Having a field day...

After the trip down to Shizuoka, today saw a trip up to the windy badlands north of Tokyo. Although usually I am glued to the sales spot with Kokufu, but today I managed to get out of my suit and into my normal jeans and hoodie. I feel like a new monkey. Guiding clients around requires the ability to keep switching between English and Japanese, staying on top of prices, figuring out rough conversion rates, making sure the professional is happy and the clients are happy and keeping records of everything. I am not a massive technology fan, but the Ipad is without doubt, the greatest help to my existence since Ventolin.

A trip to the garden of Mr. Morinae is always an interesting experience. He has more stuff than you can now what to do with...hundreds of trees, more pots and even more stones. Morimae and I have worked together on many things dating back to the Car Exhibition in the Science Museum, London way back in the day. He is a crazy guy whose brain works at 100 miles an hour. Keeping up with him is like keeping up with the Chief ten years ago...almost impossible. Some of the stuff in his garden....

A prunus mume that turned my head. Ooh, look at you. Red flowering types like this are known as Hibai but almost all are grafted on to white flowering stock. The few genuine all hibai left are very few and far between....they tend to be weaker and die off sooner. The white base is strong, the red branches are pretty.

A five needle pine that is a little too clean at the moment. Two years, take of the wire and there you have it. Planned naturalness.

Big red pine, one of the most famous in Japan. Old branches, old trunk....just damn old.

One of Morimae's purchases at the green club. Check out the deadwood on the base...with a bit of work, this will be a unique tree...

A genuine yamadori Japanese Black Pine.

One of the difficulties when on a tight time schedule is finding good trees when there are hundreds to choose from. Its kind of easy when there are less around, but looking at thousands of trees in a day and evaluating their merits from an aesthetic, financial and transportability perspective can be tough to focus. It is overwhelming at times when walking through fields of trees...

 

One after another after another...

When you think about all the man hours and effort that has gone into making those trees...all those people all those lives, where are they now? With loves and hates, and passions just like mine, they were born and then they lived and then they died...kind of why I like bonsai really. You are simply one of many who has touched the tree and there will, or should, be many after you who will do so.

Ayway, there has been something for the tree and pot lovers out there, and judging by some of the comments, a little too literally for some...so here the stone lovers can appreciate some rocks on bits of wood.

Sajigawa stones...

Room full of rocks...

Morimae fondling an awesome Kurama stone. Very unusual piece, it is the centre part of a large kurama which has flaked away over the years. Was part of the Sugi collection and was in the Meihinten some 20 years ago (I think)

And finally our lovely assistant for the day...the soon to be leaving and married Yamazaki-san. Amongst other things her note taking skills will be missed.

Back to the club tomorrow and back to the suit and tie...still happy Mr. Eejit? Don't think compliments will get you anywhere...

Onwards and upwards

 

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