What is the reason for the larger pot? What does it
contain? Is he just protecting roots that would be
arial, or keeping them curling within the pot?
What about the quality of the mix in the first pot?
Does it not break down?

All very good questions, Sue. And ones, as a newbie to
all this, that I didn't ask. Well, most of them. The outer
pots are for protection for the roots that have grown
out of the inner pot. The mix seems to be (from my
untrained eye) sphagnum moss. Breaking down? I don't
know. But, I know where he does business when not at
shows smile and since I liked his prices and the fact
that he didn't just carry the common phals and dends
that I see everywhere else, I'm planning on visiting him
in the near future. If I can break through the (mild to
moderate) language barrier (older Japanese couple), I'll
see what his answers are.

Tracey