# 53 - Philosophy of Bonsai with Ryan Neil Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507/53-philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507/53-philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil.md Podcast: [Bonsai Time Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507) Published: 2026-01-05T06:03:59+00:00 Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bonsaitimepodcast/episodes/53---Philosophy-of-Bonsai-with-Ryan-Neil-e3d6h7i Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/86d50f30/podcast/play/113509042/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-5%2Fa0540a7d-a8cc-b245-869f-f1026572eec6.m4a Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507/episodes/53-philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil Duration seconds: 7789 ## Resource Today’s episode is a special one! Your hosts Ryan Huston and Kevin Faris sat down with Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai, just outside Portland, Oregon. We dive into bonsai, life, apprenticeships, family, purpose through the art — and so much more. Enjoy and Bonsai on! The video version is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here⁠ . Show notes, relevant pictures, and links are ⁠⁠ here⁠⁠ . See you in the next episode! Guest Info: Ryan Neil is already known by many in the bonsai world for his accomplishments, including serving a 6-year apprenticeship in Japan under the world-famous artist Kimura. He then went on to found his garden and educational operation Bonsai Mirai which for years has done both in-person and live-streamed advanced bonsai education. He is one of the first and biggest players in the bonsai educational subscription content/community scene which has now evolved into an app most recently. Bonsai Mirai Website Bonsai Mirai YouTube Mirai Mobile App on Android and Apple Sponsor Info: This episode is sponsored by Chris Meade of the Columbus Bonsai Society and by our co-host via the Kevin Faris moving sale of bonsai pottery, tools, and trees. View these items at In Vivo Bonsai of Columbus, Ohio, USA in-person, or online (shipping available) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠invivobonsai.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠, or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠www.InVivoBonsai.com⁠⁠ and navigate to the consignment ⁠⁠pottery⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠tree⁠⁠ pages. Mailbag submissions/Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠NEW BT DISCORD Chat⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠BT Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the Pod: Anytime you listen, subscribe, rate us, or share us with friends, you help keep us motivated to keep making episodes for you all! If you want to take it to the next level, you can also help keep the podcast going by donating to us through Spotify or by sponsoring an episode (contact us directly for that). All donations g… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507/episodes/53-philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/bonsai-time-podcast-5196507/53-philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.