Located on the eastem edge of Eurasia and the westem rim of the Pacific Ocean, Japan is a bow-shaped, volcanic island chain that extends 2,000 km from the northeast to the southwest.
in the center of the country's rich, rugged terrain stands a 2,000- to-3,000- meter high mountain range.
While a large part of Japan's climate is temperate, there is a range of regions from subtropical to subarctic. Annual rainfall also varies from 1,000 mm to 3,000mm according to the region. These geographical and climatic characteristics contribute to the distinct seasons.
In addition, the progressive development of greenhouse and related facilities contribute to the year-round commercial production of the world's most diverse, high-quality flowers and plants. Furthermore, the political and financial infrastructure of the Edo Era initiated advancements in forestry and agricultural breeding processes suitable to the varied regional conditions. In each of the hundreds of local municipalities of that time, the tradition to proactively advance floriculture was born.
That tradition resulted in the over 1,000 individual breeders producing flowers and plants throughout contemporary Japan.
Through the ages, the people of Japan have admired nature. The 8th-century literary work “Manyoshu”or “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves” contains the first known reference to the Japanese appreciation of flowers.
Readers of this oldest known poetry collection in Japan can discover numerous descriptions of nature and flowers.
Evidence of reverence for nature appears not only in literature but also in visual art and design.
Kimono textiles and various kinds of traditional Japanese crafts incorporate images of flowers and plants. The culture of decorating with flowers appears to have originated as offerings to Buddha. This practice evolved into the art of Ikebana in the mid-15th century and has been passed down to modem times. Flower admiration in Japan began with picking wildflowers. With the introduction of gardening techniques from China, the culture of growing beautiful flowers for enjoyment developed.
Cultural appreciation of flowers was only common among the privileged aristocratic class in the chaotic times preceding the politically stable Edo Era of the17th to19th centuries. As social mayhem subsided, the general public gained the freedom of time and resources to develop a deep admiration for flowers. Political unification gave birth to the development and popularization of Japanese floriculture. Japan's love of flowers continues to this day.
Japan leads the world in floricultural product development. Many of the resulting creations have been highly evaluated at International horticultural expositions. Cultivars produced only in Japan through delicate cultivation techniques that maximize specific traits of a breed have resulted in colorful, beautifully-shaped flowers. Precise fertilization management even allows the buds of cut flowers to blossom.
The main cut flower products exported from Japan have unique traits. The large petaled Lathyrus odoratus has a stem of more than 40 cm long. The stem of the large petaled Gloriosa reaches lengths of more than 60cm. Eustoma grandiflorum cultivars are diverse, have a long shelf life and luxurious,large, double flowers. There are cultivars of Ranuculus asiaticus produced exclusively in Japan.
Wholesale flower and plant markets are located throughoutthe entire country. Small orders of various breeds can be exported quickly. Furthermore, artistic Bonsai trees created by skilled craftsmen through traditional techniques are popular with all generation s in theEU. In addition, Japan's superior cultivars make up a major portion of the cut flowers of Helianthus annuus and Eustoma grandiflorum, as well as bedding plants such as Matthiola incana, Petunia, and Viola x Witrrokiana distributed throughout the world.
In response to various customer needs, the flower and plant growers of Japan in corporate inventive cultivation techniques to suit the regional climates, perform selective breeding of various species, and strive daily to differentiate themselves from other producers.
National and regional floriculture competitions are actively held in Japan. In addition to seed companies and public research institutions, there are over l,000 individual breeders developing new cultivars. As a result, over2,000 items and 40,000 or more cultivars of flowers are commercially produced and distributed. Everyyear, 2,000 new cultivars are introduced. Japan has become a country like no other in the world.
Moreover, public research institutes use advanced techniques such as biotechnology, mutation by radiation and genetic modification technology in the pursuit of breeding innovations.
