Overview

World-renowned bonsai artist Kunio Kobayashi (b. 1948) founded the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward in 2002. In this Wabunka original plan you can enjoy viewing the bonsai exhibited here accompanied by expert commentary before getting hands-on with the craft of bonsai itself, learning and putting to practice the essential techniques of wiring and pruning. Finish the experience with the refined tranquility of Japanese tea ceremony in a traditional tearoom, with your newly-created bonsai tree as the centerpiece of the room’s alcove. Come to appreciate bonsai trees as the living things that they are, immersing yourself in the sophisticated aesthetics of Japan through two of its hallowed traditional arts.

Key Features

• Experience bonsai and tea ceremony at bonsai master Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunkaen Bonsai Museum.
• Enjoy a guided tour of the garden – home to over a thousand master-level works of bonsai art – deepening your understanding of Japan’s unique aesthetic culture.
• With instruction from a master bonsai artist, try your own hand at molding a bonsai tree into an artful shape before settling down to a tea ceremony in an elegant tearoom.

Overview

Owned by award-winning siphonist Yoshinobu Nakayama, Saihon no Ma is a shop in Nagoya that specializes in siphon-brewed coffee and tea. Here, learn to brew tea with a device called a siphon, which was invented in Europe. Now relatively obscure in many other countries, siphon brewing remains popular in Japan, resulting in the development of uniquely Japanese brewing techniques. Enjoy fragrant and flavorful Japanese tea while admiring the bonsai displays that adorn the shop.

Key Features

• A creative, multi-sensory experience in which you can take in the aroma of siphon-brewed tea and the dainty beauty of bonsai
• Learn all about siphons, their appeal, and the secrets to brewing delicious tea from an expert called a siphonist
• An original Wabunka plan in which you can try brewing Japanese tea with a siphon

Overview

Kyoto’s Sagano-Arashiyama district is an iconic landmark, beloved by visitors from all over Japan and the world for its harmony of rich natural scenery and historic architecture. Here, the cultural property garden restoration and maintenance organization Sone Zoen – responsible for designing and managing the gardens of famous shrines and temples across Kyoto – runs the “Hogan” facility, which offers visitors the chance to experience authentic Zen sand raking in a traditional Japanese house and garden. Find inner tranquility as you contemplate the garden’s beauty, before experiencing the spirit of Zen and the historic tradition of karesansui dry gardening through sand-raking with a master.

Key Features

• Discover the depths of specialized knowledge behind karesansui dry gardening from one of the master gardeners behind some of Kyoto’s most iconic gardens
• Enjoy a private experience of sand garden raking for yourself, practicing creating patterns under direct expert guidance
• When the experience is complete, enjoy a tea time chat with the master gardener over matcha and sweets while taking in the garden’s beauty

Overview

Bonsai is a trend on the rise around the world in recent years. Learn this traditional Japanese planting craft directly from Bonsai Suishoen owner and accomplished bonsai artist Koji Matsusue in this exclusive Wabunka plan. After a perusal of the garden and a demonstration of Matsusue’s work, get hands on with bonsai yourself. Using a roughly 10-year-old bonsai tree, practice pruning branches with shears and wiring them to direct their growth. You’re sure to delight in the details of this craft.

Key Features

• Learn all about bonsai from an experienced professional who has taught the art extensively overseas, and watch him work up close in this Wabunka exclusive plan.
• Dig deep into the fundamentals of bonsai, from viewing to doing – ideal for the beginner hoping to start on a firm foundation.
• Experience creating a bonsai tree using an approximately 10-year-old specimen, under the attentive, personalized, and easy-to-follow guidance of a professional.

Those interested in bonsai may also be interested in this related plan:
Authentic Bonsai Experience Using Century-old Trees, Taught by a Professional at Suishoen in Hyogo