Private Omiya Bonsai Village Tour with Licensed Guide
Description
This private 4-hour walking tour with an experienced English-speaking and Licensed tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Omiya Bonsai Village! Saitama's Omiya area, located in the north of Tokyo and accessible within 1 hour by train, has long been famous for bonsai. Bonsai Village is an area encompassing 6 Bonsai gardens where many of the pioneers in the world of bonsai relocated about 100 years ago. You can customize your tour directly with the guide after placing your reservation.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will meet your guide at your hotel or desired place in Tokyo and your guide will take you back to Tokyo after the tour. It takes about 1 hour from Tokyo to Omiya Bonsai District, it will be a 2-hour round trip.
The Bonsai-mura or bonsai village is a section of Saitama city, where many of the pioneers in the world of bonsai relocated about 100 years ago. there are six distinguished gardens in the area displaying rows upon rows of potted bonsai trees. Some for sale, and others as works of art to be admired.
※This museum is closed for renewal from Nov.5th, 2024 to March 20th, 2025. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is located on the edge of the Omiya Bonsai Village. The museum is arranged logically, with the initial hall giving you a run-down of bonsai history, usage, and what aspects of the trees to admire. A walk through this hall will give you all you need to appreciate the wealth of bonsai trees awaiting in the main garden.
Return to Tokyo with your guide!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(10)
This tour is perfect for anyone who is interested in bonsai and wants to see the place bonsai basically got started as a craft and art in Japan. Kahori met us at our hotel and helped us navigate public transportation to Omiya Village. She is very knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. We joked a lot! She went out of her way to call a bonsai garden she was not familiar with to see if it was open to the public. She also gave us recommendations for places to eat and visit during our stay in Tokyo. Overall, a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I had such a great time with both of you. You were so easy to talk to, very friendly, and your passion for bonsai truly inspired me. We also shared so many laughs throughout the tour. I sincerely hope you have a fabulous time in Japan, and I look forward to seeing you again someday. Kahori
Taku was wonderful. Thank you for a great bonsai tour!
Thank you very much for giving me an excellent review. You both are very cheerful and fun. You listened attentively to my guidance. I also enjoyed the tour very much. Thank you very much. I hope you continue to have enjoyable travels. Taku
My husband, son, and his family enjoyed this tour of the bonsai village today. Kahori was a friendly and helpful tour guide and showed us many interesting species of bonsai at the museum and 4 other private gardens. She also helped us understand elements of Japanese architecture and different styles of bonsai. She was understanding when our trip was delayed and accommodated us by meeting at a later time. My husband is a bonsai enthusiast and was particularly impressed, and the tour inspired our grandson to take a further interest in bonsai too. I highly recommend it. Also, the Omiya area is lovely, especially in autumn!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I am delighted to hear that you and your family enjoyed the Bonsai tour. We saw many types of Bonsai (bean bonsai, non-wire bonsai, impressive jinshari bonsai, etc.). I was truly impressed by your family’s passion for Bonsai. Everyone was so kind and easy to talk with. I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your tour, and I look forward to seeing you and your family again in the future. - Kahori
Great tour of the Bonsai Museum and numerous Bonsai Nurseries in this unique and historic area. Kahori was a very knowledgeable and patient guide. She even taught us how to make Oragami sculptures on the train. Great tour for plant lovers, gardeners and nature lovers.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I truly appreciate it. I was deeply impressed by your extensive knowledge of plants, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with both of you. Wishing you all the best in the days ahead. Warm regards, Kahori
Great tour to Omiya bonsai museum and around some bonsai nurseries . Our guide Taku helped us navigate the trains and took us easily around we would have been lost otherwise . He was very friendly
Thank you for giving me an excellent review. You grow several bonsai at home and seem to have a wealth of knowledge. Everyone was very cheerful, and I enjoyed showing you around. Thank you very much. I hope you continue to have a wonderful trip. I also hope you grow wonderful bonsai. Taku
Fantastic tour from start to finish with wonderful Miyuki. She guided us from our hotel to the village on the excellent rail line and then guided us around the museum and several nurseries. We learned so much more than we would have on our own about the history of the village and how bonsai are created and nurtured. She pointed out rare and unusual specimens in the private nurseries. Her English is excellent and she was so pleasant and personable. She went above and beyond. So much fun. The tour was a highlight of our trip.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour. We were so lucky that we saw a Japanese juniper and a Hinoki cypress bonsai that will be displayed at the EXPO. Thanks to your interest, we also could see various kinds of landscape stones in a nursery. I really had a wonderful time walking through beautiful bonsai trees with you. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan! Thank you. Miyuki
Mori-San was excellent company and I learned a lot about Japan’s rich history and culture as well as saw many beautiful bonsai trees.
Thank you for your good review. I enjoyed guiding and talking to you during the tour. It was a very hot day. But, we were so lucky to have a chance to observe the Bonsai Class in one of the nurseries in Bonsai Village, and had some bonsai talks with the class participants. Please take care and enjoy your life with Bonsai! Morisan
Kahori was our tour guide on this amazing bonsai tour! So informational and fun! Lots to learn. Great day trip! Our guide had so many historical facts to share and so helpful in telling us about the town.
It was my pleasure to guide you two in Bonsai village and the museum. I was impressed by your passion for Bonsai. We saw many types of Bonsai, such as Jinshari, Blue Dragon, etc. Those were beautiful and had a big impact. Thank you very much for your wonderful comment. Kahori
Miyuki was delightful, she was very friendly and knowledgeable, I really enjoyed her company & I enjoyed my tour, if you are interested in bonsai it is a great experience!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am very glad that you enjoyed the bonsai tour. We saw a large juniper tree with milky white Jin and Shari in the lobby of the museum. That was stunning. The Hinoki cypress bonsai in Manseien garden, that looked like a real forest, was really beautiful. We enjoyed talking with a bonsai artisan in Fuyoen garden who went to your home country a long time ago. It was a great time walking and talking with you. I enjoyed a lot as well! Thank you. Miyuki
We had a wonderful time with Miyuki who showed us around the bonsai village. She was very accommodating and knowledgeable about bonsai history and bonsai in general. Highly recommended !
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am really glad to hear that you enjoyed the bonsai tour. You were so interested in bonsai that I also enjoyed viewing bonsai trees and talking about them with you. I hope that you will come back and visit the village again in another season. The thousand-year-old ezo spruce in the museum will welcome you again! Thank you, Miyuki
