Yuji Kimura

Since this fiscal year, we have been conducting Japan’s first empirical study that applies Flow Theory to program development at Nasu Heisei-no-Mori, under the Ministry of the Environment. At the recently held 1st National Conference on Comprehensive Interpretation Planning, hosted by the Ministry, we delivered the first integrated presentation combining a lecture on Flow Theory, participation in a field program designed to intentionally facilitate flow experiences, and a post-program analytical session. Post-experience surveys confirmed a clear correlation between flow states and NPS, and demonstrated that for both participants who entered a flow state and those who did not, the causal relationships could be consistently explained using the values provided in their pre-program counseling sheets. Moving forward, we will continue to develop Japan’s only framework that enables scientific analysis across the pre-trip, during-trip, and post-trip phases, advancing it into a groundbreaking methodology for scientifically grounded tour design and improvement.