Q: Where are you from, and what brought you to China?
A: My hometown is Kobe, Japan, a city gathering many designers. Because of its location near sea as a port of Japan, many foreign cultures have reached Kobe, bringing diversity to the city.
Q: What is it like developing your current business in China? How were you introduced to it?
A: My interest to begin a business in China developed back a decade ago when I met my husband in Shenzhen, China. He employed there, spending time at a job that had no relation with mine now, yet he suggested and supported me to start a flower shop if liked flowers and wanted to. The original intention inside me was to look for opportunities within Shanghai to begin the business because of the relatively diverse Japanese culture there, yet the little near-sea city felt too crowded by citizens. As I looked towards Beijing, I found that the atmosphere and culture there was very fascinating, thus landing my shop there.
Before during times in Japan, I was introduced to flowers at an early age, through officially began studying upon the topic around my 30s, putting a lot more attention towards the study of flower arrangements.
Q: Why a Flower Shop? Where and how did you learn about flower arranging techniques?
A: I wanted to begin a career that I really loved and had a passion for after working as a translator for life. First touching flower arrangements as a young child, I developed experience for the Japanese style of it over time, where I finally decided to run my own flower business over the many degrees I earned in arranging flowers.
Q: What have been some differences in flower arrangements between the Japanese and Chinese culture? Are there any in terms of students from each culture?
A: With numerous differenced in culture between China and Japan, so are in the area of flowers arrangements. Throughout the Japanese-style, the arrangements can be divided into a traditional style and a modern style, having learnt both myself. There are many schools of Japanese flower arrangements—of them generalizing to be a detail-centered style with emphasis on lines, sense of space, and use of contrast throughout the flowers. This is a major point that differs from the traditional Chinese styles of flower arranging. The Japanese have also always believed in the connection between human and nature through their flower arrangements, using them as a way to pay respect to nature and livings. Cutting out flowers will mean the death of it, where rearranging them is a way to revitalize its life in the Japanese culture.
During the early years of my flower business, 90% of my students were Japanese. However, over recent years as the Chinese Japanese relationship and economy have intensified, the number of my Japanese students have decreased, where I now teach Chinese students for the majority of 80%.
There sure exists differences among the habits and thinking of students with different cultural backgrounds as I have observed. Due to differing educational strategies, the Japanese students are always accepting to my suggestions and follow my teaching strategies; some Chinese students, however, often have their own intentions and ideas to put into a piece, ignoring the key points of the arrangement. Bits of frustration arose within me at first, as I joked with them with ‘you should be arranging flowers at home if you’re going to do it your own way’. Despite some stubbornness in their thinking, this can also be a sense of creativity in their minds. Furthermore, many Chinese women that I have taught also hold a determined spirit in their willingness to learn, where the Japanese may not be as desireable. I have led many students to win awards in the area of flower arranging,
Q: As a Japanese expat in China, how accepting has the society been to someone like you? What was it like adjusting into the community?
A:Whether in terms of my personal life or career, there had been a period of unease moving to a foreign country. Even though I was exposed to the Chinese language beforehand and familiarized myself upon it, the differing customs and culture between different locations in China also set a challenge in me. Moreover, despite that the target of my business is around flowers in all cultures, the confidence of arranging flowers built inside me from times in Japan was sometimes lost as I encountered a new environment and society. Due to this, I had to adapt my arranging styles to gain the interest of the Chinese students; changes were necessary throughout the different appreciation of beauty with different cultures.
As the Chinese culture progressed, so did their aesthetic judgement among the society. Thus, some changes were beneficial towards my career as their views were gradually appreciative of the varied styles of flower arrangement, including the Japanese style I currently teach.
Q: Could you please share an experience where you came to struggle because of a cultural difference?
A: Without doubt, there are definite challenges when it comes to my career of maintaining a flower shop, especially with visiting customers. In general, Japanese customers are more flexible and direct with their needs, never having picky demands while selecting flowers. With Chinese customers, many tend to be more direct with me, speaking of their desires directly—which is a cultural difference that I wasn’t comfortable with at first. Yet overtime, through time and communicating about it with some of my Chinese friends, I found gradual adjustment to the attitudes of the Chinese customers.
在融入中国社会的同时，您有没有一些特别帮助过你的人?他们是谁?与您有什么关系?
Q: While adjusting to the Chinese community, was there a group of people that supported you throughout the process? Who where they, and how did they impact you?
A: To me, honesty was always the key to everything. Everyone will experience misunderstandings, where having the honesty and heart to try and understand each other will be essential to those in a smaller business, where the relationship between me and my employees are quite close. Many times when I felt overwhelmed with unease, they were the ones that had my back and supported me. My employees were also stable in this job they enjoyed, as the kind way they treat me always really touched me. Over the past 3 years with the pandemic, the relationships I built with them are also a big support to me staying in China; without them, I might’ve returned to Japan. Whenever I struggled with my feelings, my business was not what kept me ongoing—it was my loyal employees who were willing to build a mutually learning relationship with me. Many already spent 10 years studying with me in flower arranging.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share or say to the community upon your experiences in China?
A: point that I wish the Chinese community will hold with them is their humane kindness. Even though their culture may not put an over emphasis on the form of expression, most Chinese all carry a kind heart. In addition to that, Chinese women have been quite determined in finding their value in society, believing in gender equality—a spirit I absolutely appreciate.
Additional Facts:
Q: Where do you import flowers for arrangement?
A: Half of the flowers used in my shop are shipped from outside provinces of Guangdong and Yunnan, the rest from origins in Beijing. I aim to find flowers of high quality with a good growing resource.
As the world and knowledges of people progress, new breeds of improved flowers have constantly been developed by florists and scientists together, as I also do my best to reach to those new and suitable flowers for arrangements.