A young man from the UK is working in a garden lined with many bonsai trees. Using small tweezers between his thick fingers, he removes dead, yellow needles from a pine tree with a magnificent branch. He changes the angle of the branch with his left hand so as not to damage the other leaves, and with his right hand he pulls out just one pine needle. Perhaps because he has only recently begun his training, he works carefully, but Samuel (Sam)'s expression is filled with joy at being able to come into contact with the "real thing."
"I love bonsai, but before that, I fell in love with Japanese pottery." After being captivated by the beauty of Tokoname ware at an art museum in the UK, I bought several pieces online and displayed them in my room. Then, I began to imagine, "It would be great if I could put bonsai in these pots."
Unable to go outside due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam purchased bonsai from Japan via the internet. "They were very expensive and difficult to care for." Still, looking at the bonsai, which created a complete little world within the container, he felt that "nature, physics, and art all intersected." Born in the naturally rich UK, where he studied physics and is an artist, it was perhaps inevitable that he would fall in love with bonsai.
He came to Japan to work as an apprentice at Fuyoen, a bonsai garden run by Takeyama Hiroshi, who served as chairman of the Japan Bonsai Association for many years. Takeyama Hiroshi is also the Japanese director of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, and is a leading figure who has been interviewed by overseas media such as the BBC. It hasn't been long since Sam became his apprentice. There's a saying in bonsai that "it takes three years to water a bonsai tree." It takes three years to become adept at watering a bonsai tree, taking into account all the different conditions: leaf color, soil dryness, weather, and wind strength. It's also said that it takes "six months before you need to water it," and Sam hasn't been entrusted with the task of watering yet. His current responsibilities are cleaning and weeding.
"I'm tall, so I use a big broom," she says with a laugh, as she silently sweeps between the rows of shelves. The work may seem monotonous, but even as she does so, she keeps a close eye on the branches of the bonsai trees on the shelves, cultivating her powers of observation.
With large bonsai, the hands that tend them are right in front of your eyes, making the work relatively easy. "With small bonsai, you have to bend over, which is hard," he says. 
Which branches to pick, which leaves to remove... Sam now has a daily routine of learning each of these detailed tasks taught to him by his senior apprentice. 
When you find any yellowed leaves, pick them off one by one, allowing light and water to reach the vibrant leaves. 
The bonsai displayed on the shelves are all different, and each one is alive. This is completely different from something made in a factory. 
When he began his training as a bonsai artisan, the first thing he was asked to do was clean the garden. He says he doesn't mind sweeping up the dead leaves that fall from the countless bonsai. 
"I'm tall, so I use the biggest broom," says Sam. Even amidst the rigors of his training, he has not lost his cheerful humor. 
His master and apprentices watch over Sam's work with warmth. "He's come all the way from the UK to become an apprentice, so he's really motivated."
He also has to take on the advanced task of wiring, which involves placing the bonsai on a stand and tying wire around the branches and trunk. He supports the branches with his fingers and uses wire to shape the bonsai. This is an important bonsai task, truly applying physical force to nature to create art. "Being a big guy like me, the stand, chair and bonsai themselves are all small, so it's difficult. My back starts to hurt when I'm working," he says. Still, it's much more enjoyable compared to when he was in the UK, where he worked exclusively indoors.
"When I touch the leaves and moss, I can hear the birds singing." He works from 8am to 5:30pm. For Sam, who loves nature, training surrounded by bonsai, whose appearance changes with the seasons, may not be as hard as one might think.
In the UK, where he was born and raised, there is a gardening culture of planting flowers and creating gardens on holidays. "Yes, British gardens are very free and beautiful, but they're not very technical. In contrast, Japanese bonsai has traditional and established techniques." Sam's goal is to combine these two and create bonsai that embodies a European aesthetic. It's not easy to learn bonsai techniques that have been passed down from master to apprentice through repeated dedication. But he has a strong desire to become a bridge between cultures.
He receives instruction from his master, Hiroshi Takeyama, the owner of Fuyouen Garden. Sam's expression is striking as he tries not to miss a single word. 
Like works of art, each bonsai is unique. Fuyoen is well-known for its pine trees, as well as miscellaneous tree bonsai and mixed plantings. 
He holds the pot away from his body to avoid damaging the branches and leaves. "My back hurts sometimes, but bonsai is more important than my back (laughs)." 
He carefully identifies and removes the yellowed leaves. The pruning shears look small in his large hands. 
Taking good care of your tools is a fundamental part of bonsai training, and of course, the students themselves take care of tools that have become dull.
Bonsai first spread overseas to the UK, but is now popular in Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. While "yamadori," the practice of collecting trees from the mountains, is banned in Japan, it is still permitted in some of those countries. "In the UK, just like in Japan, yamadori is banned, so bonsai prices are high." Still, Sam was drawn to bonsai.
"Bonsai exists in the UK, but many people only have a vague idea of it and seem to mistake it for an ornamental plant," he says. He wants to change this image of bonsai in Europe. "I'd like to one day hold a bonsai exhibition at an art museum in London." Hands supporting the branches. Hands watering the plants. Hands holding the pruning shears. His training as a bonsai artisan has only just begun. But the story he envisions is already beginning to take shape.
