More from Miyazaki

In addition to growing deciduous trees by the hundreds, Mr. Adachi had taken to developing small shimpaku as well. He starts with cuttings, wires them after a few years, and encourages escape branches to thicken trunks and create interesting deadwood. Adachi said he pruned and wired his junipers in August and November. The rest of the time he watered and fertilized the trees.

A small-sized shimpaku

Deadwood on a shohin juniper

The trees looked funny on the benches as is they had long antennae reaching outwards.

Young juniper with escape branches

These too grew by the hundred in Adachi’s backyard.

Adachi’s junipers

The benches upon which these flats rested were fairly rudimentary – galvanized pipes atop beer crates.

Basic benches

Younger junipers suggested what was to come later as twisted branches would become deadwood and long shoots would become escape branches.

Young juniper

The cuttings were jumbled affairs of twists and turns.

Cuttings with wire

Heading back toward the house we discovered a final bench featuring specimens of a variety I had yet to see that afternoon – black pine. Turns out Adachi is a fan of pines as well.

Japanese cork bark black pine

Before leaving, Adachi opened his front door so we could peek at a tokonoma he’d set up that morning with a black pine.

Black pine display

Although the bonsai I saw in Kyushu was wonderful, my visit there was not limited to little trees. Some other Miyazaki highlights:

 Aoshima Island

Aoshima Shrine

Aoshima Island

Aoshima Island and much of Miyazaki’s coastline is defined by a unique rock formation known as the Ogre’s Washboard.

With Nomoto’s son at Aoshima Island

Close-up of the Ogre’s Washboard

The formation shows up again just south of town.

Miyazaki’s famous coastline

On my last afternoon in Miyazaki, Nomoto and I visited an ume festival. The full-sized trees were beautiful, and the fragrance was unforgettable – much like the rest of my visit to Kyushu.

Ume festival

Pink ume