VISIT KANAZAWA, JAPAN - Official Travel Guide

Experience the skills, aesthetics, and the "sound" of tools echoing on-site that support the gardens of Kanazawa.

Kanazawa is a city where the history of the Kaga Domain lives on, and beautiful garden cultures such asthe famous Kenrokuen Garden are still carefully preserved today.

One of the gardeners who supports "Kanazawa's gardens" by interacting with plants and nature every day is landscape architect Kurato Fujimoto. His solid skills and aesthetic sense, developed through his work at Kenrokuen, are recognized internationally. Every winter, he travels to the United States to manage a project to protect the historical weeping cherry trees at the U.S. Capitol and the National Arboretum,earning absolute trust from around the world.

For this occasion, we have prepared a truly luxurious and intensive day where you can stand alongside such a top professional and work together as an "apprentice" to tend the garden.

Concept

In this experience, you will not just learn work procedures, but grasp the "gardener's aesthetic" with all five senses.

Experience　

• 1. Wear the Pride of a Craftsman Dress in authentic craftsman attire: traditional riding pants and split-toe boots. Feel the pleasant tension and pride of a professional. (*Free option / Actual cost for purchase)

  2. Beautiful Movements for the Tree's Future Listen to the "good sounds" of traditional tools. Learn the craftsman's perspective as you try pine needle thinning and trimming.

  3. Purifying the Entire Space From the first branch cut to the final sweep. Experience the true craft of preparing the entire space, including the air and surrounding scenery.

Main Work Tasks

During the experience, you will encounter various techniques and tools tailored to the season and the characteristics of the garden trees.

■ Thinning Pine Needles (The basics of maintenance)

Carefully plucking off new shoots and old needles by hand. This is the easiest task to experience and deepens the dialogue with the garden through concentration.

■ Trimming (Karikomi)

Using large two-handed shears to beautifully shape the tree. The rhythmic sound of the shears is very pleasant.

■ Bottom Trimming (Susogiri - Adding softness)

Using Japanese shears (Wa-basami) to trim and tidy the base (skirt) of the tree. This is a delicate task that creates overall softness and good airflow.

Gardener Profile: Kurato Fujimoto 

Owner of a landscaping company in Kanazawa. For the past 14 years, he has served as a tree management advisor in the United States. Every winter for about three months, he travels to the U.S. and, following an inquiry from U.S. Capitol officials, works on the maintenance and protection of historical weeping cherry trees. His sincere activities are highly evaluated by the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) and domestic and international media.

Details about Mr. Fujimoto's activities are also introduced on the U.S. National Arboretum's official page:

Protecting Our Venerable Weeping Japanese Cherry Trees (USNA)