Last updated: September 2026
Terms and conditions
Who we are
Monsieur Bonsaï is a brand operated by BONSAI COLLECTORS, a French simplified joint-stock company (SAS) with share capital of 1,500 euros. Registered office: 28 rue de Lutèce, 92160 Antony, France. SIREN 943 193 979 · SIRET 943 193 979 00011 · R.C.S. Nanterre 943 193 979. VAT number: FR90 943 193 979. APE code 47.91B. President and publication director: Adrien Pichon. Contact: mrbonsai@bonsai-collectors.com Website host: OVH SAS, 2 rue Kellermann, 59100 Roubaix, France, ovhcloud.com
Nature of the service
Monsieur Bonsaï provides a guiding and advisory service around bonsai in Japan. Monsieur Bonsaï is not a travel agency and sells neither travel packages, nor transport, nor accommodation. No travel service is resold by us: the client contracts directly with the carriers and accommodation providers of their choice.
What the service includes
The service covers the provider's time on the ground, building the programme, arranging and securing appointments and visits, interpreting, and advice on the trees encountered. It does not include: air tickets, accommodation, meals, local transport, entry fees, travel insurance, or the price of trees and the costs of exporting them.
Travel booked by the client
The client books and pays for their own transport and accommodation, in their own name and directly with the providers concerned. Monsieur Bonsaï supplies precise recommendations for guidance only (flights, establishments, booking deadlines) to make this easier. These recommendations constitute neither an offer of sale, nor a reservation, nor any form of agency. Monsieur Bonsaï never collects the corresponding sums and is not a party to the contracts concluded between the client and those providers.
Booking and payment of the service
The service is set out in a written quotation stating its content, dates and price. It is confirmed by acceptance of the quotation and payment of a deposit. The balance is due before the service begins. Payment is by bank transfer. Prices are stated in euros.
Cancellation and changes
Depending on the nature of the engagement, a non-refundable deposit may be required on booking. Where that is the case it is stated explicitly on the quotation before you accept it, and the deposit is retained by the provider if the client cancels. If Monsieur Bonsaï cancels, all sums paid for the service are refunded in full, including any deposit. Monsieur Bonsaï cannot, however, refund air tickets, accommodation or other commitments entered into directly by the client with third parties: it is for the client to hold insurance covering that risk.
Insurance
The client must hold travel insurance covering, in particular, cancellation, medical expenses and repatriation. It is for the client to check its scope before departure.
Buying a tree
No purchase is required or expected as part of the service. Should the client wish to acquire a tree, the sale takes place between the client and the Japanese seller. The role of Monsieur Bonsaï is limited to advice, translation and estimating the total cost. Export-related costs are added to the price asked by the seller, and are communicated before any decision.
Export, quarantine and timescales
Exporting a tree from Japan is subject to strict plant health regulation and to a quarantine period. The export window is seasonal: timescales run into months and may approach a year depending on the date of acquisition. Certain species or specimens cannot be exported, or require several years of preparation beforehand. These services are provided by BONSAI COLLECTORS under a separate contract. Monsieur Bonsaï does not guarantee that administrative authorisations will be granted, since these rest with the Japanese and European authorities, nor the survival of a living plant after transport.
Client obligations
The client shall comply with local law and custom, and with instructions given during visits. Access to certain private gardens and nurseries rests on personal relationships: inappropriate behaviour may result in exclusion from a visit, without refund. The client is responsible for the validity of their travel documents and for entry formalities into Japan.
Photography
Photography is prohibited in certain private locations. The client undertakes to respect the instructions given on site and not to publish images of private collections without authorisation.
Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, the liability of Monsieur Bonsaï is limited to the amount invoiced for the service. Monsieur Bonsaï cannot be held liable for transport and accommodation services contracted directly by the client with third parties, nor for indirect damages arising from the performance or non-performance of the service.
Force majeure
Neither party shall be liable for a failure resulting from force majeure, including natural disaster, public health events, border closures, or the cancellation of an exhibition or appointment by a third party. In such cases, postponement is sought as a priority.
Intellectual property
All content on this site (text, photographs, brand, design) is the exclusive property of BONSAI COLLECTORS. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior written authorisation is prohibited.
Personal data
The processing of personal data is described in our privacy policy.
Complaints and mediation
Any complaint may be sent to mrbonsai@bonsai-collectors.com. We aim to reply within one month. Under Article L.612-1 of the French Consumer Code, every consumer has the right to use a consumer mediator free of charge to settle a dispute that has not been resolved directly with us. The mediator appointed by BONSAI COLLECTORS is CM2C: CM2C, Centre de la Médiation de la Consommation de Conciliateurs de Justice 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, France https://www.cm2c.net Referrals are made online, through the « Déclarer un litige » section of the CM2C website, and are admissible only after a prior written complaint has been made to us.
Governing law and jurisdiction
These terms are governed by French law. Failing amicable resolution, any dispute shall be brought before the competent courts. The French version of these terms prevails.