Arranging Fragrance Like Flowers
— The Original Fragrance Series by Ikebana Artist Mika Otani —
When arranging flowers, there is a moment I always notice.
Holding a branch in my hands and standing quietly before the flowers,
the scent of the forest and the gentle breath of blossoms begin to fill the air.
In that moment, something within the body settles.
It feels as though the quiet strength of the flowers enters you.
I began to wonder:
What if this feeling could exist in everyday life?
From that thought, a fragrance series was born.
As an ikebana artist, I arrange flowers.
But this time, I arranged something different—
fragrance.
The scent is built from three elements.
The deep presence of cypress,
the clear transparency of frankincense,
and the soft floral memory of hyacinth.
Together they create a fragrance that feels like breathing in a quiet forest,
where trees and flowers exist in natural harmony.
It is not simply a scent,
but a small ritual—
a moment to pause, breathe deeply, and return to yourself.
The bottle design also comes from my ikebana works.
Photographs of flowers and branches from past arrangements were carefully cut and layered together,
as if composing a new arrangement.
Placed in a room or bathroom,
the bottle becomes like a single flower set gently into space.
Later, the same fragrance was also created as a perfume.
With a single spray,
the atmosphere shifts—
like opening a window to a quiet forest.
A fragrance that softly accompanies the mind
and brings a sense of balance.
Arranging flowers changes the atmosphere of a space.
Even the smallest presence can shift the air,
slow the breath,
and bring stillness to the mind.
If this fragrance could become
something like placing a single flower in someone’s everyday life—
there would be no greater joy for me as an ikebana artist.
Product page:
https://ofbyfor.jp/collaboration-list/otani-mika/
