Gorgeous and tiny, yet contains the potential to break spirits and thumbs.

The cherry blossom season tends to fall around the turn of the fiscal year, meaning that trying to squeeze out time for a holiday or a short trip to go and admire the delicate petals is not an easy feat to accomplish for some people. So, wouldn’t it be better if you could have the experience of your own little flower viewing party whenever you want, regardless of the month? With a few hours of fiddly work with some wires and beads, your year-long appreciation of sakura can be achieved.

The Nejitte Bonsai DIY kit (2,200 yen [US$14]), from long-established Japanese bead manufacturer Miyuki, requires you to twist beads and wires to create a bonsai tree. The line isn’t limited to just cherry blossom trees either, with a range of twelve trees, including pine, plum, gingko, and maple. With how cute they are, it comes as no surprise that many of the kits are frequently sold out, whether in physical stores or online, so you might need fast fingers to snap one up when a resupply arrives.

With the product finally in our hands, though, our crafting begins.

Checking the back of the box, you can find the difficulty level ranked by a number of stars, with this cherry blossom kit featuring a rank of two out of five. Sounds like it’ll be a breeze, right?

Opening up the box, the cherry-blossom-colored beads evoke a springtime feeling, and the excitement that you’ll soon have your own little sakura tree leaps forth.

That is until you open up the instruction manual… both text-heavy, and with a hefty number of steps… this may not be as simple as first thought.

Perhaps to a deft hand, who has previous experience making miniatures, it might not be such a high hurdle to overcome, but for a complete beginner, it could spell trouble. Out of the nearly 20 steps, the first step was to cut 80 pieces of wire to a length of 30 centimeters (roughly 12 inches).

▼ Measuring and cutting… measuring and cutting…

After about an hour, the seemingly never-ending ordeal was complete and our 80 pieces were finally prepared.

With discouragement looming on the road ahead, you might be tempted to give up, but take another look at that pile of cut wires, and let that sense of satisfaction wash over you. You can do this.

Step two is twisting time. Thread five beads of one of the two colors onto a wire and get to twisting.

You might spill beads along the way, but just keep powering away at it. You need to complete 40 of each color, after all.


After two hours and only 20 percent of step two complete, despair might set in, along with the worry of suddenly developing tendonitis, but believe in yourself and look forward to the end result as you continue twisting.

▼ Just keep channeling your inner Chubby Checker.

What seemed a simple craft at the start, turned into a trial of both physical and mental endurance, all for the sake of some cherry blossoms.

However, seeing the branches pile up, and everything beginning to take shape was beautiful.

Then came the final few steps.

Adjust the shape, fill the pot with clay, and top it all off with some sand.

Finally, your ever-blooming sakura tree is complete.

Despite the two out of five difficulty level, the experience ended up taking us five hours, inclusive of breaks. It’s also not wrong to say that it’s not difficult per se, it simply involves a large amount of work. In fact, it’s the perfect craft if you just want to empty your mind for a couple of hours.

Whether you have missed the peak season for cherry blossoms this year, or are looking to make the flowers bloom once more at home, this kit might be a great pick for you, and if it unlocks a newly-found passion for all things beads and wires, take a trip to Miyuki Factory, a physical store near Asakusabashi Station in Tokyo.

Store information
Miyuki Factory / ミユキファクトリー
Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Asakusabashi 1-3-9
東京都台東区浅草橋1-3-9
Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays, holidays, and irregular Saturdays
Website

Related: Online Store, Miyuki Factory Instagram
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