Looking for houseplants? These nurseries and plant shops sell beautiful flowers, succulents, pot plants and more

If there’s a downside to living in Tokyo, it’s that you don’t get much green space to yourself. City parks are always popular, whether it's time to enjoy the cherry blossoms or watch the autumn leaves turn, and having your own backyard is a luxury. But spending more time at home lately has taught us that even the tiniest apartment can get a bit greener with a houseplant or two.

No matter what you’re looking for – a few flowers in a vase, some succulents to decorate your living room, or a set of pot plants to create a mini garden on your balcony – Tokyo’s plant shops and nurseries have got you covered. And don’t worry if you don’t have a green thumb; there are even plants that can look after themselves.

Here’s a list of the best plant shops in Tokyo to get you started.

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Solso Park is operated by Solso, which supplies greenery to decorate interiors, buildings, rooftops and public gardens. This shop inside Share Green Minami Aoyama near Roppongi is the company’s only public outlet. The store looks like a giant warehouse filled with plants sourced from Solso’s own farms in Awaji, Okinawa and Hachijojima. 

The front of the store is stocked with smaller plants like succulents and cacti, but if you head inside you’ll find much bigger trees, ferns and other plants. With the range of tropical greenery packed from one side of the room to the other, you’ll feel like you’ve just stepped into a rainforest.

The Plant Society was started in Melbourne by two plant enthusiasts who wanted to bring more green to the city. This nursery on the top floor of Tokyobike Tokyo in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa is the company’s first overseas outlet, and although this Japan flagship store isn’t as big as the one in Australia, you’ll still find a range of unique and interesting houseplants here. We love the medium-sized succulent euphorbia lactea and the South American watermelon peperomia. 

The brand is also known for its chic planters and pots created by Australian ceramic artists. If you’re new to purchasing plants, you can try out the personal plant styling service with the Melbourne team via Zoom – they’ll help you find the ideal greenery to suit your decor.

This quaint plant store in Nakameguro is located on the shotengai (shopping street), alongside many old-school shops. It sells around 100 different types of indoor plants, ranging from little pot plants perfect for propping on your windowsill, to low-maintenance hanging plants, and 1-metre-tall tropical monstera plants.

You’ll even find a selection of minimalist ceramic pots and other gardening equipment like glass watering cans designed to match with any interior.

Hana Ichiba may look like your average flower shop from the outside, but locals come here to stock up on freshly picked flowers at a reasonable cost. It’s always got a colourful variety of blooms including tulips, roses, cosmos, sunflowers, poppies and more. You can pick out your own selection of flowers, or ask one of the florists to make an arrangement for you.  Who says you need a special occasion to decorate your room with a beautiful bouquet?

Browse through the selection of potted plants outside to find the best deals – you can get a pansy for as low as ¥150, a baby-pink cyclamen for ¥500, and an olive tree for ¥1,500. And make sure to keep an eye on the website for any sales where items are usually up for grabs at 20 to 50 percent off.

Want to deck your apartment with greenery but want something that’s lower maintenance? Head to Kakusen-en for cacti and succulents that don’t require as much attention as other potted plants. This nursery specialises in dry-climate plants and has been on the rooftop of Seibu Ikebukuro since 1977. But don't worry, this is no lifeless desert – you’ll be surprised by the variety offered here. 

There’s every type of cactus and succulent you can imagine, all lined up in rows that make them a little tricky to tell apart at first. However, when you look up close, you'll see each one is unique with its own pattern, shape and shade of green. The plants offered here are imported from countries including South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Peru, so you’ll come across many rare varieties that you won’t find elsewhere in the city.

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