Omiya Bonsai Art Museum confirms that the art of bonsai sculpting is much more than it seems. The museum, opened in 2010, is the world’s first public bonsai museum and seeks to impart both the historical significance and the creativity of the art. Find it in the heart of Omiya Bonsai Village, where a group of professional bonsai gardeners immigrated in the 1920s to turn the town into a celebration of the tiny trees. Visit the museum and tour the nearby gardens with a new appreciation of the bonsai’s form.
Begin the tour in a long, narrow corridor, lined with a selection of small bonsai. Read the labels, which are written in Japanese and English. Crouch down to look up through the leaves as you would look up at a regular tree and marvel at the astonishing miniaturization of every portion of the plant.
Study the gnarling of the tree trunks, indicative of the great age of some of the specimens, which are up to several centuries old.
Admire how the diligent work of the gardeners has replicated the influences of nature, resulting in plants that are portraits of a moment in time.
Continue outside, after a brief pause through a section on Japanese interior design. Numerous bonsai are on display in five gardens around a pool. Walk slowly from one to the other, identifying favorite species and favorite features. The outdoor collection rotates with the seasons, so return often to get different perspectives of the collection.
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is easily accessible from most parts of Tokyo. Reach the museum from downtown Saitama in about 20 minutes by subway. Drive from downtown Saitama in about 30 minutes. Take the subway from Tokyo Station to Omiya Station, the closest stop, in 25 minutes. Omiya Station is about a 40-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride from the museum. Parking is available in metered lots nearby.
The museum is open daily except Thursdays during regular business hours, with slightly shorter hours in winter. There is an admission fee. Visit the nurseries for free and purchase bonsai plants to take home.
