Speaking

Talks on Japan’s trees,
from the field.

Lectures, conference talks and workshops on sacred trees, Japanese garden techniques and tree diagnosis — in English, by an arborist who works on these trees.

Invite me to speak

Topics

What I talk about

Sacred trees and their care

What makes a tree a shinboku, how shrines and communities protect their trees, and what an arborist actually does for a tree that is also an object of worship. Shinboku, explained

How Japanese gardeners shape trees

Niwaki, karikomi, candle pruning on pines and daisugi: the thinking behind each technique, and what transfers to gardens abroad. Niwaki vs topiary

Looking inside a tree

Tree diagnosis in Japan with a resistograph and sonic tomography, and inspection from the crown on ropes — with real readings explained. Aerial diagnosis at a Tokyo temple

The Japanese garden and its aesthetics

Borrowed scenery, restraint and seasonal change, seen through the work of keeping the trees. Shakkei

Trees in a Japanese city

Tokyo’s street trees, typhoons, and the large trees planted after the war that are now reaching their limit. Japan’s falling trees

Formats

How a talk can work

Guest lecture — 45 to 90 minutes with questions, online or in person. For university courses and professional training.
Conference talk — 20 to 40 minutes on one topic, with field photographs and measured data.
Workshop or demonstration — on real trees, with participants trying the technique. Often combined with work on site.
Garden walk — a talk given while walking through your garden, tree by tree.

Talks are given in English or Japanese.

Past talks

Recent talks

Sacred Trees and Urban Tree Conservation — guest lecture, University of Toronto (online), October 2026. Read the article that grew out of a student’s question
Public course on garden trees for everyday life — co-hosted with the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association, Tokyo, September 2026 (in Japanese)

For organisers

Tell me the audience, the length, the format and the date. I will send a title, a short abstract, a speaker bio and photographs. Bios and a portrait are in the media kit.