Tokyo: @ Omiya Bonsai Art Museum & @ Fuyo-en — Guide Miyuki

Can You Do a Private Bonsai Tour at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum from Asakusa? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America. It was their first time seeing bonsai. Since they were staying at a hotel in Asakusa, on the way to Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line, I introduced Hoppy Street, the Nakamise shopping street of Sensoji Temple, and pointed out Chingodo, Denbo-in, and Daikokuya. I also showed them a mikoshi (portable shrine) displayed inside the Ginza Line station, which delighted them greatly. They wanted to buy tickets for the Shinkansen to Kanazawa for the next day, so we first got the tickets at the Midori-no-madoguchi ticket office at Ueno Station, then headed to Toro Station on the Utsunomiya Line. The ticket office was not crowded, so we were able to head to our destination without much time lost, which was fortunate.

We arrived at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum around 10:30. It is currently the period of a special exhibition of bonseki, so the gallery featured a bonseki display, but the guests found this exhibition interesting as well. The tatami room display was a feast of bonsai and bonseki, and they seemed very impressed by the arrangement of each room. They also viewed the garden carefully, and particularly liked the group planting of Ezo spruce, the straight trunk of the cedar growing upright, and the karin (Chinese quince) bonsai. Just the museum alone took us until 13:00, so after cooling down with some tea from a vending machine, we toured the bonsai gardens. Since they did not particularly need lunch, we first visited Mansei-en. We were lucky to be able to show them the shimpaku and Tsuyama cypress bonsai that would be exhibited at the Osaka Expo starting on the 18th. The guests were also very interested in suiseki (viewing stones), and we were able to see many of Mansei-en's suiseki. Since the 2026 calendar was already available, they purchased one as a souvenir (1,000 yen each). By this point it was 14:00, and we had only 15 minutes left, but we hurried around Seikoen and Fuyoen, and although we went slightly over time, we completed the planned itinerary. After this, they wanted to go to the Railway Museum, so I guided them on the route and took them to a shaved ice shop in front of Omiya Koen Station, ending the tour.

Click here for more details: Omiya Bonsai Village Private Tour with Licensed Local Guide

Tour Report by Miyuki

Hello, my name is Miyuki. I am a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter since 2019. I was born in Saitama, 30 km north of Tokyo. I have lived there until today. I like Japanese traditional culture. I love bonsai and work as a guide in the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. I am also learning the tea ceremony. Both bonsai and tea ceremonies make you feel relaxed and refreshed. I used to be a member of a Japanese archery club when I was a university student. Visiting shrines, temples and traditional gardens also makes me happy. You cannot miss eating Japanese food and sweets after visiting there. Let’s enjoy walking around Japan together!

Hallo, mein Name ist Miyuki. Ich bin nationale anerkannte Reiseleiterin. Ich begleite Sie gerne durch Tokyo. Tokyo hat verschiedene Gesichter, mal traditionelle mal moderne. Da gibt es Shinto-Schreine, buddhistische Tempel, und typische japanische Gärten zu sehen, während man z. B. in Harajuku moderne Kultur und Mode erleben kann. Wollen wir zusammen bummeln und entdecken, was Tokyo ist!
Ich empfehle Ihnen auch einen Besuch zum Omiya Bonsai Dorf. Da kann man sich allerlei Bonsai Bäume ansehen.
Ich freue mich schon darauf, Sie zu sehen!