Japanese Translation Agency Arc Communications – Blog

Hello again, Naho here. Do you know anyone who overthinks everything? - Well, I'm exactly like that.

Today, I would like to talk about a flower that I've always liked, and that happens to be Poland's floral emblem, the pansy.

Pansies often feature some black blotches in the centre of the flower. If you stare at it from a certain distance, the black blotches may start to look like a person's forehead and chin, and some even say that they can see a person's face from the flower.

Hello again, Naho here. When autumn comes, my circulation usually gets poorer.

Compared to my sensitivity to cold weather, Sweden's floral emblem lily of the valley is extremely hardy, to which the cutting wind of winter is nothing but a gentle breeze. Today I would like to write about Sweden and its national flower, the lily of the valley, a "tough" flower despite its innocent and fragile looks.

The lily of the valley is a flower that's familiar to Japanese people. However, the variation found in Japan is relatively smaller compared to the species native to Europe, which also tends to have a stronger fragrance. Sweden's floral emblem is the latter, also called "doitsu suzuran" ("German bell orchid") in Japanese. As the name suggests, the plant features small bell-shaped white flowers blooming from the ends of its upright stems. Most of the little white blossoms are upside-down, looking like the definition of "innocent".

Lilies of the valley do not cope well with high temperature and humidity, so we need to keep them in a shady environment with good ventilation in the summer. If the leaves suffer damage from the heat, they might not be able to grow fully, thus affecting the flowering in the year to come. The blossoms naturally fall in late autumn, and it is recommended to take extra care of the leaves. That being said, the plant is extremely tolerant of cold, so there's no need to keep it warm in the winter.

Hello again, Naho here. Mid-summer is around the corner, and I simply can't wait to travel to the southern islands ! For me personally, the flower that has the most tropical feeling has to be the frangipani.

Frangipanis are known as one of the most commonly used flowers in making Hawaiian leis, but in fact, the flower of frangipani is also the floral emblem of Laos.

The floral emblem of Laos is the frangipani, which is also a pattern often seen in hair accessories, and such. Frangipanis are called "champa" in the Lao language, and a botanic garden located in a suburb of Vientiane (the capital city of Laos) is called the Champa Garden, where one can see plenty of frangipanis in bloom.

Although Laos' floral emblem is officially the variation that's white in color with a tinge of yellow in the middle, frangipanis actually grow in multiple colors such as red, yellow, pink, and even black.

Hello again, Naho here. I tend to read a lot more during summer, and recently I have been enjoying a book that includes a collection of quotes from Buddhism, whose words made me feel calm and relaxed.

As I read on, I learned that the lotus, Vietnam's national flower, is also considered an important symbol in Buddhism. Today I would like to write about the warm meanings Buddha has given the lotus, and some facts about Vietnam. Here we go!

It is said that the lotus was chosen to be Vietnam's floral emblem because it's highly appreciated among Buddhists, who comprise nearly 70% of the Vietnamese population. The lotus features large, pink petals and bears important messages in Buddhism. Not only is it often depicted as Buddha's seat, the flower also appears in many Buddhist legends as a key symbol.

Lotuses grow in muddy waters, and the thicker the mud, the larger the blossoms. The flower is also well-known for the fact that its beautiful petals are never stained despite the environment it grows in.

Hello again, Naho here. Recently I've been doing quite some tidying up around my room, and the desk area is now all cleared up, neat and lovely. Putting my favorite rose fragrance diffuser on the desk, the ultimate relaxing atmosphere is officially complete. I'd gladly get some work done in an office like this.

The rose has always been adored by the English. Today I would like to write about how this flower was made England's floral emblem, and some facts about gardening in the UK.

The story of the symbolic English Rose traces back to the Wars of the Roses, one of the most well-known series of wars in world history.

The wars were fought for control of the throne of England in the 15th century between the "white rose" (of the House of York) and the "red rose" (of the House of Lancaster). The final victory went to the House of Lancaster, thus the red rose was made a national symbol of England.