Adams Jones, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was teaching English in several Southeastern Asia countries. In 2011 his teaching led him to Japan and his boss suggested that he visit the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Omiya, Japan. Having heard of bonsai he decided to visit and instantly fell in love with bonsai. In the United States he earned his Master’s Degree in art from the Alfred State University in New York state.
Evergreen bonsai are grown in a location with more sun than deciduous species
His quest to learn bonsai led him to the Mansei-en Bonsai Garden in the Omiya Bonsai Village. The Kato family proprietors were pioneers in establishing the Omiya Bonsai Village in 1925. Adam primarily studied bonsai techniques with Takahiro Kato, the fifth-generation bonsai artist of the Kato family. He spent an intense successful five-year apprenticeship and was certified by the Nippon Bonsai Association after his apprenticeship.
Upon completion of his formal apprenticeship he worked at the Mansei-en Bonsai Garden. Eventually he married a lovely lady and they now have an active three-year old son. Adam and his wife were quite lucky to find a three and a half acer property in Ibaraki Prefecture about an hour and half from Tokyo and only 30 minutes from Narita International Airport. His new property had a magnificent house and even a large garage where he teaches and his first two apprentices from the United States and South Africa train. The surrounding semi-rural area is quite picturesque. Two Buddhist temples are adjacent to his garden. He continues to provide bonsai demonstrations and workshops at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.
His new garden named ‘Tree House Bonsai” offers classes, workshops, seasonal intensives as well as long term study training. His web s sells bonsai, containers, stones, books display tables as other appropriate bonsai related items. He has three regulation quarantine greenhouses and can ship bonsai around the world. Two of the quarantine greenhouses have been constructed for exporting to Europe and the final house for exporting bonsai to the United States. This quarantine has more strict requirements. Students can come, learn from Adam, work on their bonsai and have their own shaped bonsai sent home. This is the first professional bonsai garden in Japan owned by a foreigner and American.
Last year he designed and had a spectacular garden and gazebo built around his home. The stream, complete with two waterfalls are now turned off for the cold winter months but will soon be turned on where the waterfalls fill a large pond and as the water wanders around his home in a series of small waterfalls then travels under the driveway to continue on the other side of the garden.
Adam organized two private bus tours to visit Tree House Bonsai during the week of the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition in Ueno, Japan. I was fortunate to attend one of the tours and was extremely impressed with scope, layout and construction of his new garden. It is amazing what Adam has accomplished in only six years. In addition to the beautiful garden it was immaculate and one could even eat on the floor it is so clean.
I look forward to seeing how Adam continues his bonsai garden and wish him the best of good luck. A visit to Tree House Bonsai is time well spent to see the evolution of a bonsai garden, with the fine taste of Adams Jones.
TREE HOUSE BONSAI
Adams Jones
1228 Wakaguri
Ami-Machi, Ibaraki Gun
Phone: 080-4868-1521
e-mail: info@treehouse bonsai.com