Preparing the experience
MINI × TRADMAN’S BONSAI
Publicis Groupe Japan / Beacon
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I AM MINI. / CHAPTER 01
I AM MINI celebrates people who do things their own way. In our first chapter, we meet the Japanese collective bringing a centuries-old craft into fashion, art and everyday life. Together, we’re exploring how much character a small space can hold.
START WITH A TEST DRIVE. IT COULD BECOME A SEVEN-DAY ESCAPE.
Take a MINI Cooper test drive or request a quote for a chance to win a 7-Day MINI Owner Experience with a luxury stay in Tokyo or Osaka. There are also TRADMAN’S bonsai for 50 winners.
Campaign preview. Entry dates and terms to be announced.02 / THE FILM
Step into Teppei Kojima’s imagination. In this documentary-style film, the TRADMAN’S founder studies a MINI Cooper, follows his curiosity and creates an unexpected bonsai artwork.
As the creation takes shape, one question remains: “Are you living big?”
03 / THE CONNECTION
MINI and TRADMAN’S see tradition as a starting point for new ideas. One reimagined the small car. The other is opening bonsai to a new generation.
Both invite you to make something your own, and enjoy it every day.
A STUDY IN CHARACTERRooted in craft. Open to possibility.
MINI began by questioning what a small car could be. An engine turned sideways. Wheels pushed to the corners. Clever use of space made room for more people, more possibility and more joy in the everyday.
TRADMAN’S brings that curiosity to bonsai. Through fashion, music, art and workshops, the collective is taking a centuries-old craft beyond the collector’s shelf. The skill and care remain. The invitation becomes a little wider.
A bonsai takes its form through individual choices: which branch to keep, where to let it grow, when to leave it alone. Every tree develops its own character.
With MINI, colour, trim and the little details become a way to express yourself. A companion that feels like you, with a few quirks of its own.
A bonsai holds the presence of a landscape in a small pot. A MINI Cooper brings unmistakable design and a lively drive to a compact footprint. Neither needs to be bigger to make an impression.
The Signature Cooper brings these ideas together. Every curve, branch and carefully chosen detail has a part to play. Different materials, brought together by an attention to character.
A CLOSER LOOK
04 / GO DEEPER
Join Teppei in the driver’s seat, meet the crew in the atelier and see how they bring a personal point of view to bonsai.
Explore their stories, discover the details and step inside a workshop.
I AM MINI TALK / THE VIRTUAL TEST DRIVE
What does a bonsai artist notice about a MINI? Come along as Teppei explores the Cooper’s design, its go-kart feeling and the small touches that make it a MINI.
A conversation about the car, and how it makes you feel.
05 / MEET THE MINI COOPER
The collaboration is a one-of-a-kind creation. The instinct behind it is something you can take into every day.
With its go-kart feeling, unmistakable silhouette and room for your own point of view, the MINI Cooper is made to be part of your life. Familiar city corners included. Unexpected detours encouraged.
Responsive handling and an agile character make the drive part of the pleasure. Take the wheel and find out what puts the smile on a MINI driver’s face.
Round headlights, compact proportions and carefully considered details. An iconic shape with the presence to make a small space feel like its own.
Explore colours and trims to find your own expression of MINI. A little more you, from the first glance to the moment you get behind the wheel.
06 / EVENTS & WORKSHOPS
Some details deserve a closer look. Meet the Signature Cooper, spend time with the people behind the collaboration, or try shaping a bonsai yourself.
The story continues in Marunouchi, on the road and at MINI showrooms across Japan.
Discover the Signature Cooper at TRADMAN’S flagship in front of Tokyo Station. Bonsai, fashion and the collaboration come together in a space that reflects the collective’s world.
Event dates to be announced
The collaboration heads beyond Tokyo to Sapporo, Sendai, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyushu. An opportunity to see the creation up close and meet MINI in a new way.
Tour schedule to be announced
Join a bonsai workshop at a participating MINI showroom. Discover the craft with your own hands, then take a Cooper out for a drive. No bonsai experience required.
Locations and dates to be announced07 / YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
You’ve met the people and seen the craft. Now get to know the Cooper for yourself. Take a test drive or request a quote for a chance to win.
7-DAY OWNER EXPERIENCE
Seven days with a MINI Cooper, plus a luxury stay in Tokyo or Osaka. Time to take the scenic route.
BONSAI / 50 WINNERS
A TRADMAN’S bonsai in a MINI-shaped pot. A little character to keep growing, for 50 winners selected by lottery.
