Roses from Yunnan thrive in Japanese market

Renowned for their size and fragrance, roses from southwest China's Yunnan Province have become a sensation in Japan, attracting competitive bidding in its largest wholesale flower market, the Ota Market in Tokyo.

Each week, the market has two or three imports of these Chinese roses, with shipments now often exceeding 10,000 stems, catering to an increasingly appreciative consumer base.

"These roses from Yunnan can grow such big in just one year. They are noticeably larger than Japanese varieties, which is one of their distinctive features," said Jun Shishido, a manager at a floral wholesale company.

At the Ota Market, the auction for Yunnan roses is dynamic, with one purchase done in nearly every five seconds after an offer is started. Following the auction, secondary wholesalers will quickly distribute the flowers to various flower shops across Tokyo.

"Our export volume has increased bit by bit. We started with 8,000 stems a day at the beginning. Today, we delivered 15,000, and last Friday we even delivered 30,000. Starting December, they require 90,000 stems daily," said Wang Zhenhua, a Chinese floral trader.

A flower shop in Tokyo, operating for over 60 years, began selling Yunnan roses this year. One stem of the fresh roses, which are shipped from Yunnan to Tokyo within 24 hours after they are picked, sell in the shop for 400 yen (about 2.6 U.S. dollars).

"These roses are very pretty. I believe this type of rose is perfect to express one's emotions and ideas," said a Japanese buyer.

Other flowers that roses from China, such as calla lilies and carnations, are also winning more and more Japanese consumers with their high quality and cost-effectiveness. Data show that from January to September this year, Japan imported 237 million fresh cut flowers from China, ranking the first in the source of imported flowers.

Roses from Yunnan thrive in Japanese market

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to protest against the government saying that it used the sense of emergency over the past six weeks after the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran to move forward with its own bitterly-contested internal agenda.

Some of the restrictions for the demonstration were lifted earlier in the week after a ceasefire was announced between the United States and Iran.

"This is a terrible government, for the last three years working against its citizens all the time. We are protesting against the judicial reform that the government is imposing, anti-democratic moves, not to recruiting the orthodox people to the military," said Benny, a protester.

The resumption of the long-running corruption trial involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the debate over a controversial draft law, the even more controversial judiciary overhaul, none of them has gone anywhere.

With no imminent danger of missiles from Iran, at least for the short term, demonstrators here feel it is time to raise their voices.

"Everything has been turned so politically that instead of the country binding together, we just separate more and more. Plus in the background, the Netanyahu government is passing all sorts of non-democratic laws that only make the situation work," said Nancy, another protester.

The war may have taken a pause when it comes to central Israel but restrictions still apply.

Gatherings are allowed for up to 1,000 people although the police were told not to disperse the crowd even if numbers are bigger.

"I am not looking here to fight with the police. I hope they are not looking to fight with us and I believe that it will be a peaceful event," said Benny.

Israelis protest against gov't in Tel Aviv