Kamakura: Ikebana — One Flower, One Encounter

ZENRISE designs slow, considered private experiences around Kamakura and its surrounding towns.

This private experience offers an intimate introduction to ikebana with working ikebana master Koen Yokoi, arranged for one to six guests in a quiet setting.

The Japanese phrase ichigo ichie — one time, one meeting — expresses the idea that each encounter is unique and can never be repeated in quite the same way.

The flowers you see, the arrangement created by the master, and the time shared together form a moment that exists only once. At the end of the experience, you can take your finished arrangement home as a keepsake of your time in Kamakura.

Koen Yokoi

Koen Yokoi was born into a family with three generations of connections to the performing and floral arts. Her grandfather was Kuro Hosho Shigehide, the 17th head of the Hosho School of Noh. Her father, Shigeru Yokoi, was a Noh stage director and choreographer, while both her grandmother and mother were ikebana artists of the Sogetsu school.

After graduating from Musashino Art University, she inherited the family's ikebana practice in 2000. Since 2001, she has designed floral installations for film sets, Noh stages, embassies, and public spaces in Japan and abroad.

Widely known for her cherry blossom installations, she also advocates for a more eco-conscious approach to ikebana.