Kusamura Bonsai Club to Showcase 60 Trees at 66th Annual Show

Addison Elementary School on Webster Street became the Bay Area’s easiest bonsai stop last weekend, as Kusamura Bonsai Club staged its 66th annual show with more than 60 trees, free admission and free parking. For anyone who wanted a real public-facing bonsai event, this was the one: no gate fee, no parking hassle, and a full weekend of trees instead of a quick club display.

The setup was built for drop-in traffic. The show ran Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving visitors two solid windows to walk the benches, compare material, and see what different species and styles looked like side by side. Japanese tea refreshments, guided tours and demonstrations, a children’s corner, and bonsai tree sales made it feel less like a private club meeting and more like a spring outing with something for every level of interest.

The headline draw was Chicago bonsai artist Jennifer Price, who anchored the weekend with a Saturday demo from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., a Sunday critique from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and a Sunday workshop from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. That kind of schedule mattered. Visitors could watch a tree get worked, hear an experienced artist break down design choices, and then see club members and Price lead a workshop while the public observed.

Kusamura’s reach went well beyond one weekend. The club offers beginner workshops that teach basic styling, watering, fertilizing and pruning, and its monthly meetings include instructional programs on bonsai topics. Its annual show has long served as the public face of that work, with exhibit trees, demonstrations and sales acting as both education and recruitment.

The club’s roots stretch back to the 1950s, when Toshio “Tosh” Saburomaru and friends founded what became one of the oldest English-speaking bonsai clubs in Northern California. The organization later took the name Northern California Kusamura Mutual Association and met in members’ homes. Earlier generations also tie the club to Yuji Yoshimura, whose influence helped launch Kusamura and several other Peninsula bonsai clubs.

That legacy is what gave the Palo Alto show its weight. The 65th annual show was held April 26-27, 2025, and the next year’s 66th edition showed the same continuity: a stable Peninsula tradition, a broad public turnout, and enough trees on display to remind visitors that bonsai here is still a living local craft, not a museum piece.