Forest Adventure

Forest Adventure (フォレストアドベンチャー) is a Japanese outdoor leisure brand consisting of a nationwide network of "nature-symbiotic outdoor parks" (自然共生型アウトドアパーク) built directly into living forests. The concept originated in Europe: in 1997, the Swiss company Altus established an outdoor park for corporate training in the outskirts of Annecy, France. The Japanese operator Pacific Network (パシフィックネットワーク) formed a business partnership with Altus and brought the concept to Japan, opening the country's first Forest Adventure park, Forest Adventure Fuji, at the foot of Mount Fuji in 2006. Since then the brand has expanded to more than 40 parks stretching from Hokkaido to Okinawa, each adapted to its own local forest. The parks are designed to minimize environmental impact by using the forest as it stands, with natural standing trees serving as the structural supports for the courses. Visitors climb into the trees and cross from tree to tree on ropes, bridges, zip slides and other elements. The brand emphasizes that no two parks are alike: some are in coniferous forests, others in broadleaf forests, and courses are built to match each site, including snow-covered forests and the wilderness at the foot of Mount Fuji. Forest Adventure positions itself as accessible to a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Courses are graded by height and age requirements, and there is no upper age limit, so children, adults, families, friends and couples can all take part. The brand's messaging stresses that the only requirements are a little courage and a spirit of adventure, and that adults and children share the same conditions, rediscovering a childlike sense of achievement. Safety is a central pillar of the brand. Because Japan has not yet established safety standards for this kind of outdoor experiential facility, Forest Adventure adopts European standards, specifically EN 15567-1 and EN 15567-2. The belay system has evolved from a self-belay system, in which users move their own safety attachment, to a continuous belay system that keeps the user connected without interruption. The company says it shares these latest safety systems with its European partners and draws on know-how accumulated since 2006. All instructors receive prescribed training. Beyond recreation, Forest Adventure frames itself as addressing a social issue: roughly 70 percent of Japan's land is forest, yet there is a shortage of people to manage those forests. By building parks that use the forest as it is, the business aims to combine fun with forest stewardship and to encourage Japanese people to reconsider the value of the country's forests. The parks are operated across Japan by Pacific Network under its partnership with Altus.

The Forest Adventure concept was created in Europe. In 1997, the Swiss company Altus started an outdoor park for corporate training in the outskirts of Annecy, France. The idea was to build an experiential outdoor facility that used the forest as it stood rather than developing a conventional leisure site. The concept reached Japan through Pacific Network (パシフィックネットワーク), which formed a business partnership with Altus. Convinced that the appeal of the concept should be brought to Japan, the company opened the country's first Forest Adventure park, Forest Adventure Fuji (フォレストアドベンチャー・フジ), at the foot of Mount Fuji in 2006. This made 2006 the founding year of the brand in Japan. From that first park, the network expanded steadily across the country. By the time of the Japanese Wikipedia entry, the brand operated 39 parks domestically, while the official website describes more than 40 parks from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Parks are individually named after their locations, such as Forest Adventure Eniwa in Hokkaido, Forest Adventure Shionome in Miyagi, Forest Adventure Tarzania in Chiba, Forest Adventure Yokohama in Kanagawa, Forest Adventure Hakone, Forest Adventure Fuji in Yamanashi, Forest Adventure Mishima Skywalk and Gotemba in Shizuoka, Forest Adventure Kobe Rokko-san in Hyogo, Forest Adventure Hiroshima, Forest Adventure Iya in Tokushima, and Forest Adventure in Onna in Okinawa, among many others. Each park is built to suit its own forest. The brand notes that some parks are in coniferous forests and others in broadleaf forests, and that courses are designed to match the local trees, including courses in snow-covered forests and in the wilderness at the foot of Mount Fuji. The company frames this as a way to encourage Japanese people to reconsider the value of the country's forests, noting that about 70 percent of Japan's land is forest but there is a shortage of people to manage it. Safety practice has also evolved over the brand's history. Because Japan lacks domestic safety standards for this type of outdoor experiential facility, Forest Adventure complies with the European standards EN 15567-1 and EN 15567-2. The belay system has advanced from a self-belay system, in which users move their own safety attachment, to a continuous belay system that keeps the safety connection unbroken. The company says it shares these latest safety systems with its European partners and operates based on know-how accumulated since 2006.

• 2006

  Pacific Network opens Forest Adventure Fuji at the foot of Mount Fuji, the first Forest Adventure park in Japan.

• 1997

  Swiss company Altus starts an outdoor park for corporate training in the outskirts of Annecy, France, the origin of the concept.

• The brand expands to 39 parks domestically according to Japanese Wikipedia, and more than 40 parks from Hokkaido to Okinawa according to the official website.

Nature-symbiotic outdoor adventure parks that let adults and children play seriously in real forests, using European safety standards and minimal environmental impact.

• Treetop adventure courses

  Courses in which visitors climb into trees and cross from tree to tree using ropes and bridges.

• Zip slide

  A zip line element installed in the parks.

• Cliff challenger

  An experiential play element installed in the parks.

• Laser tag

  An experiential play element installed in the parks.

• Pump track

  An experiential play element installed in the parks.

1. 1フォレストアドベンチャーとは | フォレストアドベンチャーforet-aventure.jp
2. 2フォレストアドベンチャー - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3森林冒險 - Wikidatawikidata.org