SCRAPBOOK of BONSAI TOUR to JAPAN

Tour Scrapbook

PRIVATE BONSAI GARDENS

Masahiko Kimura

Spectacular private bonsai garden features innovative bonsai designs as well as classical masterpieces. A large pond for yellow Chinese carp was landscaped with azaleas, cryptomeria and podocarpus.

Diane Twitchell, Redding Bonsai Club, Masahiko Kimura, Cheryl Petty

Small accent plants with Ishitsuki Bonsai

Vertical IshitsukiBonsai on flat rock

Several small accent plants

Flying Dragon Bonsai at private garden of Masahiko Kimura

Acer palatum, Prunus mume Shohin and tiny fern accent plant

Beautiful arrangement of trees. Do you see the delivery truck? They arre busy getting ready for Kokufu Show.

Guy wires

Big Black Pine on two-man carrier

More guy wires and rebar

Trees on top, pot storage below

Extraordinary vertical IshitsukiBonsai

Miniature forest on beautiful vertical rock

My hands must have been shaking from the cold! Still you can see complex rock arrangement in "V" shape and planted with forest, mosses and small accent plants.

Chamaecyparis obtusa planted between vertical layers of flat rocks, beautifully groomed and trained. Photos were not allowed at Kokufu Exhibit. You can imagine my surprise to see this Ishitsuki Bonsai exhibited onthe same table as the Imperial Household Bonsai.

Notice the attractive fencing as a background to this ine bonsai.

PRIVATE BONSAI GARDENS

Mansei-en-saburo Kato

Everything here was piled on top of each other as they were in major construction mode.

Notice the faux concrete tree branch texture on these stands

Lots of accent plants and Shohin group plantings

Darling accent plants, combined in raku fired stacked pots. Ferns on the left, miniature bamboo and quince on the right.

PRIVATE BONSAI GARDENS

Kiuka-en Murata

Three generations have developed this garden. In the tokumono was spied a daikon radish accent plant growing in a dish of water!

Guy wires, raffia wrapped branches

An interesting collection of display shelves and bamboo fencing

Japanese Characters

An amazing collection

Can you spot the darling 'Princess' persimmons?

Collectibles displayed in openings of display bench

PRIVATE BONSAI GARDENS

Ginza Morimae

This garden was newly contructed and had many deluxe features such as a tea house and the most lavish tea room with tokumono. I was happy to see barbed wire and surveillance systems in place. Although Japanese are very honest and do not steal or vandalize property, these treasures would make a tremendous temptation.

Shohin display at Morimae's private bonsai garden

800-year-old temple posts make beautiful bonsai stands with plenty of wabi sabi.

ancient stupas add grace and spiritual content to outdoor display.

There's alot to notice here. New garden construction shows wood supports for newly planted mature trees ingravel and moss covred mounds. Individual specimens are elevated to eye level on stands treated with concrete faux wood texture. They are buried only about 6-8 inches deep. See Mansei-en-Saburo Kato above. Rain from eaves drips directly into attractive French drain of large gravels edged with ceramic roof tiles to keep the two gravels from migrating.

Sweet collection of spring blooming Prunus mume and quince.

I wish I knew what this sign was saying! See the baby mosses in the flat on the right?

A row of Bunjin style pines tied to the bench

See the newly planted tree propped up with wood supports? Here's a double decker bench displaying trees at eye level.

Miniature landscape or Hakoniwa with fine white rock depicting water, little bridge, cranes, turtles and lantern.

Shelving for heavy trees out of galvanized scaffolding. Tall or leaning trees are tied down with heavy duty zip ties.

Cascading bonsai need room for branches to hang down.

Only one word for this magnificant large bonsai-- Magnificent!

Not all bonsai are grown inantique pots. This amazing cascade crawls out of this contemporary raku fired pot in the shape of a huge seedpod or cracked egg.

This Soka Twin-trunk pine exhibits downward pointing and twisted branches.

Close up of guy wires. See the branches are protected by electrical tape and rubber tube.

Here's another contemporary pot that has been planted with an old pine cascading in a graceful curve to complement the distinctive shape of the assymetrical pot.

Although this image is dark, perhaps insilhuette you can see theplacement of the Yoseue or group planted trees.

This is the same Bonsai seen from an elevated angle, and it is easier to see the juniper foliage.

A sinewy Bunjin Literati Style.

UENO GREEN CLUB

This is an outdoor swapmeet for all things bonsai-- tools, trees, stands, books, seeds, accessories-- at all price points.

A detail of an interior gate

Everything has a stand. Don't you love the little cedar picnic tables used in this outdoor sales table.

Stacks of copper wire.