Images From Our Garden

Bonsai For Life Favourites (not for adoption!)

Mr. Tamaguchi’s Tree. Japanese black pine, approximately 300 years old. This is the tree that started the story of Bonsai for Life. Originally belonging to Mr. Tamaguchi, it was entrusted to Owen Goodwin in 1992 when Mr. Tamaguchi became seriously ill. What began as the simple responsibility of caring for one treasured old bonsai slowly grew into the Bonsai for Life garden. More than thirty years on, this tree is still the quiet cornerstone of the garden. It has watched everything around it change and grow, while somehow remaining steady and itself. We still stop to admire it every day. Of all the trees that have passed through our care, this will always be the one that means the most to us.

Tree Number 2. Japanese maple. Approximately 90 years old. The name may seem a little sad for such a beautiful tree, but somehow nothing else ever stuck. We grew to love it enormously, and it was always affectionately known simply as Tree Number 2. It was the second Bonsai to be entrusted to our care, arriving not long after Mr. Tamaguchi's tree. At the time, we had no sense that anything larger was beginning. We simply had two old trees that needed a home. But Tree Number 2 changed everything. Its arrival made Yudai realize there must be other bonsai and other families in similar circumstances. It was this tree that first sparked the idea of a website where people could find us and ask for help. That idea eventually became Bonsai for Life. So despite never acquiring a grand or respectful name, Tree Number 2 holds a very special place in our history. Mr. Tamaguchi's tree began the story, but in many ways, Tree Number 2 was the one that turned it into a project.

Mei-mei's Tree. Japanese Apricot, approximately 110 years old. This will always be Mei-mei's tree. Just three days after arriving in Kuji from Fukuoka, Mei-mei accompanied Yudai on her first trip to collect a Bonsai. When she left that morning, she was still finding her place. When she came back, carrying this tree, something about her seemed quieter, steadier. She set it down in the garden and stood looking at it for a long time. In the years that followed, Mei-mei became inseparable from Bonsai for life. This tree feels like the first quiet step in that journey, A moment when the garden, and the trees began to offer her something new. After her death in 2010, this tree naturally became a place of remembrance. Her family still returns to visit it. Every spring, when the old branches flower again, we think of Mei mei.

Mrs. Yamamoto's Tree. Satsuki Azalea. Approximately 70 years old, Mrs. Yamamoto's tree came to us under circumstances we have never forgotten. We received an email from Mrs. Yamamoto, with a photograph of this beautiful azalea, asking if we could care for it. Two days later, when we arrived to collect it, we learned she had passed away. There was no family there, only officials handling the formalities. We explained why we had come and showed them her email. And they kindly agreed that we could take the tree. We had never met Mrs. Yamamoto, but her last message made clear that finding a safe home for this tree mattered to her. That was reason enough for it to matter to us. The azalea settled into the garden and every year since has given an extraordinary display of pink flowers. We never knew very much about Mrs. Yamamoto's life, but we have always cared for this tree in gratitude and in remembrance.

The Snowstorm Tree. Juniper, approximately 170 years old. We call this the Snowstorm Tree. One winter evening, Mei mei was bringing this old juniper back to Kuji when a sudden snowstorm stopped her car. There was a motel nearby, but she couldn't bear the thought of dragging the tree through the snow and damaging it. So, she stayed in the car with the heater keeping the tree close, and waited out the night. She brought it safely to the garden the next morning. That night captured something essential about Mei mei, her instinct to protect, to endure, to see things through. That's why this tree means so much to us.

The Dead Tree, Japanese Maple, approximately 120 years old. For years, this tree puzzled people. It was always the first to drop its leaves, and the last to show any sign of life again. The kids started calling it the dead tree, half joking, half fond. And then, when the first tiny buds finally appeared, everyone noticed. It became a kind of quiet signal in the garden. This tree taught us patience. It reminded us not to rush or assume. Underneath, life was steady and ready. We would never let it go.

Bonsai For Adoption (photos sent from Clients)

Japanese Maple Bonsai — graceful layered branches with delicate seasonal foliage.
Age: Approximately 25 years.
Donated by: A schoolteacher from Kuji, 2016.
Suggested donation: ¥10,000.

Japanese Maple Bonsai — vivid crimson autumn foliage with an elegant curved trunk.
Age: Approximately 35 years.
Donated by: A family from Miyako, 2021.
Suggested donation: ¥15,000.

Windswept Juniper Bonsai — weathered twisting trunk shaped by the character of the Sanriku coast.
Age: Approximately 50 years.
Donated by: A family from Noda, 2022.
Suggested donation: ¥22,000.

Deadwood Juniper Bonsai — dramatic weathered trunk with dense evergreen foliage.
Age: Approximately 45 years.
Donated by: A bonsai enthusiast from Morioka, 2023.
Suggested donation: ¥20,000.

Flowering Cherry Bonsai — white spring blossoms, aged twisting trunk.
Age: Approximately 30 years.
Donated by: A retired couple from Hachinohe, 2018.
Suggested donation: ¥12,000.

Semi-Cascade Japanese Black Pine — rugged aged trunk with rich green needles sweeping dramatically downward.
Age: Approximately 55 years.
Donated by: A former forestry worker from Iwaizumi, 2025.
Suggested donation: ¥25,000.

Chinese Elm Bonsai — strong winter silhouette with fine branching and a rugged aged trunk.
Age: Approximately 40 years.
Donated by: A family from Hachinohe, 2025.
Suggested donation: ¥16,000.

Flowering Apricot Bonsai — soft pink spring blossoms with a strong, gently curved trunk.
Age: Approximately 28 years.
Donated by: A retired fisherman from Kuji, 2025.
Suggested donation: ¥12,000.

Japanese Beech Bonsai — smooth pale trunk with fresh green foliage and finely balanced branching.
Age: Approximately 32 years.
Donated by: A retired railway worker from Kuji, 2024.
Suggested donation: ¥14,000.

Japanese Zelkova Bonsai — strong upright trunk with a broad, finely branched broom-shaped crown.
Age: Approximately 38 years.
Donated by: A shopkeeper from central Kuji, 2026.
Suggested donation: ¥18,000.