I was just 19 years old then and really wanted to continue studying.  After I recovered, I decided to apply to one of the State Universities of New York because I was very interested in theater arts. I had taken modern dance lessons since I was three years old, and with my dance teacher's elementary school group I'd performed at Disneyland in Los Angeles and the Opera House in Australia. I majored in performing arts at State University of New York Rockland community college (SUNY) and joined the school's musical performances before graduation as a dancer and singer. It was great experience! I earned my associate degree there.

LT: After graduating from SUNY, I worked as an conversational English teacher in my hometown for a while because speaking English was my only ability then. But as time went by I remembered the attitude and way of thinking of my friends whom I'd met in New York – they really believed in themselves and kept struggling to reach their dreams.  One day, I recalled a dream I had when I was a high school girl:  To be a radio disc jockey – a DJ!  So, I thought if I could get a job as a script writer or a radio program director, I might have a chance.  I started sending resumes to radio stations and radio programming studios. I even made my own audition tape, recording my chats between songs and mailed it out, too.  I walked it around to so many agents, but nobody reacted to it.

I failed a lot, but I finally got a chance for an interview and began working at a radio program studio in Tokyo. Soon after, one sponsor picked my radio program plan at a competition and I became DJ!  My Japanese rock music radio program continued for five years, and during that time I started writing about music for magazines. Sometimes I helped Japanese musicians with their English writing or attended their US and European tours.

 Continued...

---

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.

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.

Continued...

---

Homeless Soldier - POPBONSAI by Lisa Tajima (Click to Enlarge)

Describing POPBONSAI is difficult, but at its heart, POPBONSAI seems to blend Lisa's ideas about a traditional art (bonsai) with more contemporary things like fashion, music, and even anime cartoons.

Lisa Tajima: My POPBONSAI was born like Punk Rock music was born. When Punk music was invented, ordinary adults said to their kids, "Do NOT listen! Do not dress like them!" but the kids did, anyway. It was the same with POPBONSAI:. People from the traditional bonsai world called me "alien" at the beginning. They could not understand what I was trying to do (putting a bonsai tree in zebra stripe, walking pots) .

At first, POPBONSAI was only a name for my artwork. I make my own pots, including the walking ones, and plant my bonsai trees there. I'm still using the word POPBONSAI for my own artwork and for design of my pots. But now POPBONSAI is a concept for everybody.

Let me explain a little more about it: "POPBONSAI is freestyle bonsai for people who are living now." POPBONSAI does not have rules. You do not need to imitate the shape of natural trees all the time (of course you can if you feel like it). My basic idea for POPBONSAI is, "We are living now and watching many things and hearing news, sensing and experiencing with our physical bodies; why don't we reflect our present and personal feelings in our bonsai?"

I say POPBONSAI is the way of a new approach toward bonsai on my (and your) own. In POPBONSAI, express yourself. Focusing on your own ideas, imagination and feelings is most important. You can give your own message to your POPBONSAI if you want. You can display your POPBONSAI with anything and in any way you like.

This POPBONSAI named "Ta-chan" appears on the cover of Lisa's new book. All POPBONSAI have interesting feet!

After trying to pursue an advanced degree by Internet enrollment, Lisa took her first art course, which changed her life:

Part 5 - POPBONSAI - the New Book from Kodansha

"When I plant my trees in my pots they become a little strange and unique, somewhere between real and unreal looking."
 - Lisa Tajima, creator of POPBONSAI

---

Click to enlarge Pop Bonsai: Fun With Arranging Small Trees and Plants by Lisa Tajima Published by Kodansha Int'l Buy it at Amazon.com

Lisa Tajima's book POPBONSAI, published by Kodansha International goes on sale this week, and Lisa is eager to discuss POPBONSAI with us:

Lisa Tajima: I introduce my POPBONSAI idea in my new book "Pop Bonsai ~ Fun with Arranging Small Trees and Plants" published by Kodansha International) for everybody to share. It explains how to make your own POPBONSAI including very basic bonsai techniques, ideas about the structure of the tree, many examples for display, and so on.

The names of some of my original POPBONSAI designs are "Niagara fall," "Boomerang," "Dragon," etc.

I really hope these thoughts will help in catching your own imagination.  I would also like to challenge my readers: if you tried and if I have an opportunity, I'd like to see your original POPBONSAI designs you create with your own hands!

Continued...

Click to enlarge Gafu-Ten Prizewinner  Lisa Tajima with her POPBONSAI Display

Lisa Tajima's unique bonsai display won the Encouragement Award at the 27th Gafu-ten Exhibition of Bonsai Art.

Lisa Tajima: Attending Gafu-ten was a serious challenge for an "alien" like myself.    I talked about this challenge to my bonsai master and Joined All Japan Shohin Bonsai Association. As you know, Gafu-ten is very traditional bonsai exhibition and has long history. Therefore, I really wanted to display my POPBONSAI there and see how people would react to it. I have been attending Gafu-ten three times now, and this display is my second.

The display is titled "Midnight Picnic." The pot and tree on the right is moon and three little POPBONSAIs are playing under the moon. In my imagination this place is on the very calm sea and the tree and pot on the left is small island. The three little POPBONSAIs might be surfing, but they like playing football, too so I don't know which they are doing now. I was very happy to win the "Encouragement Award!"

bT: For example, it's a little hard to imagine you among these serious looking gentlemen at the Gafuten opening ceremony...

LT: Well, actually, I really enjoy being the atmosphere like this. Because it is very unusual for me, and and a good chance to know other world. I also enjoy talking with people. Everybody there is interested in bonsai so it is very easy to chat.

A lot of gentlemen in the 'traditional' bonsai world are about my father's age, so maybe I am like their daughter?  I have some bonsai brothers, too. They are around my age and interested in new things. Because some of them are working in the traditional bonsai world, it might be difficult for them to fully express themselves, but they keep trying. We talk a lot and have become good friends. I really thank them. What I am today wouldn't have been possible without their support.

I don't know why in the beginning no one said to me, "Stop it!"  Maybe because I am not a member of traditional bonsai-related family, so that what I am didn't annoy anybody, I guess. I made efforts at my own pace and level. I attended other traditional exhibitions like Gafu-ten, too. It turns out that even in the traditional bonsai world there was room for some Punk Rock fun, too! Not all parents hate Punk Rock, I thought. Their minds could be very funky although it is hard to realize it from the way they dress. They always give me advice.  

Continued...

---

Part 7 - POPBONSAI Friends

"Bonsai and ceramics gave me a hand when I had the hardest time in my life."
- Lisa Tajima, creator of POPBONSAI

---

Click to Enlarge Babo-chan - POPBONSAI by Lisa Tajima

bonsaiTALK: Lisa, we usually don't often see trees and plants walking around a lot. Your pots give them a very animated, expressive character. Is that how you see the plants, or even yourself? Where are they going and where are they coming from? Where are you headed yourself?

Lisa Tajima: I also hadn't seen any walking bonsai 'til I made POPBONSAI in 1999!  In the POPBONSAI world, they dance and fall in love and do sports, play games and go out for eating and drinking and having good time! I still can't remember why I gave them feet, maybe my dad did it!  In this world, there are many living things hat can't walk any more because of problems. Little babies sometimes lose their lives before or after they're born - hunger, disease or some other catastrophe. People lose their living bodies by war, violence, accident or some other reasons. I am not religious person, but I believe their spirits and souls are living somewhere near us.

Now I am living and walking and playing with little trees! We should have good time if it is possible but, in fact, it is not possible for everybody in the world. Sometimes I feel my POPBONSAI pots' feet are like a requiem. When I make POPBONSAI pots with feet I don't think a lot - I just enjoy making them, then naturally new ideas appear. It is just a wonder. One more thing: I really love to read Peanuts comic strips, I love Snoopy, Charlie, Woodstock, Rerun, Pigpen, Spike, and everybody in their world.

 bT: Do you name all your bonsai? I am thinking of Babo-chan, the Japanese Maple...

Lisa Tajima: Yes, I do, because they are my friends!  When I see trees living along heavily trafficked roads in a big city, I sometime wonder, "If they could move, where would they want to go?"  Some trees might run away to the forest or countryside but some might stay right there, I think. Like us, there might be rural-life-loving trees and urban-life-loving trees, I guess. I don't know the truth though: trees don't talk, so we can't ask them, "Where would you like to live?" It's really a pity.

For so many years, human beings have been doing so many things without asking -- mean caring -- about nature and animals. We do so many things just for our convenience. That's one reason why so many crazy, sad diseases and phenomena have been occurring, I think. 

Bonsai taught me a lot of things. They look controlled in nature, but they are very wild little trees. Because trees gave me a chance to think about various things, I wanted to do something with (and for) trees and joined this Children's Forest Program. I am supporting elementary school in the Philippines.

[ Ed: - For details on the Children's Forest Program, please check this site: http://www.oisca.org/e/index.htm ]

bT: Bonsai is often described as good therapy.  I'm glad you were able to find comfort in bonsai after the loss of your father, and your friend.

LT: Losing a precious person is sad. There are no words to explain it; however, we have to look up and walk ahead. I decided to keep doing my creation, "POPBONSAI," for myself and for the people who are no longer with me. Bonsai and ceramics gave me a hand when I had the hardest time in my life till then, so I should not forget them and should live with them, I thought.

Everything happened in 1999. I learned a lot in that year and grew up a little. This story may sound too dramatic for some people - too personal, and too long! The reason why I didn't tell this story before is I worried to be edited and bent the meaning. This time, since we're on the Internet, we have more space than printed media, I thought, and I wanted to tell you entire story how POPBONSAI was born.

All right, let's go back to traditional bonsai talk!

Continued...

"Knowing the rules is very important - if you know the rules, you have a wider range of choice for bonsai work, and, of course, it helps when you break the rules.
- Lisa Tajima, creator of POPBONSAI

---

Some of Lisa's POPBONSAI creations are available for purchase from The POPBONSAI Store! (image links to store)

bonsaiTALK: Lisa, your ideas at first may seem very non-traditional, but bonsai is usually seen as a very traditional art. Did you see a lot of resistance to your ideas? The colors, zebra stripes and walking feet must have been a shock to some. Wow!

Lisa Tajima: I think traditional bonsai is great. I really respect it and like it very much. I was very excited about traditional bonsai at the beginning, but soon I began thinking, "Why do they all look so similar? -  Isn't it difficult to identify which one is whose? "

I really wanted to make my bonsai easier to recognize and believed pot could do that. I went to so many shops but there were no pots I loved. They were not uniquely shaped and not very colorful.

bT: People in the west often have misconceptions about Japan. Sometimes it's viewed as a conformist society, with uniformed schoolchildren studying for cram schools, crowded trains and cities, and few ways for individual expression. How true are those stereotypes?

LT: Yes, it is still true, and of course there are some people who choose one's own way of life...  I don't feel that [cultural pressure] very much for myself, but some of my friends say they do. On the other hand, my parents always said to me, "Lisa, do whatever you want to do!" and supported me a lot. Because our family had its own business, we believed being different from others is very important and tried to be unique. But not all families in Japan are like this, I am sure!

I have been working as music journalist for more than 10 years now. I was VJ (video music host) on the Japanese music video channel, like MTV, too. It was great experience! However, after I started my POPBONSAI project, my job as music journalist is getting less and less. I need more time for POPBONSAI than before.Now, I live in Tokyo. My apartment is placed very near Harajuku and Shibuya area, These are like SoHo in New York or around Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles - very, very metropolitan and fashionable areas. I like it here very much.

bT: Did your travels help you better understand Japan and yourself? When you moved to England, what unusual items did you take with you? What did you bring back to Japan?

LT: Yes! Absolutely. When I moved to England, I took some karaoke tapes with me. I liked singing then so I sang along to the tape, holding a hairbrush in my hand everytime my host family had a home party. When I came back to Japan, I brought back an electronic toy called "Speak and Spell." That's the same one E.T the Extraterrestrial was using in the movie when he communicates to his home planet.

The clothing was a particular fashion that was very popular among teenagers in Tokyo (especially at Shibuya) a few years ago. I really wanted to dress and makeup like them as a once-in-my-life experience. One day, my make-up artist friend and my photographer friend got together in my apartment. After I was ready we went to Shibuya with my POPBONSAI and did photo shoot. It was so funny!

LT: My dad was on his way to heaven then, and I remembered the melody of a song called "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, so that idea inspired the display.

bT: Recently on the bonsaiTALK forum we had a discussion about "The Rules" of bonsai, and about learning conventional ways of doing things before setting off in one's own direction. Do you have any comment on that? Do you need to "know the rules" to be an effective rule breaker?

Content ©2004 bonsaiTALK All rights reserved.
Photos provided courtesy Lisa Tajima, used with permission. 
Thanks from bonsaiTALK to Lisa Tajima and Kodansha International for their assistance.