Le Vesuve, a flower shop located halfway between Omotesando, Shibuya, and Hiroo stations, has been in business here for 19 years. Tucked away in a back alley off Roppongi Street, it's a "flower shop known only to those in the know."

Lush greenery covers the building's exterior, and an abundance of potted plants line the entrance. Step inside, and you'll find a vibrant array of flowers in red, yellow, pink, and purple, resembling a bouquet. At the back, there's even a romantic room filled with pure white flowers.

For this interview, they prepared a flower arrangement (5,000 yen) featuring an abundance of seasonal flowers, centered around white roses, clematis, and orange peonies. The gentle gradation in the terracotta pot and the strands of paper raffia create a natural yet somehow Parisian feel. You can directly feel the lively, natural energy and spring spirit.

"I believe flowers have an emotional effect of conveying the changing seasons. I want even busy people to look at flowers and feel the changing of the seasons moment by moment, enriching their spirits," says representative Tatsumori Matsuoka.

Le Besbe offers a variety of flowers for all aspects of life, including bouquets and arrangements using seasonal flowers, decorations for weddings, parties, and events, and flower arrangements for restaurants and shops. In addition to customers who visit the store, they also accept orders by phone and fax, and apparently receive requests from all over the country. "The key is to create a relationship between the person placing the order and their feelings," says Matsuoka. He says he wants to be a florist that "conveys the sender's feelings" by imagining the recipient, the occasion, and the story behind it.

"For example, it would be nice if a father stopped by a flower shop on his way home from work and bought just one flower for his child. If it became commonplace to give flowers to express one's feelings even on non-special occasions, I think we would be able to find more of the true essence of richness in life," says Matsuoka with a smile, in an impressive way.

[Shop information]
Le Vesuve
7-9-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5469-5438
Fax: 03-5469-5439
Opening hours: 11:00 to 18:00
Closed: Every Tuesday