Annual bonsai exhibitions are held at the Kinashi and Kokubunji areas of Takamatsu in October every year. These annual fairs raise the people’s spirits in these areas, which are the world’s No. 1 bonsai-growing regions.

Bonsai and Garden Plants Festival of Kinashi

The Kinashi Bonsai and Garden Plants Festival will be held for three days between Oct. 19 and 21 at the Kinashi Garden Planta and Bonsai Center which is located in Takamatsu’s Kinashi area and is run by the Kagawa prefectural government.

This year’s fair marks the 25th in a series. The number of visitors to the fair totals about 25,000 from both within and outside Kagawa Prefecture every year.

This year’s fair features an exhibition of about 20 masterpieces of kuromatsu (Japanese black pine), goyomatsu (Japanese white pine), nishiki-matsu (Thick-barked black pine) and zoki bonsai. Another major attraction will be a garden of bonsai masterpieces.

In addition, also on display will be a number of artificial gardens made by bonsai and plant growers as well as other gardeners in the Kinashi area.

About 55,000 zoki items, ranging from low-priced materials valued at around 100 yen to high-priced articles worth more than 1 million yen, are scheduled to be offered for sale.

Such spot sale sessions are hugely popular every year. Buyers are able to purchase those items without anxiety as exhibitors would brief them on how to care for and maintain such items.

Moreover, lessons and demonstrations on wiring will also be offered during the fair. An annual exhibition of bonsai works by students from Kinashi Elementary School has also become popular with visitors.

Shuttle bus services will be offered free of charge between JR Kinashi Station and the festival venue during the fair.

Green Festa Kokubunji

The annual Green Festa Kokubunji bonsai fair, the 20th in a series this year, will be held at the Tachibana-no-oka sports park in Takamatsu’s Kokubunji area for three days between Oct. 26 and 28.

About 80 items, including masterpieces that were awarded the education minister’s prizes in the past, will be on display at a special masterpiece exhibition which will be held in commemoration of the 20th anniversary event.

Bonsai lovers are expected to pay close attention to changes made to the masterpieces after winning the prizes awarded by the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology.

Bonsai and nursery trees will be put on spot sale at the fair, and a goyomatsu nursery tree will be presented as a gift to 200 winners in a draw from among respondents to a survey.

Among other attractions at the fair will be bonsai lessons for adults and children (3,000 yen for an adult as material costs but free of charge for children), treasure-hunting events for children and their parents, ”taiko” drum-beating sessions, and ”mochi” rice cake-throwing ceremonies.

In addition, children will dedicate a ”mikoshi” portable shrine to the Bonsai Shrine that is the sole such facility in Japan. Cups of ”dojo” loach soup, a local specialty, will be sold there too.

(By Shigeo Hano)

translated by Kyodo News