Flower Delivery in Japan: Tokyo and Other Cities

Turboflora delivers flowers to 22 cities in Japan, and the full, current list is on our Japan delivery page. If your recipient lives in Tokyo, check that page first: if Tokyo or the recipient's city is listed, you can choose a bouquet there, enter the address and card text, and pay online in rubles with delivery already included.

The order itself takes a few minutes. What makes the difference in Japan is choosing the right flowers - Japanese flower language is precise, and a bouquet that is perfectly normal in Europe can carry an unintended message there. Below I explain how ordering works, which flowers to choose and avoid, and how to time and word your gift.

Where in Japan we deliver and how to check your city

Our list for Japan currently includes 22 cities. Among them are Hiroshima, Kamakura on the coast south of Tokyo, and a group of cities in Hokkaido: Asahikawa, Chitose, Ebetsu, Eniwa, Ishikari and Iwamizawa. The complete list is kept on the Flower delivery abroad page, which covers 53 countries and more than 1640 cities; note that this page is in Russian.

Greater Tokyo is a huge area: the 23 special wards, the Tama cities to the west and neighbouring prefectures such as Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba, where many people who 'live in Tokyo' actually have their address. Before you plan a gift, find the exact city in the recipient's postal address and look for it on the Japan page. If it is there, the bouquets offered on that city's page are the ones available for delivery.

If you cannot find the city you need, or you are not sure which listed city an address belongs to, write to a manager on WhatsApp and send the address. It is better to clarify this before paying than to discover a mismatch on the delivery day.

How the order and payment work

An order to Japan is placed the same way as an order inside Russia. You choose a bouquet on the country or city page, fill in the recipient's name, address and phone number, and write the text for the card. The card with your text is free. Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay.

The price shown on the Japanese city pages is already converted to rubles and already includes delivery, so there is nothing to add at checkout. The 500 RUB city delivery fee and the express and time-window options on our site apply to Russian cities, not to Japan.

Japanese addresses are written from the largest unit to the smallest: postal code, prefecture, city or ward, district, block and building numbers, then the building name and room number. Copy the address exactly as the recipient writes it, including the building name and room number - Japanese apartment blocks often have similar names, and the room number is essential. Add the recipient's phone number with the +81 code.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$13

Bouquet of 3 white French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 red French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 pink roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Japanese flower etiquette: what to choose and what to avoid

In Japan, white and yellow chrysanthemums are strongly associated with funerals and the Obon season of remembering ancestors. They are beautiful flowers and an imperial symbol, but in a birthday or thank-you bouquet they look out of place. The same applies to arrangements that are entirely white: unless the occasion is sympathy, add colour.

Numbers matter too. Four (shi) sounds like the word for death and nine (ku) like the word for suffering, so avoid bouquets of four or nine stems. Unlike in Russia, even numbers are not a problem in themselves - what matters is avoiding those two. Red camellias are another flower to skip for someone who is unwell: the whole head drops at once, which some people read as a bad omen.

Safe and well-loved choices are roses in soft pink, peach or red, lisianthus (very popular in Japan), carnations, gerberas, sunflowers in summer and seasonal mixes in pastel tones. Japanese recipients tend to appreciate a neat, balanced arrangement with visible greenery and space between the flowers rather than a dense, oversized bouquet.

Occasions and the best timing

Mother's Day in Japan falls on the second Sunday of May, and red or pink carnations are the traditional gift. Respect for the Aged Day, on the third Monday of September, is a good moment to send flowers to grandparents. Valentine's Day works differently: on 14 February women traditionally give chocolate, and men return the gesture on White Day, 14 March - flowers fit beautifully on either date.

Spring is cherry blossom season and autumn brings maple colours, and many people enjoy a bouquet that echoes the season: soft pink in late March and April, warm orange and burgundy in October and November. Birthdays, weddings, a new job or a shop opening are all occasions where flowers are welcome.

Mind the clock: Japan is six hours ahead of Moscow. When it is 9 a.m. in Moscow, it is already 3 p.m. in Tokyo. Choose the delivery date by the recipient's calendar, and if the bouquet is for a specific evening, order a day or two in advance rather than on the day.

Sending flowers to a hospital, an office or a home

For someone in hospital, avoid potted plants: in Japanese, a plant that 'takes root' (netsuku) suggests a long stay, so many people consider it bad luck. Cut flowers with a gentle scent are better, but check first whether the ward accepts flowers at all - some hospitals do not.

Office deliveries are common in Japan, especially for a promotion, a farewell or a business opening. Give the company name, department and floor, and mention it in the card if the bouquet is from a team. For a home delivery, make sure someone will be in: Japanese apartment buildings often have locked entrances, and the recipient's phone number helps the courier get the flowers to the door.

For the card, keep the text short and polite. If the recipient reads Japanese only, a simple message in English is usually understood, but you can also write it in Japanese if you know the phrase you need: 'O-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu' for a birthday, 'Itsumo arigatou' for an everyday thank you.

Helping the bouquet last in a Japanese home

Japanese summers are hot and very humid, and many apartments run air conditioning all day. Cool, dry air from a unit blowing straight onto flowers dries the petals quickly, so suggest the recipient keeps the vase out of the airflow and away from a sunny window. In winter, homes are often heated with floor heaters or space heaters; a bouquet placed beside one fades within days.

The basic care is the same everywhere: recut the stems by one or two centimetres at an angle, use a clean vase with fresh cool water, strip any leaves below the waterline and change the water every two days. Many Japanese households know these steps well, since flower arranging is taught widely, but a short line on the card such as 'fresh water every two days' is a kind touch.

With that care, roses and lisianthus usually stay attractive for a week or more, and carnations often last close to two weeks - one more reason they are such a popular gift in Japan. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.