Bonsai

Bonsai is one of many things, I am very curious about in Japan. You may be able to look at a potted Bonsai tree for many hours without being fed up. It is so gorgeous. However, it is not an easy task to make and maintain a bonsai tree. It needs a lot of commitment and patience.

Bonsai is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers. Originating in China, Bonsai is a Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Penzai. The word Bonsai has been used by the west as an umbrella, term for all miniature trees. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants. They are created from nearly any tree or shrub species and remain small through pot confinement and crown and root pruning. Some specific species are more sought after for use as Bonsai material. This is because they have characteristics that make them appropriate for the smaller design arrangements of Bonsai.

There are many different styles of Bonsai exist. The most common styles include; formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati and group/forest. In addition, there are root over rock style, broom style, multi trunk style and growing in a rock style. Traditionally, Bonsai are shaped from temperate climate trees kept outdoors as they require full sunlight and a winter dormancy period at near freezing temperatures. In the artificial environments of a home, these trees will become weakened and die.

Recently, I visited a Bonsai museum near Tokyo. There were hundreds of Bonsai trees of different types, styles and ages. The oldest one was considered more than 1000 years old. Isn’t it amazing?

Ume blossoms

Sakura (Cherry) blossom is coming up shortly in Japan. Before that, especially in late January and February Ume blossoms can be seen all over Japan. The Ume is a species of Asian plum in the family Rosaceae. The tree originates from China and was brought to Japan and Korea later. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers. In Chinese, it is called mei or meizi. The Japanese name is ume while Korean name is maesil. The flowers are typically white though cultivars may have rose or deep red flowers.

Ume blossoms are often mentioned in Japanese poetry as a symbol of spring. Unlike the Japanese, however, the Chinese see the blossoms as more of a symbol for winter. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, because they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after other plants have shed their leaves, and before any other flowers appear. Because they blossom in winter, the ume, the pine, and the bamboo together have been called the “Three Friends of the Cold” .

Cold winter 2008

Now it is almost spring in Japan where it is getting warmer gradually. Last winter was the final winter of my present stay in Japan. I found, it was much colder than any other winter seasons I had experienced. It was further evidenced by some heavy snow falling days especially to Tokyo. Therefore, 2007-2008 winter in Tokyo was quite different from the pervious one when it hardly had any snow.

When looking at the world weather, this cold weather pattern seemed to be common especially to the east. In China, there were series of winter storms characterized by heavy snows, ice and cold temperatures causing extensive damage and transportation disruptions. According to scientists at China’s National Climate Center and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC), these winter storms in China have been mainly related to abnormal atmospheric circulation and La Nina, and are not directly linked to climate change.