It is such a wonderful place to go, early, early in the morning, when it is still very full of fresh, beautiful selections… when all of the flower shop owners are there shopping, picking out the flowers for their shops for that day.

I feel so special being able to go there with my friend Alice, who is an artist, and has a special pass to get in and buy flowers at the vendor rates. She has special relationships with many of the vendors and it is fun to watch them interact. The come from near and far… and I can only imagine how early they rise to get there each day to deliver the fresh and vibrant flowers and goods, considering how early we get there!

I also love going there over the course of the different seasons… seeing how the offerings change, and feeling the creativity of choosing how to work with what is there when you get there. Alice is an ikebana artist (among other things) so working with what is there is an important element of what she does. http://www.ikebanaflower.com/html/school.html
I do a little bit of ikebana in the sogetsu school as well. But need a lot more training if I want to continue.