Visit a park full of Bonsai trees and you will feel exactly like how Gulliver felt when he was in Lilliput. These small trees that grow out of pots and trays with stunning artistic boughs, branches and foliage have the potential to bring about inner peace at first glance. You will admire them intently and become intrigued by their mystifying charm. And you would definitely want to know more about them, how they are made and if you could make them too.
The term Bonsai in Chinese and Japanese languages literally means a tray plant or simply tree in a pot. They are actual living trees grown small in size in shallow pots or trays. Bonsai trees are grown using seeds as well as stocks, also called grafted plants. Grafting is done by fusing one type of plant tissue with another and it is a method used especially for commercial plants.
The roots of Bonsai art runs deep in China, where its famous potted tree art called Penjing inspired the birth of Bonsai. Penjing is known by many names such as potted scenery, potted landscape as well as miniature trees and rockery. Small plants grown on pots amidst striking miniature landscapes is what Penjing is all about. The Japanese took the concepts of Penjing and developed their own version of potted trees and named the art, Bonsai.
Bonsai is synonymous with Japan where Bonsai parks, museums, exhibitions, festivals and even villages draw throngs of tourists from all corners of the world. One of the most famous Bonsai attractions in Japan is the Bonsai Park in Omiya, resting about 25 kilometres away from Tokyo city centre. Omiya is a ward in Saitama Prefecture and houses two Bonsai villages, one near the train station and the other situated in a suburb. Hence they are coined as Omiya Bonsai Villages.
With a history of more than 70 years Omiya Bonsai Park is the ideal place to get trained on the exclusive art of Bonsai and take home a wealth of knowledge and skills. Each year around 10,000 youth from European and American countries study the art of Bonsai at this village. Here you will find a number of Bonsai nurseries with striking landscapes snuggling an impressive collection of Bonsai trees. As you explore the nurseries further you will come across Bonsai trees of all sizes, shapes, colours and types inviting you to a miniature wonderland.
The site also has several attractions including the House of Four Seasons. Some of the rooms of this house are reserved for tea ceremonies while others are rented for traditional dancing and meetings. There are spaces where you can relax and enjoy breathtaking backdrops while absorbing the serene ambiance, where inspirations are born effortlessly.
What’s more at the Omiya Bonsai Villages you can even join the Bonsai Festival that falls in early May each year. Bonsai enthusiasts from the world over attend this event to appreciate this amazing art of growing trees on pots. The wonder of Bonsai trees not only lies in their beauty and artistry. What is even more amazing are their lifespan, where some Bonsai trees claim to be well over 100 years old.
If you are planning to travel to Tokyo and would like to visit the Bonsai Park in Omiya you can make a reservation for a Tokyo serviced apartment and conveniently reach there. Stay at one of the best urban areas of Tokyo like the Shinjuku East Area which nestles the Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo . With its strategic position and elegant service apartments Tokyo this apartment hotel is ideal for leisure and business travellers who prefer creature comforts of a hotel topped with the privacy of a homely apartment.
