Magician of Greenery: The Globally Renowned Garden Designer Bringing Flowers and Greenery to Cities

Praise from Queen Elizabeth II

Born in Nagasaki, in southern Japan, Ishihara was influenced by his father, a flower farmer, and joined the Ikenobo school of flower arrangement when he was 22 years old, falling in love with flowers and greenery. Eventually, he began working as a self-taught gardener. In 2004, he participated in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time, as he had long aspired to, and won a silver-gilt medal. Two years later, he won a gold medal. Since then, he has become a regular winner of gold medals, and his name has gained international recognition.

Particularly memorable to Ishihara was meeting Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. She was the Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which organizes the show.

Ishihara says, "The Queen looked at my work and said with a smile, 'You are a Magician of Greenery.' I was stunned. To not only meet her for the first time but also be given such praise was a great honor. My work that year was inspired by satoyama, the area of land at the foot of mountains where people and nature co-exist. It is the kind of nostalgic landscape found in my hometown of Nagasaki. The work featured pillars and walls covered with moss, and the Queen studied them up close and asked in detail about the species of plants I used. You could tell that she really loved flowers and greenery."

The Queen's high praise was featured in the media around the world, and ever since, Ishihara became known as the Magician of Greenery. After the Queen's passing, King Charles III inherited her will and became the next Patron of the RHS. He, too, visited Ishihara's garden and said, "You are a meister of gardening."

Economic Ripple Effects Produced by Flowers and Greenery

Gardens designed by Ishihara can be found in various parts of Tokyo. One such example is the area around the statue of Hachiko, a popular meeting place in Shibuya. The space is designed with the aesthetics of a Japanese garden.

Ishihara says, "Some 500,000 people are said to pass by the Hachiko statue every day, and many are foreign visitors. I hoped the pine bonsai and stone lantern allow them to fully immerse themselves in the Japanese experience."

Another famous work by Ishihara is the garden space that spreads out beyond the lobby of The Westin Tokyo in Ebisu, which he designed when the hotel was renovated.

"The area used to be a swimming pool," Ishihara explains. "I circulated regular water and, drawing inspiration from valleys, planted around 50 species of plants all around and along the walls as well. Visitors can enjoy tulips and other colorful flowers in the spring, water lilies and crape myrtles in the summer, fall colors and the fragrance of herbs in the autumn, and Japanese camellia and sasanqua camellia flowers in the winter. The many plants attract many insects and birds too. You can see fireflies in the summer, as well as ladybugs and small birds known as the Japanese tit. That area alone becomes a whole ecosystem, and there are even owls living there now."

A characteristic unique to Ishihara's garden designing is that they are not one-and-done projects. Instead, he tends the gardens periodically and changes the trees and plants according to the four seasons. At present, he is planning to plant as many new cherry blossom trees as he can in the hotel's garden so that they can greet the spring with full blooms.

Ishihara says, "The garden can be viewed from the café and guestrooms. The café will also offer dishes and desserts inspired by the seasonal flowers. Such attractions will then draw more guests to stay at the hotel. In other words, planting flowers and adding greenery in cities is not only good for the environment but also generates positive economic effects."

Collaboration of Flowers, Greenery, and Music

Last year, Ishihara began a new endeavor. Many luxury hotels display enormous flower arrangements in their lobbies, and these usually take two or three hours to create. However, Ishihara used to hold events where he would create them in front of gathered guests in just 20 minutes or so. His new endeavor is to collaborate with music so that guests can enjoy such a performance with both their eyes and ears.

Ishihara chose Terashita Mariko, a violinist, as his collaborative partner. On a Stradivarius, the greatest of violins, she plays classical masterpieces such as "Salut D'Amour" by Edward Elgar, "Air on the G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach, and "Csárdás" by Vittorio Monti. Being able to watch the skills of the Magician of Greenery up close as he gradually creates a flower arrangement, all while listening to the beautiful notes of the violin is a moment of pure bliss and enjoyment. The first such collaboration was held at The Westin Tokyo in September 2024, at an event commemorating the hotel's 30th anniversary. Ishihara and Terashita plan to hold similar performances across Japan this year as well.

"In Europe," says Ishihara, "you can often find people sitting at cafés near parks, immersed in music as they enjoy the flowers and greenery. If we can create the same sort of mood in Japan too, not only in Tokyo but also in other regions, I'm sure more people would come together, including visitors from overseas. Artists and musicians will then have more opportunities to shine, and I believe it will all result in a positive economic outcome."

Ishihara is currently engaged in another big project that he is very passionate about.

He says, "2025 marks the 80th year since the end of World War II; in other words, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Last year, I covered the rooftop of a commercial building adjacent to Nagasaki Station, in my hometown, with greenery. This year, I accepted another similar project to add greenery to Hiroshima Station, which is currently undergoing major renovations. By filling the entrances to Nagasaki and Hiroshima with flowers and greenery, I want to promote our desire for peace to the world. Flowers and greenery can heal people's hearts and make them kind. I think that, right there, is the first step toward peace."

Ishihara also plans to participate in this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which will be held in May. What sort of garden will he design to captivate the world this time?

Ishihara Kazuyuki

Ishihara was born in Nagasaki in 1958. He is a garden designer and also works on landscape designing and scenery production. He is the Representative of Kazuyuki Ishihara Design Laboratory. He has been appointed the Green Ambassador in 13 cities across Japan. He was invited to the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 (Expo 2019 Beijing) as a designer. Many of his works can be found across Japan, such as a recreation of his work Flower Paradise, which won an award in England, in the Terminal 1 Building of Tokyo International Airport (Haneda).

Operating on the concept that envisions green urban development for the next 100 years, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is pushing initiatives to protect, cultivate, and utilize Tokyo's greenery.
Through the efforts of both individual citizens and various entities, the aim is to transform Tokyo into a sustainable city that exists in harmony with nature.

TOKYO GREEN BIZ - Green Urban Development -TMG