Work Abroad

Japanese tree care,
on your trees.

On-site pruning and tree assessment, staff training and talks for Japanese gardens, botanical gardens and universities outside Japan.

Invite me

What I can do

Three kinds of work, one visit

For Japanese gardens, botanical gardens and arboreta, universities, garden societies and private estates with a Japanese garden.

Work on your trees

Pruning pines, maples and clipped shrubs the way Japanese gardeners do — candle pruning (midori-tsumi), needle thinning, karikomi and thinning cuts (sukashi). Tree assessment by eye and, where needed, by climbing into the crown.

Train your team

Hands-on sessions with your gardeners, on your own trees. Each technique is shown, then practised, then reviewed — so the work continues after I leave.

Talk to your visitors

A public lecture or members’ event on Japanese trees and gardens, given in English. Topics and formats →

One trip, three uses

Why combine them

Travel from Japan is the largest fixed cost of any visit. Combining site work, staff training and a public talk in one trip spreads that cost across several budgets, and gives your team time to practise between sessions.

An example programme (five days)

Every programme is planned around your trees, your team and the season. This is a typical shape.

  1. Day 1 — Walk the garden together. Tree-by-tree notes with your staff: what each tree needs now, and over the next few years. A short indoor session on how Japanese gardeners read a tree before cutting.
  2. Days 2–3 — Hands-on pruning. Working side by side on your pines, maples and clipped shrubs. I demonstrate on one branch; your team continues on the next.
  3. Day 4 — Tree assessment. A visual assessment of selected large or old trees, and how to record what you see. Climbing inspection where it is needed and permitted on site.
  4. Day 5 — Public talk and hand-over. A lecture or members’ event, then a written summary in English: what was done, and a seasonal care plan for your trees.

When to plan a visit

  • Late spring — candle pruning on pines, and shaping new growth.
  • Autumn to winter — needle thinning on pines, structural pruning of deciduous trees, and tree assessment while the crown is easier to see.

Please allow three to six months to plan, so that dates, travel and any arrangements in your country can be settled in time.

How it works

From first message to visit

  1. Send a short note through the contact form: your organisation, the place, the trees and the timing you have in mind.
  2. An online call to understand the garden and what your team wants to learn. Photos of the main trees help.
  3. A written proposal with the programme, the number of days, the fee and travel.
  4. Agreement on the contract, insurance and any permits required in your country, before travel is booked.
  5. The visit, followed by the written summary and care plan.

Questions

Which languages do you work in?

English and Japanese. Training and talks are given in English; if your garden works with Japanese-speaking staff or volunteers, I can explain in both.

Can you measure decay inside a trunk?

In Japan I use a resistograph (IML-RESI PowerDrill) and sonic tomography (PiCUS, ArborSonic 3D). Whether instruments can be used on a visit abroad depends on transport and local arrangements; we discuss this at the planning stage. Read how a resistograph works and how sonic tomography works.

Is the work Japanese-style only?

The focus is Japanese technique, but every recommendation starts from the health and structure of the tree in front of us, not from style alone.

Invite me

Also: Speaking · Writing & Media