Marimo The Latest Japanese House Plant Trend

Have you seen a Marimo before?

Marimo, scientifically known as a seaweed ball, is a type of sea plant found in the northern hemisphere that can grow in size over time. It’s a perfect house plant/pet due to its cute ball-like form and simple growing ability with little care.

Marimo at Lake Akan

Lake Akan, Hokkaido, Japan, has a conservatory for Marimo on a small island nearby, reachable by a boat from the main island. Inside the greenhouse, they displayed the best-looking ones—the greenest among the greens, the royals. People are taking pictures in front of it; some even take selfies. The next day, while exploring near Akan Lake, we stumbled upon another building that resembled a museum filled with it. Inside, there was even a lab used to research it.

The few days we were there, these green balls surrounded our lives, and the height of it was when we went to the hotel spa. One of the fantastic spa rooms was decorated with Marimo-like green blobs.

Marimo has also been one of the Japanese national treasures for almost a decade. In Hokkaido, they hold an October three-day festival to celebrate these green balls.

The Legend

Legend has it that many years ago lived a young girl on the island of Hokkaido whose father was the chief of a village near Lake Akan. The girl’s marriage had been arranged, but unfortunately, she fell in love with a commoner, and they decided to run away. When the lovers reached Lake Akan, they jumped in. Their souls metamorphosed into little green balls and lived happily ever after on the bottom of the lake.

Marimo Souvenir

There was also an abundance of choice souvenirs representing Marimo, from pen to food. I bought myself a pair of mini Marimo keychains. It has been hanging on my backpack ever since. An omiyage from Lake Akan.

If you are interested in Marimo, you can get it in many places online, including Amazon, or I recommend getting it from Rakuten.

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