My experience with the Japan flower tribute tour was very honorable and gratifying. I was selected to represent Flores of Colombia in a mission to pay homage to Japanese women by offering them a beautiful bouquet made with the finest selection of Colombian flowers.
These flower arrangements were designed by a very skilled Japanese florist named Kyoko Fujita.
Ms. Fujita was tasked with creating two different types of bouquets; one symbolizing tradition and the other modernity. The result was impressive! The construction of these two spectacular floral designs reflected exactly what we wanted to convey with this tribute. Both emphasized the beauty of the flower buds by using the right mix of varieties. The first design, intended for the traditional woman, highlighted the use of dark colors such as red, burgundy and dark pink and the whole presented a very clean, elegant and sober shape. The second arrangement that represented the modern woman had a more spontaneous and casual design. For this one, Ms. Fujita used more flower varieties like roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, and hydrangeas and used pastel colors like yellow, light pink, and green.
The tribute took place in Tokyo, a fascinating city that balances the old and the new. You can see skyscrapers, the bright city lights, and in contrast, you can also admire the ancient temples and relaxing parks. One of the elements we considered when preparing this tribute was the fact that Japan is a nature-loving culture and flowers are very important, appreciated and used in daily Japanese life. As a foreigner, I witnessed that flower symbolism in this culture plays a very important role and is featured in many different areas of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, and can be seen in art, literature, movies, and even in consumer goods.
The palpable contrast between old and new can be seen in every aspect of this culture, and women express this distinction in the way they dress, act, and feel. This unique characteristic of Japanese women reminded us of one of the most valuable attributes of Colombian floriculture; its diversity. Colombia produces many different types of flowers and within those hundreds of types of flowers there are thousands of varieties and colors. We produce a universe of shapes, colors and scents. By uniting these two shared characteristics about women and floral diversity, we had the perfect combination to offer this tribute with the best that Colombia can offer, to pay homage to the admiration we have for Japanese women.
I went around the streets and parks of Tokyo looking for the women I was going to offer the flower arrangements to, and when I randomly approached them, they were a bit apprehensive or rather surprised at first, but once I explained to them about this tribute, they were amazed and moved by it, and with a big smile on their faces and a big Arigato Gozaimasu, they accepted our flowers.
I was proud to represent Flores of Colombia in this tribute tour in Japan, and I really hope that more and more Japanese get to know Colombia, our people and especially our flowers. “Flowers of Colombia, diversity that inspires”.
