One of the things that surprised me in Japan was the apparent lack of theft. Now I am sure things do ‘walk’ from time to time but for the most part I never really saw any signs that theft was much of a problem.
I really loved discovering bonsai in plain view of the street on the walks I took around neighbourhoods of the various cities I visited.
Someones collection visible from the street.
Now I don’t know what the rest of the western world is like, but I am pretty sure that if I had my collection on display like this outside my house it would have been stolen within minutes of putting it there. Now Australia is not full of theives but we seem to have a much bigger problem with theft than what i could tell Japan has.
Someones collection of plants (including bonsai) occupying the space between their house and a public laneway.
Why is this? In the case of bonsai nurseries in Japan they rarely have more security than a low fence or wall to stop the theft of some very expensive trees. In Australia on the other hand one particular nursery has 3 meter high walls with barbed wire, cameras, security lights and they still have to chain down the expensive trees to prevent theft.
Bonsai in an Australian nursery.
And this seems to be the norm for nurseries in Australia. Steel cages, chains, electric fences, alarms and dogs are all common in Australian nurseries and yet are virtually non-existent in their Japanese counterparts.
I would love to be able to stroll the streets of Australian neighbourhoods and discover front yards full of bonsai like you might see in Japan. Perhaps you might meet the owners as they were watering or pruning and ask some advice while leaning on their front fence. This might be a bit of an idealised view but it is always nice to dream.
Sadly I don’t see this happening any time soon, as most people understandably keep their collections a secret and only invite a very small number of people into their gardens the fear that they may get knocked off one day. I feel that this really locks up (pun intended) both trees and knowledge to those few that are privileged enough to be allowed into growers gardens.
Sure at clubs and local shows you get to see some of people’s trees but it is often the works in progress at the back of these people’s gardens that are the really interesting material. It is often these works in progress that you can really learn from yet they often never see the light of day.
Are other countries like this? Surely these problems extend beyond Australian shores?
Nichigo Bonsai 
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 13, 2012 at 8:46 AM
gaycarboys
You’re so right. None of those in my club have their trees in the front years. Even me, on my 5th floor balcony, make sure my trees are secured. Believe it or not China, Korea and may of the other Asian countries also have trees almost on the footpath and never seem to go missing.
February 13, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Stan
Thefts of bonsai here in America are also frequent. My local nursery has 6 foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire around the perimeter, and another 8 foot fenced and survailed section in the middle of the property where the more valuable material is kept. Sad state of affairs. In fact, I’m reluctant to tell people I even practice bonsai for fear that I may become a victim. For some reason here, people hear the word bonsai and immediately think “big money”.
I would venture to guess that the general crime rate in Japan is much lower than in most other first world countries because their culture promotes things like respect for others and family honor.
February 13, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Nick
Yes, in the US it’s not possible to have a visible display for fear of theft.
I once brought home a bougainvillea that needed development and that lived in a simple terra cotta pot. I was going to leave it outside our garage for the night. My sister in law said “but it’ll get stolen!” It’s sad that this is the case.
Maybe in the west everyone is too focused on ‘things’ rather than developing a sense of self and strong tied to family and community. These things lead to respect.