Ryan Neil/Mirai reminds me a lot of Jesse James/West Coast Choppers several years ago. JJ came in with radical, original ideas and the market for his bikes and parts went through the roof. People would pay incredible amounts of money for his bikes and parts, primarily because his name was attached to them. His ideas and designs sold for big money even if he didn’t actually build or make them.
I really like the trees from Mirai, and although the majority of them are out of my price range…hell so are a lot of the pots… one day maybe I’ll grab one. I’m not going to buy one in a “shotgun” sale though, unless I’ve seen it and like it. I’m not star struck by names or labels I guess so I’m not going buy a tree I really don’t like just because it came from a specific nursery or artist.
Bjorn and the Bonsai Import Company both have finished trees for sale, some at mind blowing prices, check out the latter if you really want sticker shock.
Of course I would want a tree from Mirai, but envy and observation are two different things. To be honest I could have gotten one in the 1200 range if I really pulled together. But to both our points, I m not going to just get a Mirai tree just because I can, I want the right tree. I guess my main point is that there is an obvious financial gap between most of us and throughout the bonsai world. If there wasn’t and we could all afford one than they would all be sold by now. There still being a third of the trees left shows that most of us don’t have that kind of money and/or even the people with that money don’t want to spend that much. To be clear I think the trees on the sale are underpriced and we would be getting a good deal if we could afford them. That western juniper has always been one of my favorite trees and for only 3200 I would get it in a heart beat if I could.
I also want to be clear that I do not think pumping out a bunch of cheap bonsai is the answer. I don’t really have an answer. But say there are 1000 of us on Mirai live, (which I believe there is more). That means with 36 trees 3.6% can get a tree, then you factor in the power of money and it’s assured that it’s the most wealthy of us that walk away with something. That seems pretty exclusive to me. I fully understand and except that’s how our world works and I’m not crying about fairness. But I heard Ryan and the team hype up the sale on live streams, as if we-all are really part of it. But they are smart, they understand that it will be a small group of people involved in purchases. So maybe be more transparent next sale. Countless people asked about price ranges but non were ever given. Just tell everyone, “hey these are the ranges, trees are all worth more than their price tag, I understand most of you won’t be able to participate, I’m sorry about that. Here are the reasons we are only facilitating this price range.” Why does it need to be a public sale marketed to the masses, when that’s not what it is? Because again, if that many people could really afford the trees then they would be gone by now. A public sale just highlights the class divide.
I get it, in most hobbies, sports, and general interest in something there is going to be that divide. I don’t have an answer for myself or anybody else on how to overcome that, other that be smart with your money if you want to save up. But at the end of it all, it’s not about have or not having, it’s the culture in the bonsai world as a whole, and it caters to the wealthy and retired.
I can only speak for what I feel in America. But we are getting more skill and experience (most of us from Mirai), and when skill overcomes material I think there will be a schism in the culture. American bonsai is young so who know when, and maybe it will be good thing that will help us grow to the level of other cultures around the world. There has to be a balance between “world class” and “pump em out”, because both of those center around making money for a seller or professional, not the growth of the practitioner.
So my worry is not about having something, nor do I have a solution. But the worry is, if money becomes the focus more and more, year after year, eventually the culture with suffer.
I believe it’s in-person classes that make up the majority.
I understand what you are saying, and I will continue to be patient because that’s the game anyway. It’s humble but I’m excited about the material I have as well.
That’s a great progression on the juniper, thanks for sharing. I believe we will all be able to do more and more with less as we grow.
The western Juniper is a Bargain!!!
I have worked for over thirty years to have a Bonsai Professional say something like this about my work. (Doing the Time ).
@Rooster not all of Mirai’s members live in the USA though (not sure on the percentages). For those of us who don’t, there are the logistics and I presume import laws and phytosanitary controls getting in the way. So some of us don’t have a choice in the matter even if we did want to buy. Not complaining, just pointing it out.
@Ruddigger Well put, I agree. An artist it entitled to price thier art as they want. And since when would anyone presume to suggest to a painter or a sculptor that they’re not including people of various financial means by not cranking out “cheaper” artwork. It doesn’t work like that. The opposite, if anything.
People do by prints of paintings they like but can’t afford, though. I don’t see anyone asking my business advice 
, but if they were I’d suggest to consider offering large format Giclee prints (maybe framed) of the high-res studio photographs of the most famous Mirai trees, alongside the apparel merch and such.
Are you a pro member? I get an even better sense of community there. Probably much to the chagrin of the other members lol. I get what you’re saying, but for me Mirai is about the community and education. If Mirai said that they’re not selling a single item ever again from their web store I’d be fine with that.
The fact that Mirai even makes the pots and trees available is awesome. They’re saying “Here’s access to the best of the best when you’re ready for it.” When I’ve created a tree that I feel is worthy of one of those pots I will put it into one. Not because I’m ultra rich and sleep on a pile of money, but because I want to cap off the time, sweat, blood (figuratively and literally) and effort that the tree and I have put into it.
When I started this thread the sale had been up for several minutes. I had my pick of trees. Even the “affordable” ones, but I didn’t buy one just to have a Mirai tree. It absolutely would have been cool to say that I had a tree from Mirai, but if that’s all I would have to say about the tree then I’m not doing myself nor the tree any justice.
Idk, I’m kind of saddened by some of the posts in here because this is not my view of Mirai. Mirai is first and foremost a business. They’re here to provide us a service and owe us nothing. I also would hate to think that Ryan is seeing any of this while ppl sit here and tell him what he’s doing wrong. He’s selling these amazing trees at what I would consider below market value and then personally delivering them. Think about that.
That said, Mirai is also building a community and a culture. Not one of exclusion either. If that were the case Mirai would ONLY have expensive in-person classes. Instead we’re given an absolute treasure trove of information and the Mirai crew puts in a lot of time and effort to make this available to us. When I post on Reddit it’s clear to me who the Mirai ppl are vs the n00bs. I have ppl on there DMing me asking for info because they feel like I actually know something. That’s when I point them to Mirai.
Hey, thanks for taking to time to further explain your point of view! Now I have a much better idea where you’re coming from and it sounds like we are largely in agreement.
Personally…while I’m not made of money, I could afford to buy any of the trees in the sale. There are several reasons why I haven’t. For one, a lot of the trees are large and as I get older, I’ve been having problems with my back. For another, most of the trees available are species I’ve never worked with. At this point I’m not confident enough in my abilities to spend several thousand dollars on a species I’ve never worked with, as much as I would love to have one of them (or more) in my yard. Also, the current economic climate (without getting political) seems very unstable to me, so I’m avoiding spending large amounts of money. For now I’m keeping my eyes out for less developed and less expensive material (particularly western junipers with good deadwood).
I do think the trees are very fairly priced for what they are - mostly yamadori well styled by a master (or under his guidance by students), in good pots…that just isn’t going to be cheap. I think someone else mentioned bonsaiimportcompany.com, prices there for imported trees are as high and often higher than Mirai trees. Bill Valavanis has recently been listing some of his trees on facebook and his website and the prices for older/styled trees are often in the thousands.
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Trees were being taken down as they sold which is different from other years. I kind of liked the trees staying up so you could admire the work
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I try to use the trees as inspiration for designing my own trees. Realizing each tree will have it own potential, I try to see what solutions have worked to make it a unique representation of nature or of classic bonsai. I am proud to admit I steal ideas from the best! So maybe having a library of sold trees could help educate me to find solutions to the problem or opportunity each individual tree brings!
I like to peek at the gallery every now and then
Yeah i really enjoyed seeing what was available, so bummed to hear that they changed this
Hi all! I saw that some of you were requesting to see all the trees on the webstore even though they have been sold already. Josh Porter and myself have re-added them to our webstore for 3 days for you all to look at before we remove them from the site. Check them out here! https://goods.bonsaimirai.com/collections/trees
Thanks for doing this!
I just want to say that I am SUPER grateful for Mirai Live, because it IS affordable, and it IS the best bonsai education that I have found (meaning it suits ME and I am learning tons from it, not saying it’s THE best in the world for everyone- how could I know that) Yes they are a business, and I’m ok with that–obviously cuz I’m paying the monthly fee. I would love to have a beautiful tree one day, would love it if I were the one to make it, and with Mirai, maybe I will. I haven’t been to an in person class, but one day I will save up and go, and I am grateful for that opportunity too, because I don’t think I would ever go to Japan for training. I didn’t buy a tree at the sale, and probably would only buy a nice tree in person- and I wouldn’t spend thousands either. I still like to look at the sale and see what something like that costs. I thought the point of Mirai is to learn to do it yourself and that suits me to a T. I love Mirai. Thank you to Ryan and all his team. 
Thank Josh and Eve! Love the opportunity to steal ideas and styling from some of the best. My inspiration is both from nature and from the styling of the professionals I stalk on the internet 
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Thanks Eve and congrats to ppl that purchased trees!
Have read most of the comments, thought I’d share a few of my own. Longtime Mirai member. None of the following is meant as a criticism of Ryan, who seems to be a quality human being, a brilliant educator (impressive live streams), and undoubtedly one of the finest bonsai artists in the world. That said, here are my thoughts:
Are the trees in this sale of the highest quality? Absolutely.
Are the trees overpriced? Probably, but that’s what happens when supply and demand fall woefully out of balance.
Is this sale meant for the average bonsai enthusiast or an elite group of people? We all know the answer. Anyone who can spend $800 on a pot….
Why not offer a preview of the trees prior to the sale? I’ve asked this question for two years and have yet to receive a plausible explanation.
Don’t ask yourself if you would buy a tree for $1,000+ based upon a momentary glance (I won’t), ask yourself if Ryan would. If you don’t know the answer, view the stream where Ryan goes shopping at a local nursery. Which begs the question: Why the double standard?
Is the helter skelter process for buying a tree one that Mirai should be proud of? Definitely not. Reminds me of what students go through at Harvard to get first selection of university-owned off campus housing. It’s a rat race. Log in 15 seconds after the release time and you are 10 seconds too late.
Which begs the next question that someone already raised: Should (not could) people have respected the 10:00am release time? Absolutely, though it’s not surprising many didn’t given the world we live in. Finding a “hole in the fence” is akin to cheating; like seeing the answers to a test in advance at school. Rationalize all you want, just recognize it’s wrong.
In the end, we all have to ask ourselves: “Why do we want to own a Mirai tree?” Been pondering that question for some time (you should too), and it’s brought me to the realization that “I don’t”. Isn’t bonsai about your connection with the trees you grow and the journey you take with them as they come of age? Just my opinion but…if you are buying one of these “show quality” trees as an investment (collectible) or so you can show off the tree to family and friends, you are into bonsai for all the wrong reasons. Bonsai heresy to my eyes. Again, just my opinion.
As a bonsai enthusiast for the last 3 decades, IMO bonsai is first and foremost a live form or art, and, such as, masterpiece art comes with a price for those who are interested to own it.
In my humble opinion I do think Bonsai Mirai folks are doing a great business with the socialization of their education platform, and giving us the privilege to own some of these desired masterpieces. No judgments at all here.
I agree with most of what you said except these two points. If you skim enough online auctions you’ll quickly find that the trees (which include a dope pot) are way underpriced.
There were $350 trees available, so the sale wasn’t just for those with high three figure pot budgets.