《Re:think "Flowers I know," their unknown side》Vol. 3 A Journey to Discover Unknown Facets of Tulips — Visiting Tajiri Kaen in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture Part 1

The origin of tulips nurtured by the land of Fukaya

February 9, 2026.
It was the Monday after a weekend when a cold wave brought snow to the Kanto region. On a morning where patches of snow still remained, we visited Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture.

We spoke with Kuniko Murata, chairwoman of the JA Fukaya Tulip Association, and Shigeyuki Tajiri of Tajiri Kaen, who has been cultivating tulips in Fukaya City for generations.

As florists, we spend a lot of time with flowers, but it's not easy to learn about their growing environment or origins.
(If flowers could talk, we could ask them all sorts of things, but unfortunately, that's not the case...)

This was the second farm visit for our team, following the Hoshina Rose Garden.
Both roses and tulips are well-known flowers, but they have completely different characteristics.

During this farm visit, we learned a lot about the production of tulips, a landscape not usually seen or known to the public.

Fukaya tulips boast one of the highest shipment volumes in Japan

Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, is a major producer of cut tulips, ranking after Niigata and Toyama Prefectures.

Its history is old, and Ms. Murata told us that it already began in the Showa 30s (1955-1964).

Essential for tulip cultivation is "cold treatment."
The bulbs need to be chilled for a certain period. At first glance, it seems to require equipment and technology, making it not easy to start.

However, in Fukaya, tulip production surprisingly took root through a natural progression.

The reason lies in the industrial background of this land.

Technology connected by sericulture culture

Fukaya was once a thriving center for sericulture.
The technology to control temperature in refrigerators to hatch eggs several times a year already existed.

"I think because the producers already had knowledge of refrigeration, they were more receptive to the cold treatment for tulips,"

says Ms. Murata.

Fukaya was not a fertile land.
That's why sericulture developed.
And tulips were introduced as a "secondary crop" during the winter when mulberries couldn't grow.

The sericulture culture spread across northern Kanto during the Meiji and Taisho eras, in the time of Eiichi Shibusawa.
This flow led to the current tulip production area.

Behind flowers, such history is layered.
Fukaya tulips inherited the memories of the land and its industries.

The strengths of Fukaya tulips

"What are the unique strengths of Fukaya?"

This was the question I most wanted to ask.

The answer, as expected, was the environment.

Long hours of sunshine on the Pacific side.
Moderately dry climate.
And the rich water resources of the Fukaya area.

By growing in this blessed environment, tulips are said to become firm and have a robust texture.

Even with the same bulb, the appearance changes when the land changes.
I felt that flowers are like a mirror reflecting the environment in which they grew.

Tajiri Kaen, a treasure trove of unusual tulip varieties

Mr. Tajiri grows tulips in a greenhouse he inherited from his father.
Tulips have been a familiar part of his life since he was little.

Currently, everything is hydroponically cultivated.
The greenhouse houses about 57,000 plants of over 80 varieties.
This is said to be the highest number of varieties among the JA Fukaya Tulip Association members.

The sight of lush green tulips planted closely together was spectacular.

What was particularly impressive was the abundance of unusual bloom types.

Parrot, lily-flowered, fringed, and other bloom types that differ from the standard single and double varieties.
About half of the greenhouse is said to be dedicated to these unusual bloom types.

The balance of bulb purchases changes every year according to market demand.
Incidentally, most bulb purchases are completed during the season.

Pale-colored tulips often have delicate bulbs.
While pastel colors are a classic choice for spring in Japanese aesthetics, many delicate and weak varieties are no longer produced in their native country of Holland.

"The sense of color between Dutch and Japanese people is different, making purchasing difficult. Sometimes, what we thought would be a pale color turns out to be dark."

Purchasing based on limited information and predictions.
Behind this lies experience, foresight, and challenge.

This year's &YOUKAEN theme:
"The unknown side of the tulips you know."

This "unknown side" was shaped by a積み重ね of such choices.

How Fukaya's tulips grow and what future they envision.
We will delve deeper into this in Part 2.