POPBONSAI: Breaking the Rules with Lisa Tajima

bonsaiTALK Growing & Design

POPBONSAI: Breaking the Rules with Lisa Tajima
by Matt Chroust - bonsaiTALK Forum

Part 2 - Finding her Voice

"So many people ask me the same question! Do I really look so different?"
- Lisa Tajima, creator of POPBONSAI

Lisa Tajima's POPBONSAI
creation "TUNAHIKI" or
"Tug of War Green Burgers"

At this point Lisa Tajima's physical recovery was complete, but a spiritual journey had just begun. Lisa was still struggling to find her voice – some way to communicate the ideas spinning in her head. That same year, 1999, her father, a chef in the family's traditional Japanese restaurant outside Tokyo, suffered a debilitating stroke, and remained in a coma for a year.

Lisa Tajima: When my father lost consciousness, I started remembering the times we'd spent together. Dad was a really special person. He couldn't speak English fluently, but his restaurant attracted many customers from overseas. Dad was communicating in his own way through his skill as Japanese chef! When my friend, Sam, visited from New York City, or Dad visited with friends in Hawaii, he always cooked special Japanese food for them and we all had a great time.

After I could not talk with my father anymore, I finally realized how special his life had become because of his special skill – Japanese cooking. At the same time, I strongly realized that I, myself, had no unique skill – nothing of that kind. This experience was one of the biggest reasons why I started bonsai.

Lisa Tajima's web site http://www.popbonsai.com features a gallery of popbonsai, journals and photographs of the artist, herself, in various fashions and hairstyles. Tajima has even been called a bonsaidol –a uniquely Japanese contraction of bonsai and idol. Research only unearths more questions. Are all these pictures really the same person?

LT: So many people ask me the same question! Do I really look so different? Yes, I do think so, too. Well, unfortunately, all of them really are me! I do enjoy being photographed. Maybe it's the make-up? Maybe I change my hairstyle so often, making me look very different, I guess?

Tajima's interest in contemporary music led to a career as a radio disc jockey, and later video host of her own music television program. Lisa describes the mastery of traditional bonsai as analogous to Eric Clapton's mastery of the electric guitar.

LT: For me, following traditional bonsai was like practicing classical music. I know basic practice is very important to become skilled, so I did. I picked up Bonsai like a kid buy his first guitar. I found bonsai looked very interesting, so I started.

Speaking of guitars, my master is like the Eric Clapton of the bonsai world! He can do anything. I tried to play with [traditional bonsai], but I could not play it like Eric Clapton. But it was fun to try! Instead, I decided to make my own song instead of copying Eric's difficult refrain over and over again

Lisa Tajima - Creator of POPBONSAI Continued...

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