Theme: Bonsai Tools
The instructor will explain about the selection and usage of bonsai tools suited to the work at hand, as well as methods of caring for tools.
Participants learn by viewing the instructor's demonstrations and will have actual hands-on experience applying what is taught.

Profile:
This garden was opened in 1929 by the Murata family.
It cultivates over 300 different types of bonsai and features bonsai which create a natural feel.
The first-generation owner of the garden, Kyuzo Murata, was known for developing bonsai tools, and Yukio, the 3rd generation owner, continues this legacy and conducts research further develop bonsai tools.

Instructor: Yukio Murata, third-generation owner
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: Breeding Methods (sashiki, toriki, tsugiki)
The instructor will teach methods of bonsai tree breeding by explaining effective methods of processing according to plant types and subsequent management, using demonstrations and commentary.

Profile:
The garden owner Teruo Kurosu studied under Motosuke Hamano, the first-generation owner of the Tōju-en Garden and went on to open shōsetsu-en garden in 1977.
He cultivates bonsai trees under the theme of the “Beauty of Space.”
The garden owner is also a potter who creates bonsai pots and is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize of the Nippon Bonsai Sakūfu-ten Exhibition. As such, there is a pottery hall within his garden.

Instructor: Teruo Kurosu, garden owner
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: Decorating with Bonsai
By demonstrating how to display in a tokonoma (alcove), participants will learn the proper mindset for decorating a tokonoma and ways to orchestrate a sense of seasonality, as the instructor also explains how to create bonsai that reflects natural scenery.

Profile:
His family’s garden was opened in Negishi, Tokyo, during the Kaei Era (1848-54) and relocated to the Bonsai Village in 1943.
Taking great care to preserve Edo (Tokyo)-style bonsai techniques, the garden seeks to create refined beauty that projects a sense of the seasons and elegance, with distinct character.
The present owner of the garden serves as the chairman of the Nippon Bonsai Sakka Association and is a winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize at the Nippon Bonsai Sakufū-ten Exhibition.

Instructor: Tomio Yamada, fourth-generation garden owner
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: Caring for Shōhaku Bonsai
Using old shōhaku (evergreen pine and juniper) bonsai that have been cultivated within a pot for a long period, the instructor demonstrates methods to manage and cultivate shōhaku bonsai and ways to care for them in accordance with the Japanese climate.
The aim of this class is for the participants to be able to use methods similar to those demonstrated so that they can cultivate bonsai suited to the climate and types of trees in their home countries.

Profile:
The family opened the garden in 1928.
Specializing in shōhaku bonsai, the garden has produced a large number of prominent bonsai artists.
It has been offering bonsai classes for over 50 years, starting in 1969.
The current owner is Kanta Hirota, who began working at Tōju-en in 2018 and officially became an apprentice there at age 21 under the tutelage of the second-generation owner, Hiromi Hamano. He became the third-generation garden owner after the passing of Hiromi Hamano in 2024.

Instructor: Kanta Hirota, third-generation garden owner
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: Caring for Zōki Bonsai
The instructor demonstrates methods of caring for Zōki (deciduous) bonsai in the Japanese climate.
The aim of this class is for the participants to be able to use methods similar to those demonstrated so that they can cultivate bonsai suited to the climate and types of trees in their home countries.

Class Content:
March to early July: Bud nipping, leaf cutting and leaf pruning. December to March: Bonsai wiring.

Profile:
The Takeyama family opened the garden in 1939. It became an authority on zōki Bonsai with its artists possessing exceptional expertise in caring for zōki trees and creating yose-ue (group planting) bonsai.
The current owner, Hiroshi Takeyama, has successively served as the Japan regional director of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation and acted as a demonstrator at the 8th World Bonsai Convention in Saitama.

Instructor: Hiroshi Takeyama, second-generation garden owner
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: Ways of Viewing and Displaying Bonsai and Suiseki –Expression and Presentation –
The instructor explains ways to imagine a landscape with suiseki and how to create displays using bonsai and suiseki.

Profile:
The family was one of the bonsai garden owners who founded the Bonsai Village in 1925. The 3rd generation owner, Saburo Kato, devoted himself to popularizing bonsai around the world as the chairman of the Nippon Bonsai Association and also transformed the family garden into a world-renowned bonsai garden.
The current owner possesses deep knowledge about suiseki and serves as the Director of the Nippon Suiseki Association

Instructor: Takahiro Kato, fifth-generation garden owner
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
No. of participants: around 10
Tuition: 40,000 yen / per 1 group

Theme: The History of Bonsai
Students will be taught the history of bonsai, from the birth of bonsai until it was finally recognized as an art form. This class is based on materials and data systematically collected and researched by the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.

Profile:
Founded near the Bonsai Village in 2010, this is the first public art museum that specializes in bonsai. It possesses approximately 120 bonsai masterpieces in its collection and has about 70 on permanent display.
It systematically collects bonsai, suiseki, paintings and historic and folkloric materials related to bonsai. It then researches and disseminates bonsai culture, acting as the pivotal facility of the Bonsai Village.

Instructor: Curator at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
No. of participants: Around 10
Tuition: 30,000 yen / per 1 group