Marimo, a fine example of a beauty ingredient, cultural icon and love gift. This Valentine’s Day, gift a marimo. First a little general info… Marimo are gorgeous green algae balls from Japan that look like velvet. Marimo roll with the tide in Lake Akan and are highly valued by the entire country. I’ve noticed that my marimo float and sink off and on and take positions to get light. They also get lovely “pearly” air bubbles on them – too gorgeous!
a gift for lovers and friends
So what’s all this got to do with Valentine’s Day? Love of course! The legend of marimo’s power began with forbidden love. Some people believe the lovers’ spirits entered the marimo. This is where the love connection comes in and has made the marimo an enduring symbol of love and how it triumphs even in the most adverse conditions. If a person is patient and nurturing, the marimo will grow big and strong.
caring for a new marimo:
The best part about marimo is the low maintenance aspect. NO green thumb needed! Just put your marimo in a vase or fish tank with water. I like to put mine on the windowsill because I’m looking for super growth. It is reported that they do just as well in lower light environments but will grow slower. I’m hoping to propagate to have hundreds of little marimo babies because they tickle me. Since I’m an impatient person I’m going for the reportedly faster method.
Little plant ‘tribbles’ are no trouble and a wonderful international gift idea for your loved one. I’m sure I tried algae products in Japan but since I wasn’t blogging then I don’t have pictures or names. owww…
Never fear, beauty brands to the rescue… Various La Mer products and Givenchy’s Le Soin Noir come to mind and I’m sure many more algae beauty products are in the works.
Marimo VS Mameshiba
Both are round and green so what’s the difference? Marimo is a real plant… Mari is the Japanese word for Ball and Mo is the Japanese word for algae.
In contrast, Mameshiba are fictional bean / dogs that talk right before they are to be eaten. They shock the eater into dropping them, thus escaping mastication. Particularly confusing are edamame shiba and green pea shiba as they are round and green like marimo. I can’t get that music out of my head!! nahnahnah, nahanahanahnahhh… Watch Mameshiba on Youtube.
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Photo Credit: Kuckibaboo
Do Marimo come in other colours? And what are your thoughts on cellphone Marimo? Last Question-how big do they get?Thanks?
hi there Hoolabaloo!
as far as I know marimo are in green only but I wouldn’t be surprised to see pink ones developed lolz.
I love the idea of the cellphone marimo, it’s a very small cute version so perfect for someone who doesn’t have room for a tank or bowl of them.
They can get to size of a volleyball under the right conditions in the wild.
I hope you get one, they are soooooo cute.
best,
Delphine