Japan Information and Culture Center, EMBASSY OF JAPAN

PRIME MINISTER OBUCHI TO MEET PRESIDENT CLINTON IN WASHINGTON

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is scheduled to visit the United States later this month on an invitation extended by U.S. P President Bill Clinton during Mr. Clinton’s visit to Japan in November 1998. The Prime Minister will have talks with President Clinton on May 3. The visit is the first official visit of a Japanese prime minister to the United States in 12 years. The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide-range of international, regional and bilateral issues, including the NATO campaign in the former Yugoslavia, which Japan supports. Japan has been contributing emergency assistance to refugees in the Kosovo crisis. The talks will cover measures to strengthen the Japan-U.S. security alliance, the Asian financial meltdown and North Korea’s nuclear

APR. 1999 program, including a suspected underground nuclear facility. The 4 Prime Minister will inform the President of the progress in his widespread reform efforts to boost Japan’s recession-gripped CONTENTS economy. Other topics will include trade issues and the Japan-U.S. Strong collaboration Common Agenda. They are also expected to confirm the cooperative The two nations are working together relationship between our two countries into the 21st century, which on their Common Agenda. 2 will enable Japan and the United States to play leading roles in dealing with emerging global issues. Response to Kosovo 2

Structural reforms The “Action Plan,” brings dramatic changes to many economic sectors. 3 Trends in Japan “Ecomoney,” encourages volunteerism; seniors adopt a more active lifestyle. 4

Viewpoint Japan and the U.S. can learn from each other amidst the challenges of globalization. 5 Science Watch Japan’s state-of-the-art telescope in Hawaii opens a new door to the universe. 6 Beyond Differences Basketmakers in rural Japan developed a very special craft. 7

The Art of Bonsai The ancient practice of raising trees in miniature is thriving in the U.S. 8 Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, center, talks to speed skating star Tomomi Okazaki, left, and former Olympic swimming team member Yasuko Tajima, right, under blooming cherry blossoms during an annual reception to view the blossoms hosted by the Prime Minister at Shinjuku Gyoen Park in Tokyo, April 17th. STRONG BILATERAL COOPERATION HUMANITARIAN RELIEF On April 19, the Japanese Government announced assistance of $15 million through the UNHCR and other organizations to respond quickly to the deterioration of the humanitarian THE COMMON AGENDA situation in Kosovo. In addition, the Japanese In advance of Prime Minister Obuchi's Cabinet decided April 6 to provide the office of T planned visit to the U.S. next month, the the United Nations High Commissioner for ninth high level plenary meeting of the Refugees (UNHCR) with 1,000 tents as Japan-U.S. Common Agenda was held at the State assistance in kind for Kosovo refugees on the Department in Washington on April 8. basis of the International Peace Cooperation Law. The plenary was co-chaired by Under- Each tent will be able to accommodate ten Secretary of State for Global Affairs Frank Loy and people, so shelter should be available for 10,000 Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kouichi refugees. There are nearly 400,000 refugees since Haraguchi, included various government agencies the beginning of the air raids. In light of this represented on both sides. The consultations have critical situation, the UNHCR has requested been held annually, and the Ninth reviewed the Japan to provide the 1,000 tents which will cost progress of the various activities under the Common about 130 million yen. Japan also dispatched a Agenda in 1998, and discussed the possible future fact finding mission to the Former Yugoslav direction of Japan-U.S. cooperation. Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of The Common Agenda has four main pillars, Albania to look into the situation on the ground to promoting health and human development, identify the needs for further assistance. Director responding to challenges to global stability, Yoshitaka Akimoto of the Central and East Europe protecting the global environment and advancing Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed science and technology. Under the four headings, the mission which arrived in Macedonia April 8 18 specific areas of cooperation were envisaged. and returned to Tokyo April 14. As a result of this The Washington session reviewed the new assistance, Japan’s assistance to the refugees activities in all these areas and, in discussing future and displaced persons in and around Kosovo cooperation, decided to promote several new comes to a total of about $25 million including projects. For example, the two governments will that extended last year. cooperate in promoting such programs as Ocean Drilling and Ocean Observations, both of which will contribute to deepening our understanding of the talks on Kosovo because of the uncompromising mechanisms of climate change. The two sides also attitude of the government of the Federal Republic discussed how to deal with the economic and social of Yugoslavia. It is extremely regrettable that it has problems that have arisen in Asia, triggered by the led to the current situation. financial and economic crisis in the region. 2. The government of the Federal Republic of The results of the consultation will be reported to Yugoslavia adamantly refuses to accept the the Prime Minister and President Clinton, and the proposed peace agreement while at the same time whole area of cooperation under the Common continuing to take actions in violation of the Agenda is expected to be among the areas that the relevant United Nations Security Council two leaders will discuss in their Washington Resolutions. Japan understands NATO’s use of summit. force as measures that had to be taken to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe of a further increase RESPONSE TO KOSOVO in victims. Japan is presently following the development of the situation with great concern. The Government of Japan issued the 3. It is essential to have a peace agreement between R following statement on March 25, in the two parties, the government of the Federal JJAPAN response to the use of force by NATO Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Albanians, NOW in the Kosovo situation. to ultimately resolve this issue. Japan strongly urges 1. Despite the tireless diplomatic efforts by the the government of the Federal Republic of 2 United States and various European countries, an Yugoslavia to immediately accept the peace agreement could not be reached at the Paris peace agreement proposed by the Contact Group. STRUCTURAL REFORMS TOUCH MANY SECTORS

In May 1997, the Japanese Government adopted a comprehensive “Action Plan for Economic Structural Reform,” designed to A silver koro (incense-burner), circa 1890, on display in Splendors of Meiji: bring about dramatic changes and I Treasures of Imperial Japan, an art exhibition running through September 6th at improvements throughout Japan’s domestic the First USA Riverfront Arts Center in Wilmington, Delaware. For more economy by the year 2001. The structural reforms are information, call toll free at 1-888-395-0005 or visit the website www.splendorsofmeiji.com. (courtesy Kibo Foundation) needed to restore Japan’s economic competitiveness in response to global economic trends, the maturation of Japan’s industrial structure and the progressive aging effects of global warming, legislation will be of its population. implemented in April 1999, requiring factories and One of the key components of the plan is the offices to conserve energy and preserve the “Developing an Environment Favorable to New environment through stringent standards. Business Activities,” initiative to promote the growth Business Support-Related Services: Research has of new business enterprises and stimulate activity in been undertaken to facilitate the development of 15 sectors, projected to deliver high growth and model contracts and other measures to encourage employment in the 21st century. Measures include a outsourcing. wide range of initiatives facilitating deregulation, Ocean and Maritime: During FY 1997, technologies improving the development of new technologies, and were developed to allow the design and construction of maximizing human resources, rational capital land extensions along shorelines. allocation and efficient, competitive markets. Some of Biotechnology: Japan's approval process for the highlights achieved so far: biotechnology-related patents has been computerized. Information and Telecommunications: In June 1998, a Urban Renewal: On December 25, 1997, the Ministry report prepared by the Prime Minister's task force on of Construction required local governments to adopt Information and Telecommunications was released, special construction and zoning regulations to leading to a review of Japan's electronic commerce facilitate urban renewal. policies. The report includes measures to address Aviation and Space: In FY 1999, regulations issues pertaining to privacy, consumer protection, requiring domestic airlines to serve uneconomical electronic certification and other changes by 2001. locations will be abolished, allowing routes to be Medical Care and Welfare: Import monitoring of determined through a greater reliance on market cosmetic products has been relaxed and private forces of supply and demand. companies are now allowed to exhibit cosmetics that New Energy and Conservation: Government are in the process of being approved for sale. regulations have been revised to favor wind and waste Lifestyle and Culture: International Standards (biomass) power generation. Companies are now Organization (ISO) guidelines will be applied to revising their energy procurement systems accordingly. appropriate products and services. Japan will join and Human Resource Development: In December 1998, participate in the ISO process. the Japanese government began to provide subsidies New Manufacturing Technology: In June 1998, a in the form of tuition stipends to support job training system was adopted to facilitate the recycling of for workers. electrical appliances. In December 1998, air Economic Globalization: In April 1998, import conditioners, televisions, refrigerators and washing reporting requirements, which affected companies with machines were registered as items to be recycled. more than 5 million yen in imports, were abolished. In Logistics and Distribution: The Large-Scale Retail addition, Japanese companies no longer have to obtain Law, which constrains the development of discount the approval of foreign currency banks to procure stores and large-scale retail outlets is in the process of imported products. being abolished. New regulations are being enacted Housing and Construction: On June 12, 1998, JAPAN that will integrate retail outlets within a framework of regulations governing Japanese housing construction NOW urban planning and environmental conservation. were relaxed, moving to a system of approval based on 3 Environment: As a part of Japan's commitment to the quality of materials and performance rather than lower CO2 emissions by 6 percent to minimize the standardized sizes and weights. TRENDS IN JAPAN AMBITIOUS SENIORS Elderly people in Japan have traditionally been seen as conservative and sober-minded. A survey has revealed, however, that a sizable proportion of them now have unconventional lifestyles and values, ECOMONEY and that a new culture is beginning to emerge. Often people ask for a favor and feel These people are eager to gain new knowledge and E awkward paying money for it, but would love to go out. Newspapers are carrying a growing like to offer something in thanks, for number of reports on people taking up new example when an elderly person wants someone to challenges in their later years, with recent headlines run a quick errand. In Japan, Ecomoney provides a such as “Even Men, Elderly People Engage in solution. It consists of points earned through favors Flamenco” and “Information Networks Promote and volunteer work; the points can then be traded Community Participation for Middle-Aged and for products and services within a limited region. Elderly People.” The new currency is beginning to spread. A recent survey targeted the values, Ecomoney circulates differently from activities and awareness of various daily-life issues regular money. Local nonprofit organizations (NPO) among the elderly. The report divided pollees into first solicit funds from individual and corporate four basic groups. The “community group,” donors looking to contribute to the community. In consisting of those who energetically take part in return, participants are given sums of ecomoney community activities, accounted for 47 percent of proportional to their donations. They can then ask the total. Those in the “old-fashioned group,” with for assistance from local organizations when conservative values and low levels of interest in needed and pay for any services received using outside activities came to 23 percent. The other two their ecomoney. groups, in contrast, signified the emergence of a The system was introduced in October 1998 new, youthful breed of senior citizens: The in Suo Oshima, an island off the coast of “challenge group” (19 percent), included those who Yamaguchi Prefecture southwest of Honshu. One are fond of nature and those who ambitiously engage young man who helped clean a local beach in academics; and the “enjoyable life group” (11 received 24 eco for his four hours of work (one percent), made up of energetic people who go on “eco” amounts to about 10 minutes of light labor). trips abroad or take part in sports. The youth exchanged five eco for a ticket to a local The challenge group mainly consisted of hot spring facility and saved the rest. The NPO people in their fifties, living with their children and running Suo Oshima’s system issues one eco for grandchildren, interested in self-improvement, such every 83 cents in donations. Ecomoney can then be as learning to use computers. Members of the used to pay for things such as fixing a doorknob (3 enjoyable life group, meanwhile, mostly came from eco), watering plants (3 eco), and mowing grass (24 families in the cities with strong educational eco). The NPO hopes ecomoney will be used in backgrounds. Being financially well-off, they have local shopping districts. no hesitation about spending money on their One of the unique features of ecomoney is hobbies and their health. that it can only be used in the community where it The trend toward more active lifestyles is the is issued. It is thus expected to encourage result of longer life spans. Old age is no longer seen interaction in several ways: Its circulation not only as the quiet epilogue of life, but as another chapter. results in individual acts of kindness and volunteer Many books on this topic have been published, and activities, but should spur community interaction, classes specifically for older people are thriving. such as between elderly and younger people. Older In addition, a number of sports have been residents may receive gifts of ecomoney from local adapted to suit older people's needs. Shorter skis donors or from their families, who can thus are gaining popularity among the elderly because contribute to local NPOs and help out their they are easier to control. In one short-ski class the relatives at the same time. oldest enrollee is a 78-year-old man. These JAPAN The movement is expected to spread rapidly ambitious seniors are expected to influence others of NOW and is being introduced in 12 communities across their generation, and manufacturers and distributors Japan this spring. One welfare expert advocates the will need to take into account the diversifying 4 eco as a compassionate tool, and predicts that lifestyles of elderly people in their business “eventually, new similar monetary systems will strategies, such as by developing new products account for a substantial part of Japan’s economy.” geared toward this age group. libertarianism that we see in America.” But the BY values of individual rights, limited government, and DAVID BOAZ free markets are universal. Liberalism, now perhaps better called libertarianism, developed in the West, but it speaks to all people. But Westerners steeped in the ideas of John Locke and Adam Smith can learn much from Asians who study the traditions of Confucius and Lao-Tzu. A decade ago, such critics as Chalmers Lao-Tzu, who wrote that “without law or Johnson, James Fallows, and Clyde compulsion, men would dwell in harmony,” and Prestowitz raised fears among Americans taught that harmony can emerge from competition, A about the big bad Japanese, who were going may have been the world's first libertarian. A to drive us into submission with their similar concept can be found in Zen, as in this “automatic wealth machine,” as Prestowitz put it. advice from Shunryu Suzuki: Fortunately for the whole world, they were “To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious unsuccessful in persuading the U.S. either to erect meadow is the best way to control him. So it is with major protectionist barriers to Japanese products, or people: First let them do what they want, and to emulate what they saw as Japan's state-directed watch them. This is the best policy. To ignore them economic model. Today, most people recognize that is not good; that is the worst policy. The second the “revisionist” view of Japan was profoundly worst is trying to control them. The best one is to wrong, and the more laissez-faire American watch them, just to watch them, without trying to economic system is looking better and better. control them.” The metaphor brings to mind the Clearly there are problems with Japan's classical liberal notion of the nightwatchman state, economic policies. An economy largely based on which doesn't control citizens but simply watches private property, individual initiative, and free out for criminal behavior. markets has been hampered by too much state Today the Asian emphasis on strong families allocation of capital, and what Americans call and personal responsibility fits better with “crony capitalism.” These policy mistakes have led individual freedom than does the trend in Europe to the need for currency reform (mostly in Asian and the U.S. toward personal irresponsibility, a countries other than Japan) and deregulation of sense of entitlement and reliance on the state. financial services. Also, Japanese consumers have Japan and America have more to learn from each not always reaped the benefits of economic growth, other than from the failing European welfare states and deregulation of retailing might allow them to or the French statist model. achieve standards of living commensurate with their The world's largest trends reflect libertarian productivity. But none of this should obscure the values. Communism is virtually gone. Eastern real achievement of the Japanese in dramatically Europe is struggling to build societies based on increasing their living standard in scarcely a property rights, markets, and the rule of law. The generation through productive enterprise in a system middle-class welfare states are unsustainable and based on low taxes, free trade, and the rule of law. will have to be reformed. The information revolution Americans can find much to admire in the is empowering individuals and undermining Japanese people. Their strong families, commitment centralized authority. to education, sense of individual responsibility, Perhaps most importantly, the globalization their peaceful and democratic society, and their of the world economy means that to prosper nations productive entrepreneurship that has given the must adopt decentralized, deregulated, market- world so much material progress over the past 50 oriented models. You can’t avoid world markets in years. the 21st century or you will be left out of the Japan has adopted many of the elements of phenomenal growth and prosperity that global Western liberalism without really adopting the markets and technological development will deliver. philosophy. The question lingers in the minds of the The 21st century offers unprecedented opportunity Japanese and other Asians: Are these just to Americans, Japanese, and everyone, if we American or Western ideas? Do they have any restrain state power and liberate individuals, relevance to the people of Japan and Asia? Some families, associations, and enterprises. JAPAN Asian leaders have criticized liberalism and NOW proposed “Asian values” as an alternative. w David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato 5 Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew has said that his country Institute, is author of “Libertarianism: A Primer,” does not “need the kind of free-for-all published in the U.S. in 1997 and in Japan in 1998. SCIENCE WATCH

STATE OF THE ART TELESCOPE S The moment that Japanese astronomers have The Subaru Telescope readies for another night of been waiting for has arrived. Twenty years observation. (courtesy Subaru Telescope) since its conception, Subaru, a large, optical, infrared telescope constructed by the National field of vision, furthermore, is 100 times wider than Astronomical Observatory of Japan, has finally that of Hubble, allowing it to search out a large begun test operations. number of celestial objects in a short time. Its “first light” (first observation) images Many other features are included in the were presented to the public last January, including Subaru Telescope to achieve the sharpest image those of nearby Saturn and Jupiter, young stars possible with ground-based observation. It took four forming within the Orion nebula 1,500 light years years to polish and shape the primary mirror, made away, and the farthest known celestial entity, a of special glass that is affected minimally by quasar 14 billion light years in the distance. changes in temperature. The mirror is only 20 The images are among the most beautiful centimeters (8 inches) thick; 261 computer- ever captured by a ground-based telescope. Even controlled arms support it from the back, before its official start of operations, Subaru has automatically correcting errors in its shape caused stirred the investigative spirit of Japan's, and the when gravity makes it sag. world's astronomers. Furthermore, the structure housing Subaru is Blessed with clear skies most of the time, cylindrical, unlike the semi-spherical enclosures and little atmospheric turbulence to blur celestial used for most large telescopes. This is to minimize images, the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of atmospheric turbulence around the telescope, which Hawaii is an ideal spot for astronomical would degrade the resolution of its images. observation. More than 10 giant telescopes dot the Subaru will mainly be used for observation landscape, all world-class wonders. Among them from the optical to infrared wavelengths. Research are the twin Keck Telescopes, the world's largest, using the infrared spectrum in particular is a and the Gemini North Telescope, being built by a relatively undeveloped field, and major multinational project group that includes Britain, achievements are expected through infrared Canada, and the United States. Japan's Subaru observation of faraway planets too dim to be seen as Telescope stands there as well. optical images or shrouded in opaque gases. Subaru has been the dream telescope for There have been several reports in the past astronomers in Japan since the 1980s, which until of planets being discovered outside the solar now did not have any large telescopes. Subaru will system, but these discoveries have all been based thus be outfitted with numerous highly on indirect evidence, such as a wobble in a star's sophisticated instruments, with hopes of unraveling movement, thought to be caused by a planet's the most profound mysteries of the universe. gravitational pull. Subaru will enable direct The greatest feature of this telescope is its observation, however, by first blocking the light primary mirror, which at 8.3 meters (27 feet) across from the star around which a planet is orbiting, then is the world's largest monolithic (having one single, detecting the planet’s light in the infrared range. seamless surface) mirror. Subaru's images are not Another of Subaru’s missions is to probe the quite as sharp as those of the U.S. Hubble Space far corners of the universe, more than 10 billion Telescope because ground-based observatories light years away. By observing with Subaru the inevitably receive atmospheric interference. But faintest light that reaches Earth from such thanks to the size of its primary mirror, its light- distances, Japanese astronomers hope to gain new gathering ability surpasses Hubble's by more than understanding of the origins of the universe and its JAPAN tenfold. formation process. NOW In a galaxy cluster some five billion light Japan’s astronomers expect it will take 6 years away, Subaru captured in two hours images of another year to fine-tune this state-of-the-art several faint galaxies that the space telescope could telescope before it goes into full operation in the not detect, even after seven hours of exposure. Its year 2000. A BASKETMAKER IN RURAL JAPAN

Over the past few years, some exemplary exhibitions of Japanese bamboo art have made their way to the U.S. Through this exposure to various bamboo master T “Flame,” a piece by artist Kazuaki Honma, exhibits the creative potential of craftsmen, America is discovering the bamboo. flexible nature of bamboo in art. One exhibition of 100 rare and wonderful bamboo baskets can be shiitake mushrooms. Bamboo baskets were very found in New York -- loaned by Lloyd Cotsen from much a part of the mushroom-growing culture. There his collection of 900 such baskets. They are on view were bamboo baskets to carry dirt or manure. Others through the Asia Society in Manhattan through May were used to trap fish. Bamboo tubes stored vinegar. 30, as part of the “Bamboo Masterworks: Japanese Large baskets carried grass for horses and cattle. Baskets from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection.” But as the economy grew more modern, Another exhibition that recently ran in the many varieties of bamboo baskets fell into disuse or Washington area was held at the Japan Information were replaced by plastic or metal containers. While and Culture Center, where the works of Kazuaki bamboo groves were once plentiful, farmers have Honma were on display in March and April. A been cutting them down for years to make way for retrospective of his 30-year career, some 50 pieces, more commercial crops. showed Mr. Honma's exceptional creativity, when Hiroshima's story, told on videotape and working with what most Japanese see as a utilitarian played for visitors at the Washington, D.C. material. One other exhibition that particularly exhibition, was deeply moving and representative of impressed me was “A Basketmaker in Rural Japan." Japan’s once plentiful craftsmen. Born in 1915, Presented by the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Hiroshima Kazuo was one of eight children in a Gallery in 1994-95, the exhibition focused on farming family, one of only six in a mountain Hiroshima Kazuo, the last of the itinerant hamlet. When he was three his right hip was professional basketmakers, who once made his living dislocated, leaving him with a permanent limp. His in Hinokage on the southernmost Japanese island of bad leg made the long trip to school every day Kyushu. impossible. Although he learned to read he never As an American associate curator at the learned to write -- his greatest regret, according to Sackler in 1982, Louise Cort was looking for places Cort’s book A Basketmaker in Rural Japan. that a group from the Japan Society in New York In the 1920s, Hiroshima met a number of could visit to see bamboo baskets being made. She basketmakers who came by the farm. Since he began a correspondence with Nakamura Kenji who couldn’t go to school or work on the farm, he saw in lived in the Hinokage region. Nakamura was deeply their work an opportunity. With basketmaking he disturbed that the bamboo craftsmen's art was would be able to support himself. At 16, he disappearing, and he suggested that Cort and her apprenticed himself to a basketmaker in Hinokage group visit Hiroshima Kazuo. They did, and they with his family’s blessing. Some basketmakers took were so impressed with his work that the idea for an up the craft because of a disability. Others simply exhibition -- 12 years in the making -- took root. wished to live an itinerant life -- a choice farmers Meanwhile, Mr. Nakamura commissioned considered unacceptable. As Cort says in her book, Mr. Hiroshima to recreate a wide variety of bamboo “In Japanese society, which centered about farming baskets. Also collecting older baskets from people’s communities, a registered residence became the homes, and some of the plastic and metal substitutes basis of social identity beginning in the 17th used in place of bamboo today, Nakamura donated century.” The course of Hiroshima’s life changed the collection to the Smithsonian's National Museum when he took up the trade, which inspired his of Natural History, in the hope that this craft would baskets for half a century. JAPAN find an appreciative audience in America. It did. NOW When Hiroshima first began his craft, there w Carol Marleigh Kline, is a freelance writer in were different baskets for every possible activity. Washington, D.C., who spent 11 years living in 7 Hinokage is a mountainous region, and many Japan. Next month she will write about “The farmers not only grow rice, but raise cattle and Bamboo Life.” THE ART OF BONSAI

What is bonsai? Simply put, bonsai is the ancient practice of raising trees in miniature, and displaying them in decorative, shallow W containers. Bonsai is the controlled unfolding of a tree in an idealized form. Bonsai can be This 250-year old Taxus Cuspidata, part of the National Arboretum collection, as complex or as uncomplicated as one wishes it to makes a beautiful bonsai. (courtesy U.S. National Arboretum) be. Regardless of the plant material used or the pot in which it is placed, all good bonsai has at its heart an Washington to honor the U.S. Bicentennial. expression of the beauty of nature and the endless From this beginning the National Collection reverberations of time. has now become the world’s largest museum devoted To admire a beautiful bonsai is a fulfilling to the art and science of bonsai. It houses plants from experience. We see something beautiful and thought- all over the world. Ranging in age from 20- to 380- provoking. Bonsai can delight, silence, sober, and years-old, hundreds of bonsai are displayed in four charm. At its highest expression, it can cause one to separate pavilions. Several times a year shudder with the realization of the brevity and demonstrations, lectures and workshops are given by a transitory nature of life itself. host of bonsai masters from around the world and the In the U.S. the art of bonsai has come almost collection’s Curator, Warren Hill. exclusively from the Japanese, who in turn borrowed For those interested in bonsai as a hobby or and perfected the fundamentals of bonsai from China. vocation, there are many books, magazines, and It was not until the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) Internet sites on bonsai. One can visit local that the West became engaged with this art form. collections, or join a local club and take classes. Some Since then many fine Tokugawa-era bonsai have been of the better books are The Art of Bonsai by Peter D. imported to America as the West’s lust for Orientalia Adams, Creating Bonsai by Joe Davies, Four Seasons bloomed. Crossing many areas -- art, music, fashion, of Bonsai by Mr. Kyuzo Murata, The Living Art of even architecture -- this attention contributed as well Bonsai by Amy Liang. to the interest in the fascinating dwarfed plants. Starting a bonsai is easy. Almost any plant Sadly, only a very few of those marvelous with permanent woody growth (bark) can become a Tokugawa trees survived due to their new owner’s bonsai. There are blueberry and honeysuckle bonsai. limited knowledge of how to care for them. Later, In Virginia the native short-needled pine is suitable for Americans returning from Occupied Japan brought bonsai culture. Southerners cultivate Bougainvillea, with them tiny trees and shrubs in pots. They sought ficus, buttonwood, and many other tropical bonsai. Out out Japanese-American experts with knowledge of how West, native juniper, Juniperus Californica are to care for bonsai and how to shape and maintain their cultivated and, in Michigan, tamaracks. beauty. Bonsai clubs and societies formed and thrived. It is now impossible to find a state that does not have w This article was written by David J. Bockman, a at least one group of dedicated bonsai enthusiasts who bonsai enthusiast and nurseryman near Washington, meet to discuss and learn about bonsai horticulture. D.C., who actively participates in all aspects of bonsai Bonsai are revered in Japan as priceless horticulture and art. His website is works of living art. The gift of an ancient Japanese www.bunabayashi.com bonsai is one of the highest honors one can receive. In 1998 while visiting Japan our President received such JAPAN NOW is a publication of the a gift -- a majestic chokan, or Formal Upright bonsai, Embassy of Japan for distribution to readers in the symbolizing fortitude and strength -- from Prime United States. However, the opinions and material Minister Obuchi. contained herein do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the government of Japan. I sit and write this article 25 miles from one of the great bonsai collections of the world -- the Japan Information and Culture Center JAPAN National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, located on the EMBASSY OF JAPAN [email protected] NOW grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum in www.embjapan.org Washington. The National Collection (as it is known) 8 1155 21ST STREET, NW began as a gift from the Japanese government. Fifty- WASHINGTON, DC 20036 202-238-6900 three priceless and magnificent bonsai were sent to