The rumors are true. Bjorn is moving back to Japan

[Shogun610]

Not to diminish societal issues …… but …….
This is a bonsai forum and every day it seems like there is less action and not enough people working on their trees, or sharing their trees / bonsai activities .. it still happens but not as much as pure discussions or info sharing
Hell even this thread has veeered way off of a topic relevant to this forum.

 

[Srt8madness]

Someone has to stand up to the bloviating European know-it-alls.

But you're correct Shogun.

 

[Glaucus]

I thought we saw Americans attacking their own country, their own cities and their own (Democratic) mayors, using poor logic and bad statistics, when talking about politics isn't even allowed here.
I don't think Democratic mayors are to blame for racial hate crime when we have one political party that have some presidential candidates that want to invade or even bomb Mexico. Or that claim the US is already at war with China.
And that same party has a former president that called something 'the China virus' over and over. If you hear on tv over and over that Mexico and China are the enemy, because that's what certain politicians are saying, guess what happens?
And btw 'hate crime' includes those targeting LGBTQ+ as well.

And yes, one European dude called them out on it. Don't blame other Europeans here for what I did.

And yes, I believe that in the past the US or Canada was a better place for Asian Americans, facing less racial stereotypes, than western Europe. We have a problem here, in part because there's not that many people with Asian ethnicity here. And with covid, those was laid bare.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I probably should have stepped in and re-directed this conversation earlier, the second the conversation veered wildly off-topic. Let's stay on the subject of Bjorn moving to Japan and what it means for bonsai, and wishing him well on the next chapter of his life.

 

[Cajunrider]

Not to diminish societal issues …… but …….
This is a bonsai forum and every day it seems like there is less action and not enough people working on their trees, or sharing their trees / bonsai activities .. it still happens but not as much as pure discussions or info sharing
Hell even this thread has veeered way off of a topic relevant to this forum.

I would be glad to share my work on my trees but it must get boring for you guys because it's mostly about bald cypress and Mayhaw and very few other trees.

 

[IzzyG]

I would be glad to share my work on my trees but it must get boring for you guys because it's mostly about bald cypress and Mayhaw and very few other trees.

If it’s trees and Bonsai work, it’s never boring!

 

[Lutonian]

Just speculation but a large part of it might be because his daughter has grandparents in USA and China, Japan is in between or maybe he just loves gashapon, we only have what he said to go on. But I do feel there is something he is skirting around or not mentioning for some reason.

 

[Wood]

I wonder how much of this move is tangentially related to different market dynamics in the US and Japan. I don't know either very extensively, but plenty of people talk about the lack of bonsai professionals in Japan. At least there's a clearly established and mature market. That brings a relatively predictable supply of material and customers, which is definitely valuable.

The US has a significantly more adolescent market. Bonsai professionals struggle to make a living to begin with. Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area), and after the covid boom of interest, there's supply issues everywhere. I know Andrew Robson was talking about it on the Black Pondo podcast. Combining the two has to be difficult

edit to add: of course, this is more speculation. take it with a grain of salt

 

[Nybonsai12]

He's moving for the sushi.

 

[Shogun610]

I would be glad to share my work on my trees but it must get boring for you guys because it's mostly about bald cypress and Mayhaw and very few other trees.

Well when you move to PA you obviously will have more species to work on it seems

 

[Cajunrider]

Well when you move to PA you obviously will have kore species to work on it seems

JM. Definitely more JM. I can't keep them thriving here in Louisiana. Down here my JMs thrive for about 3 months early in the year and from there go straight into ICU and be near death for the rest of the year.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

He's moving for the sushi.

Hey... I'll take it at face value. He loves Japan.
I get it - he lived there for NINE YEARS. I'm sure he has all sorts of friends, relations, and positive memories. Heck, I lived in Germany for two years and I love the country, the people and the culture. And yes, I love the food We were just in Germany last summer, and if anything, the trip reinforced all of my positive memories. I would not hesitate to live in Germany again if it made sense - and have tried to get both of my children to consider studying/working abroad. That doesn't mean I dislike the US... it just means I like experiencing what the world has to offer.

 

[rockm]

I wonder how much of this move is tangentially related to different market dynamics in the US and Japan. I don't know either very extensively, but plenty of people talk about the lack of bonsai professionals in Japan. At least there's a clearly established and mature market. That brings a relatively predictable supply of material and customers, which is definitely valuable.

The US has a significantly more adolescent market. Bonsai professionals struggle to make a living to begin with. Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area), and after the covid boom of interest, there's supply issues everywhere. I know Andrew Robson was talking about it on the Black Pondo podcast. Combining the two has to be difficult

edit to add: of course, this is more speculation. take it with a grain of salt

"Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area)"

FWIW, Speaking from what I've seen in boarding or winter storage at a specialized Japanese garden/bonsai nursery in the region, you'd be amazed at what people have around here and on down to Richmond. A lot of the owners of those advanced trees have moved to individual work groups, etc. from clubs.

 

[Shogun610]

"Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area)"

FWIW, Speaking from what I've seen in boarding or winter storage at a specialized Japanese garden/bonsai nursery in the region, you'd be amazed at what people have around here and on down to Richmond. A lot of the owners of those advanced trees have moved to individual work groups, etc. from clubs.

Richmond Virginia- Home of Bonsai and Gwar

 

[Wood]

"Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area)"

FWIW, Speaking from what I've seen in boarding or winter storage at a specialized Japanese garden/bonsai nursery in the region, you'd be amazed at what people have around here and on down to Richmond. A lot of the owners of those advanced trees have moved to individual work groups, etc. from clubs.

This is completely fair and I'm sure there's more out there than I realize, but concentrated groups of people dropping large amounts of money still can't support a large professional network like society-wide demand can. The scale more than makes up for the dedication

 

[BrightsideB]

Never met or visited his nursery but he seems super humble. To me it seems like a logical decision from what he explained in his video.

 

[jandslegate]

I would be glad to share my work on my trees but it must get boring for you guys because it's mostly about bald cypress and Mayhaw and very few other trees.

On the contrary. I have three BCs that have been plugging away for the past few years and your info has become one of my go to sources for info.

 

[roberthu]

I wonder how much of this move is tangentially related to different market dynamics in the US and Japan. I don't know either very extensively, but plenty of people talk about the lack of bonsai professionals in Japan. At least there's a clearly established and mature market. That brings a relatively predictable supply of material and customers, which is definitely valuable.

The US has a significantly more adolescent market. Bonsai professionals struggle to make a living to begin with. Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area), and after the covid boom of interest, there's supply issues everywhere. I know Andrew Robson was talking about it on the Black Pondo podcast. Combining the two has to be difficult

edit to add: of course, this is more speculation. take it with a grain of salt

My speculation is that in Japan, he can produce content that will clearly differentiate from Mirai's content. Ryan does a very good job marketing his brand and create high quality educational lessons. Mirai already has thousands of hours of lessons available to whoever subscribes today. It is very difficult for anyone to compete with currently. By moving to Japan, Bjorn can make videos not just about Bonsai, but more Bonsai culture in Japan. He can also do interviews with the Japanese professionals on a regular basis and expand the online market that way.

 

[jandslegate]

I wonder how much of this move is tangentially related to different market dynamics in the US and Japan. I don't know either very extensively, but plenty of people talk about the lack of bonsai professionals in Japan. At least there's a clearly established and mature market. That brings a relatively predictable supply of material and customers, which is definitely valuable.

The US has a significantly more adolescent market. Bonsai professionals struggle to make a living to begin with. Hobbyists don't really want to spend much money on buying a tree (at least at my club and area), and after the covid boom of interest, there's supply issues everywhere. I know Andrew Robson was talking about it on the Black Pondo podcast. Combining the two has to be difficult

edit to add: of course, this is more speculation. take it with a grain of salt

Id imagine this is a factor. When we went to the open house last fall there were a few examples. It was a little bit eye opening for me, naive as it sounds. There were plenty of enthusiasts there that appreciated the garden and everything around them but there were also people there dropping lots of money on trees and pots without really knowing what they were buying. Basically the cliched new hobbyist that goes out and buys everything Tiger Woods uses because that's how golf works. Ironically the people buying the stuff that they knew little about were noticeably less polite.

It's similar to what I run into at work. People come in looking for a bonsai tree. I used to engage and ask more questions. You all know where this is going...More times then not once they have even a surface level of care and time required they lose interest. Rarely is it worth going into detail. I would imagine in Japan there's already a much stronger understanding and appreciation of bonsai.

I'm not going to pretend we were best friends or anything but based on the short time I've known Bjorn I can absolutely say his move is absolutely a loss. He and his family are genuinely kind people. He remembered both me and my wife by name after only meeting us once before. So as a person moving away it's a loss. For Bonsai, Eisei-en literally was an oasis in a desert. I live in southern Indiana and I can tell you there's not much in the bonsai world in the immediate vicinity. The other nearby garden I can think of is run by one of Bjorns students, funny enough.

That being said, it's a bummer Eisei-en won't be so close and it's a bummer they're leaving but I'm still 1000% happy for them because this is a goal they've had for a long time and it's good to see friends succeed. Bjorn and his family handled all of the operations for Eisei-en and I'm sure it's been a challenge. So, I think everything about this move will be beneficial for them and his ability to successfully practice bonsai and produce master level content and in a much more accommodating market.

 

[namnhi]

The man needs to do what a man thinks is best for his family... whether financially or morally. We are reading too much between the lines here. Am sure he probably thinks his skill is much more valued in Japan than here and he can make a better living there than here... financially. I don't think racist is the primary reason for his move. Also don't think moving to Japan to be closer to the Grandma either.