Kyuka-en
Opened in 1929 and housing several trees that date back almost as far, Kyuka-en maintains bonsai previously owned by prime ministers and members of the imperial family, yet has a relaxed, homey atmosphere. This garden is notable for eschewing forceful techniques, such as wiring, that influence the direction of a bonsai’s development. Instead, all growth here is natural, with beautiful shapes and detailing being achieved via painstaking, and time-consuming, trimming. This tradition at Kyuka-en has led to another specialty: developing and marketing scissors and other bonsai tools. Trees here include many not usually used for bonsai, with most sourced from the Japanese main island of Honshu, but a few coming from northernmost Hokkaido.