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

What Is a Private Bonsai Village Tour in Omiya (Saitama) Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

This was a private tour for one guest visiting from Oceania. The guest shared that they grow a bougainvillea bonsai and a fig bonsai at home, and had signed up for this tour specifically to see Japanese bonsai. We had originally planned to take the 11:09 Utsunomiya Line train direct to Toro Station, but since we were able to meet earlier than scheduled at the hotel, we caught the earlier train departing at 10:49. We managed to get box seats, so during the roughly 40-minute ride we talked about houses and land prices in Tokyo, about Tsukiji, which the guest planned to visit the next day, differences in food between Japan and Oceania, and about our families.

Upon arriving at Toro Station, I explained the history of the Bonsai Village as we first headed to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. This week there was a special exhibition of precious bonsai, so the lobby and indoor displays were lined with magnificent shinpaku (Chinese juniper) and Japanese white pine bonsai that had been designated as precious bonsai by the Japan Bonsai Association. The guest said it was their first time seeing shinpaku, and was deeply moved by the branches and trunks with their striking jin and shari deadwood features. The special exhibition room featured a rare display of ukiyo-e woodblock prints devoted entirely to bonsai and potted plants, titled "The Great Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ukiyo-e Plants." The ukiyo-e prints of potted flowers packed densely onto a single sheet of paper were very beautiful, and the guest was delighted by them. In the bonsai garden, the guest was captivated by a maple bonsai with beautiful green leaves, a thousand-year-old Ezo spruce, and a Japanese black pine with an appealing multi-layered trunk surface. After lunch at the Omiya Bonsai Restaurant, we went to Mansei-en, which is known for its impressive large-scale bonsai. The guest was overwhelmed by the power of a shinpaku bonsai said to be 2,000 years old, and also said that a stone-planted hinoki cypress group planting that looked just like a forest was very beautiful. After visiting the Bonsai Four Seasons House and Seiko-en, we went to Fuyo-en. This is a bonsai garden known for its beautiful deciduous bonsai, including bougainvillea, which the guest also grows, as well as rare grape bonsai. The conversation flowed well with a craftsman at the bonsai garden who had visited Oceania 30 years ago. We were also delighted to learn that the beautiful purple flowering street trees blooming along the road were jacaranda. On the way back, we also stopped by Toju-en before arriving at Toro Station. We took the Utsunomiya Line direct from Toro Station to Tokyo Station, confirmed the exit at Tokyo Station, and I said goodbye as I got off at Omiya Station. Guiding this tour with a guest who loves bonsai was a very enjoyable time for me as well.

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!