How to Send Flowers to Japan from the USA
You can send flowers to Japan from the USA through Pyat Tsvetov: we deliver to 22 Japanese cities, including Hiroshima, Kamakura, Asahikawa, Chitose and Ebetsu. Choose a bouquet on the Japan delivery page, enter the address and the card text, and pay online with a US bank card; the price is shown in rubles and already includes delivery.
We have run flower shops in Saint Petersburg since 2011, and a surprising share of our customers live in one country and send flowers to another. The questions they ask are almost always the same: which cities are covered, which card works, how to write a Japanese address and which flowers are safe to give. This article answers each of them in order.
Which Japanese cities we deliver to
The first thing customers ask is whether we cover Tokyo or Osaka. Our Japan list currently has 22 cities, and many of them are in Hokkaido: Asahikawa, Chitose, Ebetsu, Eniwa, Ishikari and Iwamizawa. Further south the list includes Hiroshima and Kamakura, the old seaside capital near Yokohama. Check the full list before you promise anything to the recipient.
All countries and cities we deliver to are collected on the Flower delivery abroad page. That page is in Russian, but the country names are clear and the Japan page opens with the bouquets available there. If the recipient's city is not listed, do not try to route the order through a nearby town without asking, because the address has to belong to a city we serve.
Hokkaido deserves a separate note. Winters there are long and snowy from December to March, and people in Asahikawa or Iwamizawa spend most of the cold season indoors. A bright bouquet in February is noticed far more than the same flowers in June, so northern Japan is a good place to send flowers out of season.
Paying from the USA and how the price works
Foreign bank cards are accepted on our site, and the payment goes through Robokassa. That means a regular Visa or Mastercard issued in the United States works, and you do not need a Russian card or a relative in Russia to pay for you. Russian cards, SBP and Yandex Pay are also available for those who have them.
The price on the Japan page is already converted to rubles and already includes delivery. There is no separate courier charge added at checkout, and the 500 RUB delivery fee you may see elsewhere on our site applies to Russian cities only. Your US bank will convert the ruble amount to dollars at its own rate, so the final figure on your statement may differ slightly from your own estimate.
The order is placed in the same way as an order within Russia: choose the bouquet, fill in the recipient's details, write the card text and pay. If something is unclear before you pay, call us at 8 (812) 507-67-05; from the USA dial +7 812 507-67-05.
Bouquets we can deliver
Writing a Japanese address correctly
Japanese addresses run from the largest unit to the smallest: postal code, prefecture, city, ward or district, then a block number made of chome, banchi and go, written like 2-14-7. The postal code has seven digits in the form 123-4567. Writing the address in Latin letters is fine, but copy the numbers exactly as the recipient gives them, because many streets in Japan have no names at all.
Ask the recipient for the building name and room number if they live in an apartment block, which most people in Japanese cities do. Names such as Sunny Heights 302 are part of the address, not decoration. Without them a courier can stand in front of a building with fifty identical mailboxes.
Add the recipient's phone number in international format, starting with +81. The time difference matters when you want the flowers to arrive on a specific morning: Japan is 13 to 14 hours ahead of New York and 16 to 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, depending on daylight saving time in the USA. Japan does not change its clocks, so plan by the recipient's calendar date.
Flowers that suit Japanese etiquette
Customers sending to Japanese friends or in-laws usually ask what to avoid, and the list is short but important. White chrysanthemums are funeral flowers in Japan and should never go into a birthday or thank-you bouquet. Red spider lilies are linked with death and cemeteries. Camellias are best left out for elderly or sick recipients, because the flower drops its whole head at once.
Potted plants are a poor choice for someone in hospital: the expression for putting down roots sounds like being bedridden for a long time. Numbers matter too. Four sounds like the word for death and nine like the word for suffering, so avoid bouquets of 4 or 9 stems. Beyond that, roses, lilies, tulips, gerberas and mixed seasonal bouquets are all welcome.
Japanese taste values restraint and season. A bouquet in two or three soft colours often looks more elegant than a dense rainbow mix. In spring, pink tones echo the cherry blossom season; in autumn, warm orange and burgundy match the maple leaves. Presentation counts, so a neatly wrapped bouquet with a handwritten-style card is received as a sign of real effort.
Dates when flowers are expected
Mother's Day in Japan falls on the second Sunday of May, as in the USA, and carnations are the traditional flower, red ones above all. Respect for the Aged Day on the third Monday of September is a good moment to send flowers to grandparents. White Day on 14 March is when men return Valentine's gifts, and a bouquet is a common way to do it.
Birthdays, weddings, graduations in March and new jobs in April are all occasions for flowers. Spring is the season of new beginnings in Japan, because the school and business year starts in April, so a congratulations bouquet that month is very much in tune with local custom. For condolences, keep to white and pale green, but check with the family first, since funeral customs differ by region and religion.
For any of these dates, order a few days early. Choosing a bouquet calmly is easier than racing the time difference the night before, and the card text deserves a second read before you pay.
If you also send flowers to Russia
Many of our customers in the USA have relatives in both Japan and Russia, so it helps to know how orders to Russia work. Choose a bouquet in the Bouquets catalogue and pay online, including with a foreign card. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In large cities we deliver express, 1 to 2 hours after the order is confirmed, at an exact time, in a time window or on a date up to 30 days ahead.
In Saint Petersburg, where our three own shops are, delivery is around the clock. Delivery is anonymous by default, so the courier does not name the sender, and the card with your text is free. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, and if nobody is home we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay with an American credit card?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted on our site, and the payment goes through Robokassa. The price is shown in rubles and your bank converts it.
Does the price include delivery to Japan?
Yes. The bouquet price on the Japan page is already converted to rubles and already includes delivery, so nothing is added at checkout.
Do you deliver to Tokyo?
Our Japan list currently has 22 cities, including Hiroshima, Kamakura and several cities in Hokkaido. Check the Japan page for the current list before ordering.
Which flowers should I avoid sending to Japan?
Avoid white chrysanthemums and red spider lilies, which are linked with funerals, and bouquets of 4 or 9 stems. Do not send potted plants to someone in hospital.
How can I ask a question before ordering?
Call us at 8 (812) 507-67-05, or +7 812 507-67-05 from abroad. It is the quickest way to clear up any question about the order.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
Choose a city →