Flowers placed in a hotel lobby become the first view of a stay. This summer, Lake Biwa Hotel chose not florals brought from far away, but anthuriums grown in Higashiomi in the same prefecture. The display runs August 3–31. ANTHICAL, the grower, and Chikiriya Garden, which shapes flowers for space, create a month of color at the lakeside hotel.
One Flower, More Than a Hundred Expressions
Anthurium may call to mind a vivid red heart shape, but its colors, sizes, and lines vary widely. ANTHICAL’s official site says cultivation has continued for more than 40 years from its predecessor, Koto Flower, and that it handles more than 100 varieties: white, pale pink, deep burgundy, and green, with narrow or strongly rounded spathes. Together they reveal the formal range within one plant.
The colored part that resembles a flower is the spathe; tiny flowers cluster on the rodlike spadix rising from its center. The glossy surface brightens in light, while a side view emphasizes its thin edge. By varying stem length and spathe angle, the plant can draw lines strong enough for a large lobby without crowding together large blooms.
The project is more than a tropical decoration for a summer hotel. Naming where the flowers were grown and presenting grower and floral designer together makes visible the work that brings them to the lobby. A flower joins landmarks and food as an entrance to understanding a place.
Grown in Higashiomi, Shown by the Lake
ANTHICAL grows and sells anthuriums at a farm in Higashiomi, carrying forward Koto Flower’s long cultivation experience while developing new ways to bring flowers into daily life. Lake Biwa Hotel has highlighted local flowers since 2022, presenting roses each May. This display extends that work to midsummer anthuriums.
Having production and display within one prefecture means more than a shorter journey. Flowers grown east of the lake stand in a hotel overlooking it, letting guests see Shiga at another scale: the broad water outside and small reflections on the spathes before them connect in one stay.
Chikiriya Garden’s role is equally important. Flowers shown at a farm need different height and space in a high-ceilinged, busy hotel. Rather than arranging many varieties like an encyclopedia, it reads stem lines, intervals of color, and the viewer’s pace, translating them into the room. Through that editing, the grower’s time becomes a visitor’s experience.
See the Color of the Spathes in August Light
The display is in the main lobby on the second floor of Lake Biwa Hotel. Published photographs are concept images; see the actual composition on site. Look beyond red to white and green spathes, the central inflorescences, and each stem’s direction. Gloss and shape change from front to side, so a short walk reveals another outline in the same arrangement.
Anthuriums are enjoyed as cut flowers and potted plants. If the display inspires one for home, first decide which. For cut stems, use a clean vase and water; for a potted plant, provide bright light away from harsh direct sun and monitor temperature and drying medium. Hotel display and home care differ, so ask the seller about the variety and your conditions.
Anthuriums contain irritating calcium oxalate crystals. Do not eat them; keep them where children and animals cannot touch or chew them, and wash hands after care. Welcoming beautiful spathes into a home also means designing a safe distance.
Taking Flowers Home as a Memory of Place
The free display continues through August 31. If not staying or dining, follow hotel guidance on viewing and on use during busy periods. Do not assume the concept image is the final form; seeing the flowers’ condition and arrangement that day is part of the pleasure. A live display changes gradually across a month.
Remembering a flower from a journey creates another route back to the place. Lake color, hotel windows, anthuriums in the lobby: knowing one bloom grew in Higashiomi draws a new line between farm and shore on the map of Shiga. See flowers not as ornament for a place, but as carriers of a grower’s time. The August lobby offers that entrance to travel.
- Dates: August 3–31, 2026
- Location: Main lobby, second floor, Lake Biwa Hotel
- Address: 2-40 Hamamachi, Otsu, Shiga Prefecture
- With support from: ANTHICAL and Chikiriya Garden
- Viewing: Free
