Page 33 - BSAM 2017 Q3

decision was made just a bit easier by the live stream- ing of speci c demonstrations which are freely avail- able on the internet. So with this in mind and choices made I sat in on demonstrations of my choice then hit the retail area leaving much of my photography until late in the day when the crowds thinned.
Convention day one had around twelve thousand four hundred members of the public through the doors and most if not all the souvenir T-shirts were gone. A success, you would think so.
at night I caught up with e President of BCI Glenis Bebb and husband Lindsay who was preparing for his demonstration next day.
Staggered by the response on day one was an under- statement and a glass raised in celebration.
Saturday: Back to the Super Arena for more.
Again the public line up waiting to get in was just as long if not just that bit longer. Having made my choices the previous night as to which demonstrations tositinonItookthetimetocatchupwithsomeofmy new friends made during the weeks prior to arriving in Omiya and to purchase even more from those re- tailers visited on the Friday. One of the key highlights for me was to watch ‘our’ representative from Austra- lia/New Zealand up on the SHIHO-TEN Stage on the main oor where a visit by Master Kimura to closely observe what Lindsay Bebb and his son Tony achieved in the time allotted.
I wrapped up this day watching the Bonsai Mas- ter Kunio Kobayashi Demonstration followed by a quick trip back to the Palace Hotel to change for the dinner party where again networking and rekindling and making friendships was the order of the day along
with the chance to have one’s photo taken with Bonsai royalty.
Sunday and the last day. Could it be as good or better as the last three?
No disappointment for me. Again choosing which demonstrations to sit in on and which to download and see later made we nd ourselves again looking at a very long line outside the building when we arrived.
Underestimating the response from the public, I will leave others to report on that but given that even- tually it was highlighted that over forty ve thousand passed through the doors in the three days the ex- hibition was open to the public, one can easily say a resounding success as well as a wonderful promotion of Bonsai which will hopefully instil in the generations
Top; Panorama of exhibit.
Middle left; Pots in the retail area came in all sizes and shapes with antique, custom and hand painted pots eagerly sort by all.
Middle right; Appreciative of the display, locals in traditional Kimonos took in the exhibition.
Bottom right; The retail area was busy all day, every day.
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