My Introduction to Bonsai, Which Began with a Movie

I first began my journey into the art of bonsai at the age of 13 when I received my very first tree from my parents as a birthday gift. I’d actually seen the Karate Kid movies at the age of 12, and became hooked on the bonsai that appeared throughout the films. I asked my folks for a bonsai for my 13th birthday and they obliged. Unfortunately, the tree died shortly thereafter as I kept it on my nightstand, but throughout my high school years, it remained an unforgettable presence to me.

A few years later, at the age of 16, I was chosen by Panasonic for a two-week cultural exchange program to Japan, and it was during that program that my host family took me to a couple of local bonsai nurseries in Osaka, one of which was Fujikawa Kouka-en Nursery. Fujikawa-san took quite a bit of interest in me as a young foreigner so interested in bonsai, and by the end of my visit, he made a joke that if I ever wanted to come back to be an apprentice, he would be willing to take me on. I took it to heart and kept his business card in my wallet for many years. During my last year of university, I wrote Fujikawa-san a letter asking if he would allow me to take him up on that offer, and he said, "Okay I'll let you come for three months as a trial period".