Part 2, Shoujyu-en
The next nursery we went to was Shoujyu-en. Shoujyu-en is owned by a man named Mr. Eura. His specialty seems to be Shimpaku because there was so many of them there. Were all amazed at the twist and turns the trees had and I was surprised to find out that a famous tree resides there. I’m getting excited just talking about it. I’m sure you’re excited to see some pictures, so here they are.
Here is one section of the nursery. There’s a lot of deadwood sticking out all over the place!
Here’s the same picture but from a different angle. This is what you first see when you walk through the gate.
The man on the far left is Mr. Eura. Here he’s explaining what he’s planning on doing to a collected Shimpaku.
One of the interesting trees at the nursery
Another nice tree
This tree here is in development but the trunk is just amazing!
Here’s the tree right next to the last picture. Again, being developed but some beautiful deadwood features.
Another interesting trunk. The plastic tape you see there is holding an approach graft to the life line. Many of the collected trees here have Itoigawa shimpaku foliage grafted on to them.
This is going to be an amazing tree onces it’s finished!
This tree probably cost more then my car and everything else I own!
WOW! I looked inside the tree and noticed that every branch was grafted. A tree in development and a future masterpiece. This is one of my favorite trees at the nursery.
Here’s a pic of Mr. Ken Fujiwara. He drove the other van. There was about 20 of us in the group.
This tree is the famous tree I was referring to earlier. This juniper is named Fujin (Japanese God of Wind). The tree has a smoky and mysterious vibe to it. I’ve seen pictures of this tree in the past but didn’t realize how big the tree actually is. The base of the trunk is about 2 feet wide! Mr. Kawabi was the original creator of this tree years ago, but then Mr. Eura bought the tree and grafted Itoigawa foliage and replacing all the original foliage. This is truly an amazing tree! Another one of my favorites if not my most favorite tree in the yard. I’d be afraid to ask how much this tree cost…
Heading home
After we left Mr. Eura’s nursery, we all went out to have lunch. I’ve been eating some very different and interesting foods here in Japan so I thought I’d share some of it with you. One day I’m going to write a post just about the different foods I’ve eaten here in Japan.
We decided to go to a Curry house and this is what I ordered. Curry with rice and pieces of boneless fried chicken. The Japanese are big on curry so there are numerous restaurant here that serve only curry dishes. Mr. Tanaka thought it would be funny if he got me the hottest curry. It was spicy alright, but it tasted great!
On the drive back, we stopped at a rest stop and it had a look out point into the valley. I think I can see Tyler from here!
After we drove everybody home and returned the rental van, it was about 8pm. Mr. Tanaka took Mr. Fujiwara and I to dinner at a Shabu Shabu restaurant. It’s a hot pot style of meal where you cook the meat and vegetables in a pot. This place was great because the meat was all you can eat! We definitely got our money’s worth that night and it was a fitting end to a long and fun day.
Thanks for coming along.
Peter Tea Bonsai 