MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Hello BNuts! I wanted to share pics of my recent trip to Japan. I will be posting a two part thread of my visit to various bonsai nurseries around the Tokyo area. I saw a wide spectrum of operations, from high end to low end and everything in between within my short stay. I was fortunate enough to have a contact in Japan that knows many people in the bonsai business and offered to take me on a tour!
The first part will be solely dedicated to one nursery in the town of Shizuoka located about 110 miles south of Tokyo. By far this was the hallmark of my trip. For many years I have followed the work of master Nobuichi Urushibata who owns and operates the world famous Taisho-en. He is best known for his outstanding work on Shohin as well as his very large conifer bonsai. It was uncertain whether we would be able to meet Mr. Urushibata himself but the trip alone to his nursery would prove to be very special indeed! Let's take a trip...
PART 1 [TAISHO-EN]
At 9am Monday June, 17th my Japanese friend and I left the hotel in Tokyo and headed south towards the Tomei highway in route to Shizuoka.
On the way down I spotted large stands of trees everywhere that were markedly different in growth and color. It turned out that these "trees" were in fact bamboo. I estimated them to be at least 40' high. In the pic below, you can see them most clearly in the middle distance.
We stopped for a few minutes at a rest stop right by the Pacific Ocean. A quick pic of our trusty Batmobile er... I mean Batvan!
On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Unfortunately, on that day the best view I had was from an adveratsing poster inside the rest stop!
Finally, after a 2.5 hour drive down, we made it to Shizuoka! As we made our way through town, I could tell that we were very close to Taisho-en since everything appeared to be getting smaller and smaller.
As we turned the corner, I immediately recognized the newly renovated stucco tan facade of the nursery. Its rather plain and unassuming exterior gives little indication as to what's waiting inside.
As I mentioned earlier, we were not certain if Mr. Urushibata would be available to meet with us. Much to my delight and surprise, directing traffic and greeting customers right outside the nursery was the master himself!!
The view from the main entrance that has "TAI SHO EN" engraved above onto a wood plank.
Mr. Urushibata was very gracious and polite and told us to make ourselves at home while he finished with another customer. He also was kind enough to allow photography on just about anywhere within the establishment. Below is a bird's eye view of part of the nursery. By Japanese standards it is considered a large operation. I think it is large by any standards! In the distance one can see downtown Shizuoka.
The first part will be solely dedicated to one nursery in the town of Shizuoka located about 110 miles south of Tokyo. By far this was the hallmark of my trip. For many years I have followed the work of master Nobuichi Urushibata who owns and operates the world famous Taisho-en. He is best known for his outstanding work on Shohin as well as his very large conifer bonsai. It was uncertain whether we would be able to meet Mr. Urushibata himself but the trip alone to his nursery would prove to be very special indeed! Let's take a trip...
PART 1 [TAISHO-EN]
At 9am Monday June, 17th my Japanese friend and I left the hotel in Tokyo and headed south towards the Tomei highway in route to Shizuoka.
On the way down I spotted large stands of trees everywhere that were markedly different in growth and color. It turned out that these "trees" were in fact bamboo. I estimated them to be at least 40' high. In the pic below, you can see them most clearly in the middle distance.
We stopped for a few minutes at a rest stop right by the Pacific Ocean. A quick pic of our trusty Batmobile er... I mean Batvan!
On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Unfortunately, on that day the best view I had was from an adveratsing poster inside the rest stop!
Finally, after a 2.5 hour drive down, we made it to Shizuoka! As we made our way through town, I could tell that we were very close to Taisho-en since everything appeared to be getting smaller and smaller.
As we turned the corner, I immediately recognized the newly renovated stucco tan facade of the nursery. Its rather plain and unassuming exterior gives little indication as to what's waiting inside.
As I mentioned earlier, we were not certain if Mr. Urushibata would be available to meet with us. Much to my delight and surprise, directing traffic and greeting customers right outside the nursery was the master himself!!
The view from the main entrance that has "TAI SHO EN" engraved above onto a wood plank.
Mr. Urushibata was very gracious and polite and told us to make ourselves at home while he finished with another customer. He also was kind enough to allow photography on just about anywhere within the establishment. Below is a bird's eye view of part of the nursery. By Japanese standards it is considered a large operation. I think it is large by any standards! In the distance one can see downtown Shizuoka.
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