Maximizing hospitality is take care of everything which means a person who cannot take care of flowers is not suitable

Customers to our store have always liked the colorful flowers that we have placed in the floor aisles and stairways, regardless of the era. And, it goes without saying, we have only used fresh flowers and never artificial flowers. The reason for this is related to the following words left us by the company founder, Takeo Kosaka: “A person who can’t take care of flowers can’t take proper care of customers.”

When the buds of fresh flowers bloom over time, they display vivid colors and fill the air with rich fragrances. They have the beauty and appeal of nature that artificial flowers and fragrances can’t express. However, they don’t last forever. A certain amount of effort is required to inspect the flowers and take care of them on a daily basis. But we want to greet our customers with real flowers. The founder’s feelings on this matter have been passed down to us very clearly.

There is another reason we decorate the store with fresh flowers—to express a sense of the season. Our modern lifestyles offer far fewer opportunities to notice the differences between the seasons than in the past. Fresh food is available to us year-round, regardless of the season. As a result, we have fewer chances to feel and enjoy the change of the seasons. Like food, flowers have their respective seasons. Flowers of the season are that much more beautiful because they only bloom at that time. The flowers we decorate the store with are chosen from the most beautiful blossoms of that season, and are changed to match each season. We want our customers to enjoy the change in the seasons, and it is this sentiment that has led us to provide fresh flowers since the company’s founding.

Recently, we have held a biannual flower fair. In the autumn of 2005, we decorated the store with cosmos flowers, filling the store with vivid pink. About 30,000 cosmos flowers were placed throughout the store, from the entrance to the stairways and aisles, creating a magnificent sight. The Japanese name for cosmos is akizakura (“autumn cherry blossom”). At the planning stage, we considered decorating the store with scarlet-tinged autumn leaves, but cosmos flowers were chosen in the end because we wanted to stick with a bright, gorgeous look.

When customers visit Ginza Komatsu, in addition to gaining satisfaction from finding good products, we want them to enjoy the process of getting to that point. That’s the sentiment behind our fresh flowers. We have come up with various ways to show the same kind of consideration, apart from fresh flower decorations, in many parts of the new building now under construction. It is our earnest wish that everyone has a truly meaningful experience when the store opens. And, of course, keep an eye out for the magnificent fresh flowers that will decorate the store after the renewal, as well.