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The Kokufu-ten is Japan’s top bonsai exhibit. It’s presented in two halves. One hundred and fifty-one displays are set up for a few days, then another one hundred and fifty-one displays are set up after a day-off to facilitate the change.

This year’s Kokufu exhibition featured a special display of books and posters from early exhibits.

Here are a few images from our tour. I hope you enjoyed the photos and remember, the good photos will appear in future issues of International BONSAI. (hint, subscribe please)

The 2020 7th Japan Suiseki Exhibition is being held on February 14-18, 2020 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan. This is in the same building as the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, but on a different floor.

Additional interesting photos from Part 2 of the 2020 94th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition and a few from Part 1 too. Enjoy and learn, I did.

Taisho-en Bonsai Garden is operated by Nobuichi Urushibata and his son Taiga. It is located in Shizuoka, Japan, near Mt. Fuji. Breathtaking views can be seen from streets and also at the train station where I took this photo through a window.

Shunka-en Bonsai Museum in the Edogawa Ward of Tokyo is owned by award winning bonsai artist Kunio Kobayashi who is well known around the world. Visits to his museum are always one of my highlights to Japan. There is always something new to see. I was here a few weeks ago, and new bonsai have suddenly appeared, many large size Japanese black pine for the Chinese market.

Part 2 of the 2020 94th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition opened this morning at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. For the first several hours it seemed as though there were more foreigners than Japanese visitors. A great number of Americans, Italians, German, French, Australians and more were among the first to appreciate some of the finest quality bonsai in Japan. The crowd quickly thinned out after lunchtime.

Our small group, in a private van, first visited Seiji Morimae’s S-Cube Bonsai Garden Uchiku-tei in Hanyu, Japan. As always, Mr. Morimae was extremely busy with his large sales area in the Ueno Green Club and preparing for the Nippon Suiseki Exhibition. He showed me over 50 beautiful tables selected for display with the stones, including one of my prize suiseki for the exhibit.

A few more photos from Part 1 of the 2020 94TH Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition: