Please note that the museum will be closed from around November 2024 to March 2025 in order to renovate the Bonsai Garden

The ancient art of ‘bonsai’ is a traditional Japanese practice that many international visitors will be familiar with prior to arriving in Japan. Intricate and beautiful, bonsai can be appreciated by people of all ages, enjoyed as a hobby or elevated to a true artform displaying vision, patience and skill in manipulating trees into miniature form.

The Omiya Bonsai Art museum is actually located in Sataima but can be considered a destination within Tokyo and one well-worth visiting. While it may not jump-out as an obvious attraction, this engaging museum is highly recommended and must be experienced first-hand to really appreciate what is on display. In fact, Saitama is an excellent prefecture worth exploring outside of Tokyo with it being the home of the historic Edo town of Kawagoe, and many other museums.

Exhibiting some of Japan’s oldest and most captivating examples of the art of ‘bonsai’, the museum showcases around 120 trees with some estimated to be 1000 years old. Photographs and words don’t do the museum justice – this is one museum which must be enjoyed first-hand to really appreciate it.

Situated in Omiya’s ‘Bonsai Village’, a visit to the museum will inspire you to wander the peaceful streets of the area and browse the outdoor nurseries of professional growers.