Mixed Bouquets in Tokyo

Mixed bouquets in Tokyo: stems from across Japan and abroad in one wrap

Mixed bouquets in Tokyo rely on cut flowers that pass through Ota Market, in Ota ward, open since 1990, where the OTA Floriculture Auction sells cut flowers, potted plants, seedlings and bonsai from growers all over Japan. A mixed bouquet uses cut stems, several kinds tied into one wrap, so the choice starts with which flower leads the bunch and how large that wrap needs to be.

Grown across Japan or flown in: what goes into a Tokyo mix

Ota Market gathers cut flowers from across the country, and a single mixed bunch can combine stems from across Japan. Japan also brings in cut flowers from abroad, with China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Colombia among the larger suppliers, so a stem in a Tokyo wrap may have crossed a border rather than the city.

The catalogue draws on both sources at once. Ecuadorian roses sit alongside lily, gerbera, hydrangea and lisianthus, with hyacinth appearing in spring and peonies through their own season. Lily, gerbera and lisianthus are greenhouse flowers and are cut all year, which is why the base of a mix barely shifts with the calendar: what changes from month to month is the second or third stem built around it.

A two-flower pair or a designer piece: sizing a mix for Japan

A pair is the simplest mix: a Lily and Gerbera Bouquet or a bouquet called Roses with Lisianthus sets one flower against another and lets both speak for themselves. A designer piece, such as the Designer Bouquet "Gentle", brings more kinds together in the same wrap and more of the florist's own arranging, which suits a gift that needs to look considered rather than quick.

Size is not only a matter of stem count. Hydrangea and lily carry so much on one head that a handful of stems already reads as a full bouquet, so a lily pair is never a small gift even where the stem count stays low. Lily is worth a second thought where a cat lives in the house: every part of the plant, and the water left standing in its vase, is toxic to cats, and a mix built around a safer lead flower is the better choice there. Where one flower alone says enough, a single-flower bouquet is the simpler route. Stem counts for a mix are otherwise free, except for four and nine, numbers avoided in gifts here; more on that is on the flowers in Tokyo page.

Mixed bouquet delivery in Tokyo for a recipient who reads flowers

Ordering mixed bouquets in Tokyo also means keeping a local custom or two in mind. Chrysanthemum belongs to the imperial family and to autumn here. A white chrysanthemum carries a funeral association that a coloured one in a mixed bouquet does not. A message to the florist before payment is enough to keep any white chrysanthemum out of the wrap.

Before payment, the manager sends options with photos and prices, so the mix is agreed before anything is bought. The florist photographs the finished bouquet before the courier sets off, and that photo is the moment to ask for a change. A flower that is out of stock is swapped for one close in colour and price, and the swap is visible on the same photo. Most orders are handed over the day they are placed, and the timing for any bouquet is shown on its own page, with zones and timing on the delivery page.

Choosing among mixed bouquets in Tokyo is easiest by picking the lead flower first: a straightforward pair from the roses range, or a fuller designer bouquets piece where more than two kinds belong in one wrap.