008 The Art Of Japanese Bonsai

04/16/13 • 44 min

In this episode, Nick speaks with Aaron Packard, assistant curator of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, which is located within the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Together they discuss:

The history of bonsai
How Aaron became interested in this art form and was able to make it a full-time career
The contents of the National Arboretum’s bonsai and penjing collection
The rewards and pressure that can come from working with bonsai
Advice for anyone interested in starting a bonsai collection

Below are photographs of the four trees from the museum’s collection that Nick and Arron discuss:

Resources for anyone interested in learning more about bonsai:

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
Aaron’s great blog, Capitol Bonsai

Recommended books for bonsai beginners:

Bonsai Survival Manuel, by Colin Lewis
The Complete Book of Bonsai, by Harry Tomlinson
Indoor Bonsai for Beginners, by Werner Busch

The podcast receives a small percentage of each sale from the links above to help offset production costs. Thanks for your support!

The history of bonsai
How Aaron became interested in this art form and was able to make it a full-time career
The contents of the National Arboretum’s bonsai and penjing collection
The rewards and pressure that can come from working with bonsai
Advice for anyone interested in starting a bonsai collection

Below are photographs of the four trees from the museum’s collection that Nick and Arron discuss:

Resources for anyone interested in learning more about bonsai:

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
Aaron’s great blog, Capitol Bonsai

Recommended books for bonsai beginners:

Bonsai Survival Manuel, by Colin Lewis
The Complete Book of Bonsai, by Harry Tomlinson
Indoor Bonsai for Beginners, by Werner Busch

The podcast receives a small percentage of each sale from the links above to help offset production costs. Thanks for your support!

Previous Episode

007 The Most Famous Cherry Blossoms Outside Of Japan

It’s officially hanami season and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom here in Washington, D.C. Each spring, over a million and a half people come to see the most famous cherry blossoms outside of Japan. In this episode, Nick speaks with Ambassador John Malott, president of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., about this living symbol of U.S.-Japan friendship and its 101-year history.

To learn more about the history of Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms, check out this books:

The Cherry Blossom Festival: Sakura Celebration, by Ann McClellan

Eliza’s Cherry Trees: Japan’s Gift To America, by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman

Cherry Blossom Friends, by Corky Hay DeSimone

For more information about the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Sakura Matsuri, visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org and sakuramatsuri.org. The U.S. National Park Service website also has some great information about the cherry blossoms and their history.

Thanks to everyone following the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan and be sure to “like” the podcast on the recently created facebook page.

Happy hanami!

Next Episode

009 Podcasting About Japan

In this episode, Nick provides an overview of other great Japan-related podcasts available to listeners on the Internet. This list is by no means meant to be exhaustive. If one of your favorite podcasts did not make the list, feel free to email [email protected] and Nick will add it to the “listener recommended” category below.

LIFE IN JAPAN

The Japanofiles Podcast

Tokyo Podcast – @tokyopodcast

JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDY

Japanese Pod 101 – @japanesepod101

HISTORY

A Short History of Japan – @frugcam

Samurai Archives – @samuraiarchives

SPORTS

Japan Baseball Weekly – @jballallen

The J Talk Podcast – @jtalkpod

FOOD

Japan Eats Podcast – @japaneats

Japan Booze Blind

CURRENT EVENTS

The Japan Show – @thejapanshow

LISTENER RECOMMENDED

Anime World Order Podcast – @AnimeWorldOrder

Otalkku Podcast-

Notebook on Cities and Culture – Though not strictly a Japan-focused podcast, there are some great Japan interviews. I especially recommend the interview with Pico Iyer.

Studio 360 in Japan Episode –