I visited my parents’ home in Japan for about two weeks. I had two purposes for this trip. One was to check on my elderly parents.
As we and our parents age, and especially when we live apart, don’t we all want to avoid causing each other worry? That’s why I went to see if my parents, who always say ‘We’re doing well’ over the phone, were really doing well.
Fortunately, they were indeed in very good health, which was a relief. The fresh fish sushi was delicious, of course, but the meal my mother cooked was still the best!
Now, regarding the other purpose:
During this trip, my husband and children stayed back in Malaysia, and I traveled alone. It’s enjoyable to return home with the family, but especially when the children are young, it’s not easy to have the freedom to move around as you like.
But this time, I had plenty of free time. I wanted to make the most of this time and use it meaningfully.
I wanted to learn more about flowers.
As the wife of a flower farmer, I had helped with the online shop, photography, and design, but I lacked knowledge about flowers. I didn’t know the types of flowers, their structure, ecology, or how to beautifully arrange them.
Until now, I had only memorized the types of flowers my husband grows and followed his instructions on how to handle them. But what about being someone involved in producing and selling flowers?
I couldn’t count how many times I had received questions like, “Can you make a bouquet?” “Can you give advice on flower arrangements?” I felt bad for continuously saying, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know,’ like Siri says when she doesn’t know the answers😅 It seemed like a waste as someone involved with flowers.
So, besides checking on my parents during this trip, I decided to devote my surplus time to learning about flowers.
First, I thought I would do some research. I visited several places nearby and within driving distance where flowers were being sold.
In Japan, flowers were beautifully and tastefully arranged in a compact and neat manner wherever I went.
The one that left the strongest impression was a flower shop called TRAHUS in Hyogo Prefecture.
They had everything related to flowers, from potted plants to cut flowers, and even dried flowers, garden tools, vases—everything. It was a one-stop shop for all things flower-related.
Given that we have a cut flower shop, I headed to the separate section for cut flowers. The moment I entered, I couldn’t help but murmur, ‘Wow…’ at the beauty before me.
I never realized there were so many flowers. There are so many I’ve never seen before. I don’t even know the names of these flowers… I had only such thoughts, and it made me a little embarrassed about my ignorance.
Anyway, I was overwhelmed by the colorful and unique world of flowers, and I spent a whole hour carefully looking at and around the flowers. It was truly enjoyable. The next time I come back, I’ll definitely visit flower shops again.
This time, I could only give an introduction, but next time, I’ll report on my experience of learning flower arrangement and bouquet making in Japan!