Third-generation orchid farmer Munekazu Eriji has watched the fate of the flowers rise and fall, echoing Japan's economy over the years. Now, like many of the nation's business owners, he is looking for a successor who will take over his orchid empire. But it's not easy — the plants are a difficult business. "I was hoping my son would take over — he was working here, but he quit. So that's my big headache now," Eriji, who is also president of the Japan Orchid Growers Association, says.
Summer at his Chiba Prefecture farm, as in the rest of the country, is also getting hotter and longer, which has potentially devastating consequences. "We had a pretty hard time growing some kinds of orchids this year ... we lost some plants that couldn't take (it)," he says.
Even under perfect conditions, it can be a slow, challenging process to grow orchids, but Eriji, who creates new hybrids, enjoys his work and is clearly a patient man. Pollinating two flowers into a seed takes a year, but it's a seven- or eight-year process before plants reach maturity. Still, he says being able to delight people with the finished plant makes the process worthwhile.
Orchids are a mysterious plant and have long enraptured and enticed hobbyists and scientists. Hunting out their varied forms — an estimated 31,000 species — has even turned some into thieves. For those who love them, they can quickly become an obsession.
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