundary, its identity, and the "socio-physicalist" lens used.

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[in Japanese]

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