Flower Shop & Café Employing Persons with Disabilities Opens in Central TokyoJoint project of Lorans group and The Nippon Foundation aims to pay above-average wages

The Flower Ring Project, a joint project of The Nippon Foundation and the Lorans group, which provides comprehensive support for the daily lives and social lives of persons with disabilities, opened a flower shop and café in central Tokyo on May 8. The shop will provide part-time employment for up to 20 persons with disabilities who qualify for “Type A” work (see below), and aims to pay wages above the national Type A average.

The Lorans Harajuku social flower & smoothie shop is located on the renovated first floor of a building on a side street in Tokyo’s Harajuku district. The area immediately around Harajuku station is famous as a fashion mecca for young people, and borders several exclusive residential neighborhoods. Hopes are therefore high for this “flower shop that employs persons with disabilities” in such an attractive location.

An opening ceremony was held at the shop on May 8 before opening for business. The Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa welcomed the attendees and expressed his pleasure.
“It is very important to provide places where persons with disabilities can work as members of society, rather than as disabled people. Young people like [Lorans director] Ms. Fukuju are moving beyond the concept of social welfare and treating persons with disabilities as individuals with wonderful personalities, and providing them with the joy of working. Support for this kind of activity is The Nippon Foundation’s work. We cannot expand the scope of our work without your assistance. It is my sincere hope that this will become a success story.”

Next, Lorans director Mizuki Fukuju welcomed the guests and explained the project. She recounted that she had previously tried to open a flower shop employing persons with disabilities in Tokyo’s Akasaka area, but just before opening the project had to be abandoned. She then expressed her thanks.
“Being able to open a flower shop where persons with disabilities can work in an area like this in central Tokyo is like a dream. With your support, I will work hard to ensure that we continue to employ Type A staff. We are just starting, but I will do my best while learning as I go.”

The guests included popular actress Chizuru Azuma, who described her own activities as aiming for a society that is a mixture of many things, without excluding anyone.
“It doesn’t matter whether someone does or doesn’t have a disability or illness – everyone is the same. Society should offer choices, not restrictions. Instead of support and charity, we should provide connections and opportunities. This shop will open these types of doors. Please shop here and tell people about it. Today I ordered my Mother’s Day bouquet for my mother!”

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Haruko Minami, who served as master of ceremonies, added:
“I joined Lorans as an employee with a disability when the company opened a shop in Komagome (Tokyo). After I began working, my life became more enjoyable. I was surrounded by flowers, which I love, and my attitude toward work changed. I really wanted to do a good job. For me, working for Lorans is like a dream come true. It is just like when Ms. Fukuju says that she hopes to broaden the possibilities for persons with disabilities through working with flowers, so that having a disability doesn’t limit our choices for employment. This shop has been set up with the help of The Nippon Foundation, which is working to create a society in which persons with disabilities can actively participate. All of us on the staff here will work hard to achieve this.”

The Lorans group consists of Lorans Co., Ltd., and the NGO Lorans Plus. Lorans Plus was established as part of the Lorans group in February 2013. Lorans Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Kawasaki City, and Lorans Plus began with a flower shop in Komagome, in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward. The Harajuku shop is the second shop for Lorans Plus, and the group’s third.

Both the Komagome shop and the Harajuku shop mainly employ persons with disabilities as Type A workplaces. Type A employment is defined as “support for continuous employment” under the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act. This type of employment is intended for people who cannot work in regular employment, and is based on a contract to provide necessary training and support for the person to perform work that they are able to do, providing them with employment opportunities and a chance to be productive, thereby increasing their knowledge and skills. According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data for fiscal 2015, the average monthly wage nationwide for persons in Type A employment was 67,795 yen. Ms. Fukuju commented that at the Lorans group, monthly wages “are already above the national average, and we are aiming to raise them even higher.”

The concept behind the Harajuku shop is to be “a space that supports working women through the power of plants.” In addition to being able to purchase fresh flowers, customers can enjoy fruit smoothies with rose essence, and light snacks, in the shop’s lush, green interior. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Nippon Foundation launched the Hataraku NIPPON project nationwide in April 2015, to improve the environment for persons with disabilities by “creating employment models” and “cultivating human resources,” and the Lorans shop in Harajuku is part of this project.

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