Episode 736: Meet the people, farms, and florists shaping Japan’s Slow Flowers Movement

A visit to Japan for two weeks in September was the ultimate dream come true. My husband Bruce and I, joined by three dear friends, experienced some of the country’s incomparable beauty, culture, history, and tradition during our time in Kyoto and Tokyo. We watched World Class athletes compete in Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium at the World Track Championships, ate authentic ramen, sushi, and tempura, and put in our 10k+ steps each day. I also had the wonderful experience of spending one day away from my traveling companions, immersed in Japan’s emerging slow flowers community. Thanks to Megumi Hagiuda, my guide and translator, I visited an organic flower farm, stopped by several flower shops, and enjoyed floral-centric menus at two amazing restaurants. The day culminated with a community meal where I met with more than one dozen slow flowers-minded professionals representing many facets of the floral industry. Today’s episode is a recap of some of those highlights! https://youtu.be/ryVnDsuPM7Q?si=jlVAM7WeedxxTH58 Scenes from the beautiful teahouse and gourd arbor at Yoshigaki Organic Flower Farm, a century-old, third-generation flower farm in Asao Ward, Kawasaki City, about 50 miles outside of Tokyo Bruce Brooks & Debra Prinzing Japan, September 2025 (photographed at Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Palace) in Kyoto As you heard in my opening summary, I just spent two weeks traveling with my husband and friends in Japan. Two weeks barely introduced me to the wonder and mystery of this beautiful country. I left wanting to return and experience Japan’s gardens and landscape during a different time of year, like spring or fall. Let’s just say September is still the hot and humid summer season. I marveled at how cool and crisp everyone there looked in their fashionable wardrobes! So I’m taking notes! In the Harvest! Debra and Megumi, photographed at Yoshigaki Flower Farm I first met Megumi Hagiuda in 2023 when she traveled to Bellevue, Washington, for our Slow Flowers Summit. She was immediately adopted by a group of Slow Flowers members, and made some lasting friendships. We learned a bit about Megumi’s background and her journey from owning a Tokyo-based flower shop called Afrika Rose, which was followed by her shift to promoting organic flower farming and sustainable floral design in Japan. https://youtu.be/j2honCD764Q?si=fX9SCL-e6r3nCMG2 Watch this BONUS session above: Earlier this year in January, during the Slow Flowers Worldwide Summit, our first online conference, Megumi recorded a presentation about Slow Flowers Japan. We featured the presentation as one of our four international bonus sessions. Megumi invited organic flower farmer Ai Takahashi of Green Field Flowers to co-present with her and together, the two women introduced our community to the business aspects of Japan’s small but growing organic floral industry, shared the story of Green Field Flowers, and discussed the Slow Flowers advocacy work that Megumi began in 2022 with two other colleagues. A day on the organic flower farm with (from left): Shiho Yoshigaki, Debra, Megumi, and Kazuya Yoshigaki It was so serendipitous to hear from Megumi earlier this summer when she reached out to suggest I come to Japan and host a Slow Flowers Summit in person. I told her about my September trip and asked if we could get together. The result was an incredibly generous, day-long itinerary that Megumi planned for me. Shiho Yoshigaki (left) and Megumi Hagiuda (right), photographed at Yoshigaki Organic Flower Farm Today’s podcast features highlights of that day, including interviews with husband-and-wife team Kazuya and Shiho Yoshigaki, owners of Yoshigaki Organic Flower Farm, a century-old, third-generation flower farm in Asao Ward, Kawasaki City, about 50 minutes by train from the city center. Megumi served as translator for Kazuya and Shiho, and you’ll hear her speaking in English after their comments. I am so grateful that she helped facilitate these inspiring conversations. Megumi (left) and Kazuya Yoshigaki (right) My delightful morning at Yoshigaki included my first time drinking a refreshing tea made from the leaves of a plum date tree, which Megumi said is called the mame gaki in Japanese, translated as “bean shaped persimmon.” We also harvested zinnias, salvia, cosmos, and asclepias for our bouquet-making – what a full and enriching morning. Megumi and Debra enjoyed a fantastic, floral-garnished meal at Lorans Afterwards, we returned to Tokyo for a fun lunchtime stop at Lorans. Lorans is a flower shop and café with many unique facets, including providing employment for individuals with disabilities who make floral gifts from dried botanicals – wall hangings and arrangements. This mission-driven company operates several locations in Tokyo, owns a cut flower farm, and design studio. Manager Mie Sato joined Megumi and me and led us on a tour of the production facility – so impressive. Debra Prinzing with Mari Yamaoka of Ginko Flowers The next interview you’ll hear today features our visit to Gingko Flowers, a charming plant and flower shop owned by Mari Yamaoka. Mari is fluent in English having studied floral design in Switzerland, so you’ll hear her introduce us to her design philosophy, and her commitment to sustainability. She also introduces us to Fladambo, her innovative flower and plant stand made from recycled cardboard. It’s replacing the metal easels that are often disposed of in land fills and she sells the product wholesale to other florists across Japan. Dinner with members of Japan's Slow Flowers community at Hibino A special note about our dinner gathering. Thank you to the owners and head gardener of Hibino, a creative bistro that embraces seasonal cuisine, including edible flowers, herbs, and fruits grown in their own farm. They participated in the conversation, and I was especially delighted by the herb-centric floral arrangements created by Takeyuki Shiraiwa for our event. The Japan Slow Flowers Tour and the Summit Presentation each run about 35 minutes, so feel free to watch in two parts. You can listen here or watch the replay video – which I encourage you to do! Thank you for joining me today! I truly loved my day of flowers with Megumi and friends. I hope you get to visit in person some day! Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers. Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu. Thank you to the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another. The ASCFG is dedicated to empowering its members with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in the world of cut flower farming. From educational workshops and conferences to online resources and publications, they provide a wealth of information and support for all things related to growing exceptional cut flowers. Learn more about the ASCFG and how to be a part of it at ascfg.org. Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at swgm.coop. Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com. Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography I'm Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you're invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I'll see you next week! Music credits: Drone Pine; Gaena; Allston Night Owlby Blue Dot Sessionshttp://www.sessions.blue Lovelyby Tryad http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentalshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ In The Fieldaudionautix.com