Information about Ryan Neil

[yenling83]

I'm curious if anyone has info on Ryan Neil one of Kimura's apprentices. Mainly, I'm wondering what his plan's are after his apprenticeship. If he is going to start teaching and if so in what State?

I would be very interested in taking lessons from him and I believe he will be moving back to the U.S. pretty soon. I believe he is the first person from the States to apprentice under Kimura. I am very interested in him mostly because he is about my age, went to college near me and hung out at the Muranaka Bonsai Nursery, which I hang out at all the time. He also has a very inspiring story about writing letter to Kimura for two years before being accepted by him and leaving everything to study w/ Kimura.

 

[art-rodriguez]

Ryan Neal

i think Jason has some info. regarding your questions Yenling.
Jason
Any word on Ryan's future plans ?

 

[Bill S]

He's been teasing us for a at least a couple of weeks - Well Jason spill it would ya

 

[JasonG]

I speak with Ryan all the time. He will be settling in Oregon after his apprenticeship....namely North of Portland up where Randy and I live. He will be teaching all over the country. He already has some gigs lined up and will be headlining a few rather large conventions.

If anyone wants to book him for gigs PM or email me.....I will manage that.

No westerner has ever spent so much time in Japan studying....let alone with the best there is. Big things are in store!

Jason

 

[cquinn]

I speak with Ryan all the time. He will be settling in Oregon after his apprenticeship....namely North of Portland up where Randy and I live. He has probably the best collection of collected trees in America and will be teaching all over the country. He already has some gigs lined up and will be headlining a few rather large conventions.

His time in Japan will be done in Oct. 2009 then he will head home to Colorado for a few days, then come to my house for a week and then back to Japan to help Mr. Kimura get ready for Kokofu on a temp. visa then be done in Jan.2010 and move to Oregon and head back to Japan for the show. I am going to try like hell to make that trip.

If anyone wants to book him for gigs PM or email me.....I will manage that.

No westerner has ever spent so much time in Japan studying....let alone with the best there is. Big things are in store!

Jason

Whose funding this guy? In this one e-mail you've already ran the flight bill up to around $5,000.00, and that doesn't count moving.

 

[Smoke]

Funding for Ryan is not a problem. I write a check to Ryan each year while he has been in Japan thru GSBF. It is not enough to live on but is better than you think. It has been our small investment in his education to secure a headliner and teacher for years to come. The money comes out of my Grants and Scholarship program of which I am Chairman.

Ben Oki was very instrumental in cutting thru the red tape with Kimura on Ryan's behalf. If you wish to train in Japan write to Ben Oki not the teacher.

 

[Smoke]

No westerner has ever spent so much time in Japan studying....let alone with the best there is. Big things are in store!

Jason

He has a few years to go before he catches up with Kathy Shaner in the years spent in Japan column, as well as accolades.

 

[cquinn]

Funding for Ryan is not a problem. I write a check to Ryan each year while he has been in Japan thru GSBF. It is not enough to live on but is better than you think. It has been our small investment in his education to secure a headliner and teacher for years to come. The money comes out of my Grants and Scholarship program of which I am Chairman.

Ben Oki was very instrumental in cutting thru the red tape with Kimura on Ryan's behalf. If you wish to train in Japan write to Ben Oki not the teacher.

Interesting. Wish I had known about this before I started a family.

 

[Yamadori]

How old is Ryan?

 

[JasonG]

Ben Oki was very instrumental in cutting thru the red tape with Kimura on Ryan's behalf. If you wish to train in Japan write to Ben Oki not the teacher.

It is true you do need someone to help you, but I know Ryan was writing letters to Kimura and mailing them every few days for quite a while. You have to be persistent in pursuing the apprenticeship as well as having someone give you a recommendation. In most cases a recommendation alone won't be enough.

As a side note, a tree Ryan styled did win at Kokufu this year... that is a pretty big award.

Jason

 

[JasonG]

He has a few years to go before he catches up with Kathy Shaner in the years spent in Japan column, as well as accolades.

Ok. How long did she study there in one shot like that? Just so I know and don't make a false statement again

How old is Ryan?

26 I think....

 

[cquinn]

It is true you do need someone to help you, but I know Ryan was writing letters to Kimura and mailing them every few days for quite a while. You have to be persistent in pursuing the apprenticeship as well as having someone give you a recommendation. In most cases a recommendation alone won't be enough.

As a side note, a tree Ryan styled did win at Kokufu this year... that is a pretty big award.

Jason

If I learned styling from Kimura and became great I still wouldn't be able to afford the material! Oh well, I guess I'll have to stick to growing. See you in 40 yrs!

On another note, whoever owned that tree won the Kokufu award in the record books. The guy who could afford the material! The stylist is just hired help in Japan.

 

[JasonG]

If I learned styling from Kimura and became great I still wouldn't be able to afford the material! Oh well, I guess I'll have to stick to growing. See you in 40 yrs!.

LOL...see ya in 40!

On another note, whoever owned that tree won the Kokufu award in the record books. The guy who could afford the material! The stylist is just hired help in Japan.

If I am not mistaken it was Kimuras tree that Ryan styled. The stylist isn't just "hired help"...it is the stylist that makes the tree what it is for the most part.

 

[cquinn]

LOL...see ya in 40!



If I am not mistaken it was Kimuras tree that Ryan styled. The stylist isn't just "hired help"...it is the stylist that makes the tree what it is for the most part.

Well, let's say Kimura styled a tree for somebody and they paid him. Kimura would be "hired", because money would exchange hands. He "helped" them with the tree. This would make him "hired help".

 

[Smoke]

It is true you do need someone to help you, but I know Ryan was writing letters to Kimura and mailing them every few days for quite a while. You have to be persistent in pursuing the apprenticeship as well as having someone give you a recommendation. In most cases a recommendation alone won't be enough.

As a side note, a tree Ryan styled did win at Kokufu this year... that is a pretty big award.

Jason

As did Kathy, as did Michael Hagedorn and Mario Komsta.

I used to sit next to Ryan Neil while he attended the Hanford Bonsai Society, I know how he got there....

I knew him when he was a nobody fresh out of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

He may be a headliner soon

 

[yenling83]

Jason

I'm curious how you met Ryan and how you became friends?

Dang Oregon is really starting to get a big Bonsai scene!

 

[JasonG]

Jason

I'm curious how you met Ryan and how you became friends?

Dang Oregon is really starting to get a big Bonsai scene!

He was looking for good material to purchase and contacted me through the internet. We became close friends via emails, phone calls and last year he came to Oregon for a week to check out the scene, and bring up his trees from California to my yard and then went back to Japan.

Ryan is a good kid who is very talented and will do good things for bonsai.

Yes, Oregon is the new hot bed for bonsai...many traveling professionals have said this over the past 3 years..... things grow here better than most anywhere in America, we have 4 seasons, access to killer material and it is a nice, peaceful easy way of life here in the great NW. Can't go wrong moving here

Jason

 

[JasonG]

As did Kathy, as did Michael Hagedorn and Mario Komsta.

While yes they did but the topic here was about Ryan. I know as most do that the the people you mention won the award, so why detract from Ryan?

I used to sit next to Ryan Neil while he attended the Hanford Bonsai Society, I know how he got there....

I knew him when he was a nobody fresh out of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Good for you, the fact still remains that Ben alone didn't get him in there. Ryan had to be persistant with his efforts to Kimura as well. If Ryan didn't do anything do you think that would have sat well with Kimura? That is just how it works.

He may be a headliner soon

Already a booked headliner for 2 large conventions.....if you want him you better get on reserving him soon.

 

[Smoke]

While yes they did but the topic here was about Ryan. I know as most do that the the people you mention won the award, so why detract from Ryan?

I might turn it around and say why heap it all on Ryan? He is just the most recent graduate of a long list of deserving folks that have apprenticed in Japan with the help of GSBF.

Folks like Kathy Shaner, Cheryl Manning, Ernie Kuo and Boon Manikitivipart. Are they less deserving because they apprenticed many years ago. If someone like Yenling wanted to apprentice with the best teacher on the west coast and do it much closer to his house he could study with Kenji Miyata, living only 120 miles from his house.


He has many awards also

 

[JasonG]

I might turn it around and say why heap it all on Ryan? He is just the most recent graduate of a long list of deserving folks that have apprenticed in Japan with the help of GSBF.

Nobody heaped this on Ryan...so I don't know where that comes from. Someone asked me a question and I answered it, then stated that Ryan won a kokufu award this year...that was all that was said about it. So, I never heaped anything on Ryan. Just made mention of something that not many know. It is nice that the GSBF helps people like that, it would be nice if all clubs would do something like that. The Portland club has a 17 yr old in Japan right now and they didn't do a thing to help him. And they have lots of money!!! Its sad really. But on the flip side, if you are motivated and driven about getting over there you will make it happen without a club.

Folks like Kathy Shaner, Cheryl Manning, Ernie Kuo and Boon Manikitivipart. Are they less deserving because they apprenticed many years ago. If someone like Yenling wanted to apprentice with the best teacher on the west coast and do it much closer to his house he could study with Kenji Miyata, living only 120 miles from his house.
He has many awards also

Less deserving about what? Not sure what you mean here Al.

I would say if Yenling wanted to study bonsai on a part time basis then yes, someone like Boon, Mike or even Kenji would be a good start. But if he wanted to do it full time then it would be cheaper to go to Japan. Atleast in Japan you get paid a salary to live on, are provided a place to live and the only out of cost expense is laundry and food. It would be far more expensve to apprentice in America on a full time or part time basis.


Jason