Heal with a Refreshing Phytoncide Shower

How about a barefoot walk on a bed of cypress sawdust through forest trails for a healing experience? In this farm facing the open seas of Tongyeong, you can take in as much phytoncide as you want with a forest that produces nearly five times the phytoncide of a pine forest.

Tongyeong’s Napory Farm offers cypress walking trails and phytoncide healing experiences to visitors. Its programs, centered around cypress trees, offer a beautiful view of the forest that one cannot easily access in cities. Napory FarmNapory Farm was created by the hands of humans, not of nature; specifically by the hands of CEO Gil Deokhan, who had cultivated this place for the last 17 years. Once a promising agricultural businessman who ran a horticulture business in his hometown of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, he was a frequent visitor of Tongyeong as a part of his hobby. When the symptoms of his chronic atopic dermatitis became too severe to ignore, Mr. Gil sold his business in Pocheon and relocated to Tongyeong in 1997. Napory Farm was originally a kiwi field. Back then, Mr. Gil grew kiwis and distributed them to the Seoul region. Located next to the building that served as the headquarters of his distribution business in Seoul was a company that produced products out of cypress timber. After the business shut down, the plethora of materials on cypress trees ended up with Mr. Gil. He was reminded of how he managed to use cypress products to mitigate his atopic dermatitis, and Mr. Gil eventually replaced the kiwi plants with cypress trees.

His business took off in 2004, and now encompasses the cultivation, production, and processing of cypress, also offering a variety of activities and educational programs on cypress. Based on this, his company was certified as a mixed-use industrial enterprise for the revitalization of the sixth industry by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2019, the annual number of visitors reached about 50,000. COVID-19 outbreak changed all programs on the farm to require reservations. Vehicles or visitors without reservation are prohibited from entering the premises, so visitors are advised to take note of the requirements.

A Touch of Cypress You Feel Barefoot

Visitors to the Napory Farm must remove their shoes at the entrance without exception because walking barefoot is the most crucial part of its program. To begin with, you are going to watch a video on what kind of benefits cypress has and what the program is about. Then, you will be asked to go outside and walk along a walking path that looks like a narrow corridor. At the end of the path, you will find a forest trail covered with cypress sawdust. In all sections covered with sawdust, a pipeline was installed to keep the floor moist by automatically spraying zymogens and phytoncides in liquid form.

The forest trail is the perfect place to get fresh air. In addition to cypress, spotted laurels (gold dust plants) and tea plants play a key role in emitting anions. Cypresses planted in terraces by the forest trail are relatively young – about 13–25 years old. These trees release phytoncides most vigorously at this point in their lifespan, boosting immunity, relieving stress, and improving respiratory diseases such as rhinitis. Phytoncide is a generic term for a compound emitted by plants and has a bactericidal effect. It gets absorbed into the human body through the skin or respiratory tract. Coniferous forests including cypress have a high concentration of phytoncide, making them suitable for accommodating wellness facilities.

The farm offers a precious opportunity for the people of the city to experience the healing effects of phytoncide.

Experience Courses Shaped with Care

Experience trails at Napory Farm are full of things to do. From air showers that take you into a tent full of forest air to anion trails, hammocks, pyramids that fill you with the mystical “qi” energy, and lawn beds that let you enjoy the forest wind, there’s no time to be bored on the trail. A new addition to the course is the “Outdoor Phytoncide Deep Sleep Healing Area”. There, you lie down on an outdoor bed located in the middle of a cypress forest. Let your eyes wander to the sky under the tranquil canopy of cypress trails, and feel your eyelids become heavier: let the warmth and the drowsiness wash over you, and lure you to sleep. This activity is naturally recommended to those who have sleeping problems, including insomnia and stress-induced ones.

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Things To Do

Dongpirang Mural Village

One of the most famous mural villages in Korea, a ramshackle village on a hill by the sea born anew by art.
∇ 6-18, Dongpirang 1-gil, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

Yokjido Island

This island, popular among wellness and leisure. enthusiasts, is best known for its monorail and suspension bridge.
∇ 108, Yudong-gil, Yokji- myeon, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

Chungnyeolsa Shrine

This shrine houses the commemoration tablet of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
∇ 251, Yeohwang- ro, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

Buil Bokguk

This 30-year-old restaurant specializes in blowfish soup, beloved for its clear and refreshing stock.
∇ 11-16, Mujeon 3-gil, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do