Japan's florists promote 'flower power' for homes as virus spoils party
March, which marks the end of the academic and business year in Japan, is usually one of the busiest periods for the flower industry, with surges in demand for graduation ceremonies at schools, send-off parties and weddings. But this year the spread of COVID-19 is ...
The Sogetsu school of ikebana encourages a more liberated approach to the Japanese art of flower arranging. Akane Teshigahara, the fourth head of the school, matches selected items from the Spogetsu Collection with arrangements celebrating spring.
It's 2:30 a.m. and dark outside. Tsuyoshi Hirasawa can see his breath in the February chill as he turns the key in the ignition of his white Honda minivan. The large hands gripping the steering wheel are rough and leathery from years of working ...
Edible flower family adding color to Japan's culinary arts
Katokaen, a flower farm in the suburbs of Tokyo, has built a thriving business by producing blooms that are not only pretty but are also enriching the culinary arts with colorful petals as crisp as lettuce or as sweet and sour as berries. Run by ...
Aichi team develops self-driving robots to tackle labor shortage in farming
Amid a severe shortage of manpower, a team comprised of researchers from private companies and a university in Aichi Prefecture is working on developing a self-driving robot that uses cutting-edge technology to support flower-growing farmers. In fiscal 2019 the group hopes to start marketing automated, ...
Japan's fondness for Christmas bush means blooming exports for Aussie florists
It took flower grower Paul Dalley almost seven years before he found the perfect Australian native for the Japanese flower market, but once he did he never looked back. "When we first sent it from here, they got really excited. They rang up the next ...
Yoronto: A small island with unique culture where time and space expand
The sea is only as blue as the sky permits. Even in the deep southern islands of the Nansei-Shoto, an overcast day can turn the sub-tropics into a mirror image of some of the more relentlessly dreary resort towns of my own country, England. ...
Taxonomist catalogs Myanmar's flora for preservation, prosperity
Kazumi Fujikawa is scouring a nature-rich mountain range in Myanmar. Her mission, to find, identify and classify its flora, is central to the nation's future economy and environment. The 45-year-old Kochi woman's plant taxonomy work in Natma Taung National Park is part of the process ...
Rhododendrons, azaleas: blooming marvels of the plant world
Nothing tops turning a corner on a trail and encountering a sudden splash of pink, red or gold amongst the greenery.
Fuji Shibazakura Festival extends prime blossom-viewing season
Alas, the yearly cherry blossom front has left the Kanto region, leaving tiny pink petals swirling about in the spring breeze. The good news for nature lovers, though, is that more blooms are set to appear. The Fuji Shibazakura Festival will be held from April ...
