Sending Flowers to Japan from the USA: What to Know Before You Order

You can send flowers to Japan from the USA by ordering online for delivery inside Japan: choose a bouquet on the page for Japan, enter the recipient's address and your card text, and pay - the bouquet is delivered in Japan rather than shipped across the Pacific. Turboflora delivers to 22 Japanese cities, for example Asahikawa, Chitose, Ebetsu, Eniwa, Hiroshima, Ishikari, Iwamizawa and Kamakura, and the price shown already includes delivery.

Japan is a country where flowers are given with real care, and small details - the colour, the number of stems, the kind of flower, the moment of delivery - are noticed. This guide covers the etiquette a florist would want you to know, how to handle the 13-14 hour time difference, and how to fill in a Japanese address so the bouquet arrives on the first attempt.

Ordering flowers to Japan step by step

Open our Flower delivery to Japan page and check that the recipient's city is on the list - we currently deliver to 22 cities in Japan. The page is in Russian, but the bouquet photos speak for themselves, and the country and city names are easy to follow. Pick a bouquet, enter the address and recipient's phone number, write your card message and pay online.

The price is already converted to rubles and already includes delivery, so what you see is what you pay. Payment on the site is by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. If you would like help - for instance, choosing a bouquet that suits a Japanese occasion or checking how the address should be written - message a manager on WhatsApp before you place the order. You can also ask for a photo of the bouquet before delivery.

Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. If you want the recipient to know the flowers are from you, sign the card, which is included free.

Japanese flower etiquette: what to choose and what to avoid

The most important rule: avoid white chrysanthemums, and be careful with white lilies and all-white arrangements. In Japan white and yellow chrysanthemums are funeral flowers, used on altars and graves. The imperial crest is a chrysanthemum too, so the flower is respected - but not as a cheerful gift. Lotus is also tied to Buddhist rites and is best left out.

Numbers matter. Four (shi) sounds like the word for death and nine (ku) like the word for suffering, so a bouquet of four or nine stems is avoided. Odd numbers such as three, five or seven feel balanced and auspicious. A mixed bouquet with many different flowers removes any worry about counting.

For hospital visits, never send potted plants: the Japanese word for 'taking root' (netsuku) sounds like 'staying in bed', suggesting the illness will last. Camellias, whose heads fall off whole, and strongly scented flowers are also poor choices for someone unwell. Bright, light bouquets of roses, gerberas, sweet peas or tulips are always welcome.

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

Occasions when flowers are given in Japan

Birthdays, graduations and promotions are all good moments for flowers, as are retirements - a large bouquet handed over on the last working day is a familiar sight in Japanese offices. Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday of May, as in the USA, and red or pink carnations are the classic gift; this makes it one of the easiest dates to time from America.

Respect for the Aged Day, the third Monday of September, is a lovely occasion to send flowers to grandparents. Valentine's Day works differently in Japan: on 14 February women traditionally give gifts to men, and on White Day, 14 March, men reply. Christmas Eve is a romantic evening for couples rather than a family holiday, so a bouquet on 24 December reads as a love note.

For condolences, Japanese practice is quite formal and usually involves white flowers sent to the funeral or home altar. If you are sending sympathy flowers, describe the situation in your message to the manager so the bouquet is restrained and appropriate.

Time difference and choosing the delivery day

Japan Standard Time is 13 hours ahead of New York during US daylight saving time and 14 hours ahead in winter; for Los Angeles the gap is 16 or 17 hours. Japan does not change its clocks. In practice this means that when it is Monday evening on the East Coast, it is already Tuesday morning in Japan - so if you want flowers on a birthday, place the order with the Japanese date in mind, not the American one.

Order a few days ahead for important dates, especially around Mother's Day and the end of the school and financial year in March, when graduations and farewells keep florists busy. Remember that many Japanese homes are empty during the working day; an evening or weekend delivery to a home address is often more reliable than a weekday morning.

If you are planning a bouquet for someone in Russia as well - many of our customers in America have family in both countries - our article How to Send Flowers to Your Girlfriend in Russia From the USA explains timing for Russian cities, where express delivery in 1-2 hours and fixed time windows are available.

Helping the bouquet last in a Japanese home

Japanese apartments are often compact and, in summer, hot and humid, which shortens the life of cut flowers. A short care note in your card helps: trim the stems at an angle by a centimetre or two, use a clean vase with cool water, and keep the flowers away from air-conditioner vents, direct sun and the kitchen fruit bowl, since ripening fruit releases ethylene that makes petals drop sooner.

Changing the water every day or two and re-cutting the stems each time can add several days to a bouquet. Leaves below the waterline should come off, because they rot quickly in warm weather. If your recipient enjoys ikebana, a mixed bouquet is a gift that keeps giving: as the larger blooms fade, the remaining stems can be rearranged into a small, minimalist arrangement in a single vase. Browse the Bouquets catalogue to see which flowers are currently on offer.

Writing a Japanese address and card message

Japanese addresses run from the largest unit to the smallest: postal code (seven digits, written as 123-4567), prefecture, city, ward or town, district, then block numbers in the form chome-ban-go, for example 2-14-3, and finally the building name and room number. Copy the address exactly as your recipient gave it to you, including the building name, since many streets in Japan have no names and couriers navigate by blocks.

Include the recipient's full name and phone number. A phone number lets the courier contact the recipient if the building is hard to find, and it is the single most useful detail you can add to any order abroad.

For the card, keep it short and sincere. If you know a little Japanese, a simple line such as 'Otanjoubi omedetou' (happy birthday) or 'Arigatou' (thank you) shows effort. Otherwise write in clear, simple English. Avoid red ink if you are adding a handwritten note later - in Japan names in red are associated with death. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.