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A short video of the Trophy, Europe's main bonsai event. If you're based in Europe, most of the trees and products we use in our videos can be bought in our online store: English: https://www.bonsaishop.uk Dutch: https://www.bonsaishop.nl German: https://www.derbonsaishop.de French: https://www.bonsaishop.fr Also, if you'd like to keep track of your collection and receive care notifications on your phone (based on species and location) you could try our Bonsai Care App. It is a free download for your phone: https://www.bonsaicare.app Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

Kindness. Humility. Generosity. These are words anyone discussing Harold Sasaki would use to describe this gentle giant of a man. But those of us who have been personally impacted by Harold know there is a tenacity to our teacher, a hunger for knowledge, a curiosity for what’s possible, and a glean of motivation in his eye that propelled him to be one of the greatest trailblazers and pioneers of bonsai culture in North American bonsai over the past fifty years.  Through his facility, Colorado Bonsai Limited, Harold Sasaki, or Hal as friends call him, has been teaching bonsai to curious and passionate practitioners and inspiring the next generation of bonsai artists and professionals for over four decades. Harold was one of a handful of instructors in the Rocky Mountain region who introduced yamadori into American bonsai culture and was the leading authority on ethical yamadori collection. When the rest of our budding bonsai culture was looking for material in nurseries, Harold was embracing the wild forms of rugged trees from the Rockies and taking people on safari to share the passion and technique of sustainable collecting practices.  Harold’s contributions go beyond pioneering the yamadori movement. He also sparked the flame of bonsai passion in known personalities including Mirai’s own Ryan Neil, Golden Arrow’s Andy Smith, First Branch Bonsai’s Todd Schlafer, Will Kerns, Adam Johnson, Tim Arsenault, and so many others who have gone on to do big things and contribute to the art of bonsai and culture in our country. In fact, when you look at the landscape of bonsai in North America today, it’s impossible to imagine our bonsai culture without appreciating the fingerprint of Harold’s impact, including the heartfelt generosity and spirit of sharing Harold imbued to his students that continues to expand and make our community so rich and robust.  It was a pleasure and an honor for Ryan to sit down with his mentor and go back to the beginning of where Harold’s journey started, and to walk through the journey of one of American bonsai’s GOATs. Thank you Harold, it was a pleasure my friend. Enjoy!

Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/light-mist License code: KSTRFTXBTIUEHQP7

In this incredible demonstration at The Trophy, Japanese bonsai master Shinji Suzuki takes on a large, powerful Taxus (yew) bonsai — joined by his son and apprentices in a true family and school effort. Did you know you can learn from Shinji Suzuki in our online courses? https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses/explore Watch as the team works through every phase of the styling process: evaluating and changing the planting angle, thoughtful branch selection and pruning, careful wiring, and detailed work on the deadwood (jin and shari). A rare opportunity to observe Suzuki's vision, decision-making, and hands-on technique up close. https://uppbeat.io/t/color-parade/a-clearing License code: X3TN2A8AT4GOSSFQ https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/true-wonder License code: UW7B2J1BD9PYNBOG https://uppbeat.io/t/tim-schaufert/it-doesnt-have-to-end License code: GTL46TJLXCBVX7KY If you're based in Europe, most of the trees and products we use in our videos can be bought in our online store: English: https://www.bonsaishop.uk Dutch: https://www.bonsaishop.nl German: https://www.derbonsaishop.de French: https://www.bonsaishop.fr Also, if you'd like to keep track of your collection and receive care notifications on your phone (based on species and location) you could try our Bonsai Care App. It is a free download for your phone: https://www.bonsaicare.app Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

Speaking with creative people about their medium and process is one of the greatest aspects of Asymmetry. To know how other artists view the world and express themselves through their work inspires and informs the tools we all summon to bring beauty through art into the world. Stephen Voss is a D.C. based photographer whose work we have admired at Mirai for over a decade. We initially were exposed to Stephen’s work through his book In Training (https://bonsaibook.net) , an intimate portrayal of the breaths between the words, and the spaces between the trees of the National Bonsai Collection. It was such a thoughtful publication of art and beauty that showed the depth Stephen interpreted the art form of bonsai with and the perspective he felt was valuable to share. Upon deeper dive we realized we were far more aware of Stephen’s photography than we realized. His images have graced the cover of magazines, captured some of the most influential people in the country in their element, and documented some of the most monumental moments in modern history.   Ryan and Stephen dive deep into their respective creative processes. From early beginnings and the growth of their creative selves to the actualization of projects based on their compiled experience in their fields, the conversation weaves in and out of personal and professional tidbits and insights. It was truly an honor to get to sit down with such a talented and influential photographer and we are excited to share the conversation. Enjoy!

Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

From youth education in bonsai to elite alpine instruction where people’s lives are on the line, Joshua Stewart is an educational psychologist who is applying his expertise to a multitude of projects and disciplines. Even though we’ve been working with Josh for several years now it took sitting down with him on the podcast to fully understand what exactly he does. Ryan and Josh discuss the process of applying psychology, how he processes information, and how Josh takes his knowledge and observations to create strategies that dramatically impact the individuals and organizations he works with. The tangible outcome of Mirai’s collaboration with Josh is undeniable, and has created a template for youth education which continues to guide the way The One Tree Project approaches youth programs and participants.  Beyond the immediate and obvious, this conversation helped us also recognize the breadth of educational psychology and its limitless application across less considered arenas of thought. Could this field potentially contribute to the “subjective” nature of bonsai appreciation? Could educational psychology assist in improving objective judging? Even without a concrete answer, it’s pretty clear applying educational psychology to the great conundrums of bonsai couldn’t hurt, and might just be able to help explain some of the greater questions we wrestle with. Who knows, maybe we would even gain a better understanding of ourselves in the process. If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to check out Josh’s podcast Evidence in the Wild here (https://evidenceinthewild.podbean.com) to hear from other experts and colleagues in his world of educational psychology.

The 26th Trophy Bonsai Exhibition brought together some of the finest trees, pots, and stones from the European Bonsai scene. In this video, we take you through the full exhibition — from the winning trees and their stories to an exclusive conversation with Shinji Suzuki, who shares his expert insights on what made each winner stand out. We also take you behind the scenes to show how the exhibition itself was put together — the setup, the arrangement of the displays, and the care that goes into building a show of this level. The video further covers the shohin bonsai display, the exceptional pots, and a selection of suiseki — offering a complete picture of the artistry and organisation on show. Whether you are new to bonsai or have followed the craft for decades, this exhibition offers a rare look at the highest level of the art form. Chapters: 0:00 - Exhibition and introduction 6:22 - Winning trees 8:14 - Exhibition continues 12:28 - Shohin Bonsai displays 14:18 - Suiseki, Scrolls, and Pots If you're based in Europe, most of the trees and products we use in our videos can be bought in our online store: English: https://www.bonsaishop.uk Dutch: https://www.bonsaishop.nl German: https://www.derbonsaishop.de French: https://www.bonsaishop.fr https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/new-chapter License code: L0WRAF23WQPC0RZE https://uppbeat.io/t/arend/ode-ii License code: 8OZF5ZRYAMKIAT9I https://uppbeat.io/t/nicolas-kluzek/sweet-vibes License code: 1LLMLNVDM81J2WBA https://uppbeat.io/t/jonathan-doherty/kunisaki License code: S9QDXLJBJAUZW30N https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/true-wonder License code: YNRAYG328RW3SB6P Also, if you'd like to keep track of your collection and receive care notifications on your phone (based on species and location) you could try our Bonsai Care App. It is a free download for your phone: https://www.bonsaicare.app Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

In this video, we take you through the full transformation of a Juniperus communis (Common Juniper) from an ordinary garden center plant into a refined bonsai. We originally bought this juniper for around $10 at a local garden center. Over the next two years, we worked step by step to develop it into a bonsai, showing all the key techniques in detail — including initial styling, pruning decisions, wiring, repotting, and long-term planning. Study these techniques in detail with our online courses, for free lessons see: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses/explore Chapters: 0:00 - Fall 2023 7:15 - Fall 2024 14:08 - Summer 2025 Not everything went smoothly. About halfway through the process, the top of the tree died off, forcing us to rethink the original design. Instead of giving up on the tree, we adjusted the plan, worked with what the juniper gave us, and ended up creating something unique and satisfying. This video is a realistic look at bonsai: ✔ Working with inexpensive nursery stock ✔ Making design decisions over time ✔ Handling setbacks and changing direction ✔ Letting the tree guide the final result Whether you’re new to bonsai or already working with junipers, this video shows what’s possible with patience, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt. https://uppbeat.io/t/yawnathan/orimasu License code: YFUS0YPPAJYWLKN0 https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/cold-brew License code: ABGFRDWYA7V1E5MQ https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/light-mist License code: RZAUY3LSEMJSR5S3 https://uppbeat.io/t/yawnathan/weightless-evening License code: GAOU3UDFTIDMAFAH We thank the Japanese garden Clingendael, and our two technical supervisors Bob Ruitenbeek and Christiaan Yeh for their help. Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai Courses, taught by expert teachers. For the curriculums and free lectures, go to: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses