Discover Bonsai Masterpieces
Let’s Stroll Through Bonsai Village
Learn About Bonsai at the Museum
How to Get There by Train
Toro Station: JR East Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) or Omiya-Koen Station: Tobu Urban Park Line
What’s It Like?
In the past, gardeners who created gardens for the daimyo residences during the Edo period lived around the Sendagi area in Edo (now Tokyo). Some of these gardeners became bonsai artisans during the Meiji era. However, they were affected by the Great Kanto Earthquake that struck Tokyo in 1923. Seeking a suitable place for bonsai cultivation, they relocated to this region from the devastated Tokyo. Consequently, in 1925, a Bonsai Village was established in this area. At its peak, as many as thirty bonsai businesses cultivated and sold bonsai here. Currently, there are six bonsai gardens in the area that visitors can explore.
In 2010, the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum opened. It is the first public museum dedicated to bonsai. In its garden, visitors can enjoy bonsai trees that are several hundred years old. Additionally, the museum offers insights into the history of bonsai and how to appreciate them. The museum shop offers bonsai-related goods as well.
