The National Bonsai Foundation wishes you a
HAPPY WORLD BONSAI DAY 2023!

 
 

"We are united in the brotherhood of bonsai." 

-Master Saburo kato

Originally started to honor Bonsai Master Saburo Kato's mission for peace through bonsai, World Bonsai Day is a cornerstone of the bonsai community. Bonsai is an opportunity to separate from the anxieties of the world – a chance for bonsai artists or admirers to collect their thoughts, practice mindfulness and find inner peace which they can then focus outward. We hope that during this time of war, violence and unrest in our human history, you have been able to find peace through bonsai and help spread it to the world.

We are thrilled to be able to celebrate World Bonsai Day in person again this year. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, we hope you will join us! You can find the in-person event schedule here. For those of you outside the area or who wish to celebrate virtually, we have crated this page filled with content and activities for bonsai lovers of all ages!

World Bonsai Day is an initiative of World Bonsai Friendship Federation and we are proud to take part in their global effort. We invite you to share this page with your friends and family around the world as a gesture of peace and unity.

Click/Tap on the icons below to be carried to that section of the page.


 
 

In-Person Event Schedule

DOCENT-LED TOURS - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Join a free, docent-led tour of the Museum throughout the day. No registration required. Free to the public.

 

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES - 10am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm

There will be a children's activity table located in the Bonsai Museum’s Exhibit Gallery. It is a fun way for children to engage in and learn about Japanese culture and botany. Children and interested adults will have the opportunity to color Japanese themed coloring pages such as koi, pagodas, fans, and ladies in kimonos; stamp leaves onto drawings of bonsai; and try their hands at a variety of origami animals and shapes, such as frogs, cranes, flowers, stars, and boxes. No registration required. Come and go as you’d like within the scheduled times. Free to the public.

 

CHRYSANTHEMUM BONSAI WORKSHOP - 1pm - 4pm
A fee-based series of workshops on chrysanthemum bonsai begins on this day. Learn more here about that series.

 

FILM SCREENING: BICENTENNIAL BONSAI: EMISSARIES OF PEACE - 4:30pm - 8pm
Attend a special after Museum hours event! Enjoy tours, music, sake tastings, bento-boxes and a film screening of BICENTENNIAL BONSAI: EMISSARIES OF PEACE followed by a Q&A with filmmakers. Registration required. More info here.


 

Learn About Bonsai Around the World


 

Wear Your Bonsai Pride
Shop our Commemorative World Bonsai Day T-Shirt

Available in many colors and sizes!

Shop Now!

Available in many colors and sizes! Shop Now!

As a tradition, each year for World Bonsai Day we work with an artist to create a commemorative t-shirts. This year’s shirt (available in short and long sleeved in multiple colors) features a beautiful design by professional artist Aaron Stratten. Read more about Aaron’s inspiration for the design on our blog.

commemorate World Bonsai Day 2023 with a shirt! All proceeds go to support National Bonsai Foundation’s work to help support the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.


 

Explore the Collections at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum
Explore our collections. Clockwise – North American, Japanese, Tropicals, Chinese


 

Watch Documentaries
Enjoy these short documentaries on the history of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

What better way to celebrate World Bonsai Day than by learning about the first public bonsai museum in the world?

 

Bonsai Fly to USA: A Gift in Honor of the American BICENTENNIAL (1975/2016)

This documentary, originally shot on 16mm film and produced by the Nippon Bonsai Foundation in 1975 in Japan, tells the story of the journey of the 53 masterpiece bonsai from Japan to the United States in honor of the American Bicentennial. These treasured bonsai gifts were to become the beginning collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. This film was restored and digitized by the U.S. National Arboretum and the National Bonsai Foundation in 2016.

A Window into Nature: The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum (2016)

Enjoy this re-release of our informative documentary about the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. The documentary features interviews with former Museum Curators Jim Hughes and Jack Sustic along with former NBF Executive Director Johann Klodzen, current NBF Co-President Felix Laughlin among others.


 

Prepare a Bonsai-Inspired Cocktail
Enjoy this recipe created by our friends at the North American Sake Brewery in Charlottesville, VA.

Sake Spritz

Place 1⁄2 cup honeydew melon (peeled, seeded, and chopped),

1⁄4 seedless cucumber (chopped),

1⁄8 cup of sugar,

1⁄2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice,

and 1⁄4 cup water in a blender and puree until smooth.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve and chill.

In an ice-filled pint glass pour in 4oz Real Magic sake and chilled cucumber melon puree.

Mix well and top off with sparkling wine.

Garnish with a slice of cucumber and enjoy while admiring bonsai!


 

Scavenger Hunt
As you find things on the list below, check it off! Have fun and try and use mindfulness as you explore.

Print out the image below (here) or save paper and simply pull it up on your phone as you head outside and explore your surroundings.


 

Celebrate Together with #WorldBonsaiDay2023
Be sure to join the conversation on social media by using #WorldBonsaiDay2023 and tag us in your posts!


 

Win an NBF Mug!
Enter your information below for a chance to win an NBF mug. Emails will be subscribed to our e-newsletter.

We will not share your email with anyone. Your email will be subscribed to our e-newsletter but you can unsubscribe at any time. If your email already exists on our list, you will not receive duplicates when you add your email now. Winners will be selected Tuesday, May 16 and winners will be emailed to claim their prize. Submissions will only be counted once.


 

Become a Bonsai Supporter
Please give today to support the world’s first and finest Bonsai museum. 

The National Bonsai Foundation is honored to be a private partner with the U.S. National Arboretum to provide financial, programmatic and curatorial support to the U.S. National Arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. With your tax-deductible donation, you will help to preserve a history, protect a legacy and prepare a future for the Museum. Thank you!