Bonsai Guide Reshapes Tours To Export Love Of Tiny Trees

Yoshihiro Nakamizu, 52, used to think bonsai were mainly a costly way for old people to kill time.
But he has changed his mind about the art of dwarfing trees and bushes in shallow pots.
Now he makes it his business to educate foreigners about the wee trees, which he also ships around the world.
The root of the idea came to him about 10 years ago when he visited a bonsai festival in Ueno, Tokyo.
Contrary to his old ideas about bonsai, the festival was teeming with foreigners, and plenty of young ones at that.
But Nakamizu noticed they had trouble getting information at the entrance gates: The help staff just didn't understand what they were trying to say or ask.
After a few years of seeing the same problem, Nakamizu decided to make bonsai his niche business.
After 25 years as a company employee, Nakamizu quit his job and launched Bonsai Network Japan Ltd. in June 2000 in Kazo.
His business includes acting as a tour guide for bonsai fans from abroad and exporting bonsai and bonsai tools overseas.
He has now exported bonsai and tools to more than 30 countries, including Britain, the Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, Egypt and Vietnam.
"I think the number of people overseas who like bonsai and Japanese culture will increase in the future. I want to help those people," he said.
His former work and interests have helped hone his new business acumen. Previously, he worked as a planner and sales promotion staffer at a travel agency. He also studied English on his own, thinking he would like a global career one day.
Even back then, in his 40s, he had the seed of the idea that bonsai might be a worthwhile Japanese cultural tradition to bone up on, and he enrolled at a school that taught bonsai.
Times were tough for the first three years of his bonsai business, despite his Web site in English that brought in customers. He lost money, had to borrow cash and couldn't get enough clients to cover costs.
For his first tour, he took a Danish couple to the popular "Bonsai-mura" (Bonsai village) district in the city of Saitama, where many bonsai shops are located. It was almost like volunteer work because he turned so little profit on the gig.
He even got ripped off when he shipped bonsai overseas and didn't receive payment. He also lost money when his bonsai got damaged during shipping.
But he learned.
With growing contacts, his business finally seems to be on track. Last year, Nakamizu guided 10 groups from the United States and other countries to bonsai shops and bonsai festivals in Japan. He also went along as an interpreter with bonsai specialists he dispatched to Spain and elsewhere.
"In some foreign countries, bonsai isn't just a temporary boom," Nakamizu said. "Its popularity is growing steadily."