About Me

Thank you for visiting my site!! My name is Anna  Budich.  This site is my way of sharing some of the things I love doing: travelling, flower arrangements, and writing. It also features our adventures, mishaps, learnings, and fun moments while my husband and I are here in Tokyo.

The Wanders 

My mom once told me that as early as one year old I already showed interest in travelling. She said that during that time my dad would make me sit in front of his tricycle and drive around our community so that I can have a good sleep after that. Although travelling outside Manila was not that frequent until I was a teenager, I have always enjoyed the long bus rides from our home in San Mateo, Rizal to different places in Metro Manila and Luzon.

At sixteen I joined the Rotaract Club of Makati West, a youth socio-civic voluntary group under the Rotary Club District 3830. Participating in various activities of the club and the district gave me the chance to see a lot of places, meet new friends and mentors, and discover my skills and talents.

When I started working a city government, my purpose of travelling changed from community outreaches to technical study tours. It was also during this time when I had the chance to be in Yokohama, Japan for a year and a half. I was able to visit different Asian cities; learned their culture and traditions; and got inspired to travel more.

It was also in Japan where I met my better half. During the last few months of my stay, I met a gentleman who just arrived from Germany. With him, I my travels become more relaxing and enjoyable.  He also inspired me to be brave enough to leave Manila and have a new life in Tokyo.

As I am writing this introduction, my husband and I are still here in Tokyo working on weekdays and exploring on weekends and holidays.

The Flowers 

I got my passion for flowers and flower arrangement from my mom. When I was a kid she used to plant different orchids and santans around our house.

After graduating from the university, I encouraged my mom to start our own cake and flower business. We catered to weddings, debuts, and other special gatherings especially for friends and family. We were able to run the business on weekends and do our regular jobs on weekdays. My cousins and I always look forward to Saturdays and Sundays because our whole house smelled like a cake factory. Sometimes after a wedding gig, our house would be filled with flowers especially roses.

When my mom passed away in 2005, I thought that my passion for flowers went with her. But when I came to Tokyo to be with my husband, I regained it through Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Ikebana has taught me a new perspective and deeper appreciation for flower arrangement.

Learning Ikebana humbled me because I needed to learn from the very basic of flower arrangement. Later on I was able to combine it with my old techniques and styles which I used when I was still doing wedding arrangements. Details of my journey and works are posted here in this website.

At present I am a licensed Sankyu Shihan (Third Level Ikebana Teacher) under the Sogetsu School of Ikebana.

In 2015, one of my works got the Ikebana Gallery People’s Choice Award. This is an annual contest organized by Ikebana Gallery community based in Australia.  That same year, another arrangement was featured in International Florist Organization FB page. Since  2013, I participate in exhibitions and conduct workshops here in Tokyo.  I also give private and online lessons in English. Please click the links below for details of my online lessons and upcoming events.

For online or face-to-face lessons: Learn Ikebana at Home

For upcoming exhibits and workshops: Events and Workshops

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