It's 2:30 a.m. and dark outside. Tsuyoshi Hirasawa can see his breath in the February chill as he turns the key in the ignition of his white Honda minivan. The large hands gripping the steering wheel are rough and leathery from years of working with water, soil and the stems and branches of plants he sells for a living.

The streets of Tokyo are still quiet, with an occasional pair of headlights zipping past. It's Friday, and Hirasawa is on his way to stock up on flowers that he'll sell over the next few days — his final weekend before closing his small hillside shop in the capital's Bunkyo Ward.

It's a decision he announced in December, one that was met by a chorus of dismay from locals who have come to cherish his unique taste in plants and easygoing demeanor. Sharing floor space with a bakery, his store serves as a community hub where neighbors gather to chat and exchange gossip while Hirasawa assorts a bundle or two.