Pat's Blog

　　　A little quote from the Official Kinashi Web Site“[Kinashi] is so unpopular name in Japan. [KI] shows the Japanese name of ogre. [NASI] is non. We usually called the people of pirate as a ogre in old time. Thus, Kinashi might be the safe place even from pirate peoples from old time. Bonsai must be one way to keep Peace of Mind from the old time. Old people in Kinashi might try to feel kind to others from growing Bonsai.”


　　　And peace of mind it most certainly is ... Located about 15 minutes away by car and less by JR train to the west of Takamtasu is the town of Kinashi. It’s even possible to rent a bicycle from the rent-a-bicycle-service right near the Takamatsu Central Station and ride out there. If you do decide to go by train to the very small Kinashi station, in the station building there’s a ‘Kinashi Nursery Map’ with the locations of many nurseries, however one must have permission to enter these places, so a little pre-visit research or help on how to best go about this from the I-Pal international enter is a good idea.


　　　Kinashi has always been a quiet place, a bit of a bed town as they say in Japanese, but what it’s really famous for is the wonderful bonsai nurseries that are spread out everywhere. An older couple once old me that the area looked like a moon landscape after the war from the pounding it took from the Allied bombing, but it’s certainly nothing like that these days and well worth a visit to see. The nurseries themselves are easy to see, as they’re not usually fenced very much.


　　　This is a town with a lot of history; even more bonsai and some families have been at it for 4 or more generations. Bonsai practitioners quietly go about ‘training’ and cultivate their trees, some of which are over 250 years old and the process is one with much love, affection and respect for the trees themselves.


　　　Through the invitation of a foreign friend who was studying at a Kinashi nursery, I once watched a master artist pruning a very old tree. Snip, snip, snip then he’d hold the potted tree back for critical appraisal, a few more snips, put it down and walk back for another look. Even to watch, meditative, quiet and very refreshing for the tired soul.