What Is Japanese Honeybee Honey? How It Differs from the European Honeybee, and How a Spoonful of the Satoyama Comes to Be

Japanese honeybee honey is a natural honey made from nectar that the Japanese honeybee, a species native to Japan, gathers from the many different flowers of the hills and fields. Japan produces less than 10% of the honey it consumes, and of that, Japanese honeybee honey is said to be less than 1% of the whole. It is a rare honey, and the chances of coming across it at all are few.

A few tens of minutes by car from the roastery in Chikura, deep in the satoyama of Minamiboso, stand the hives of Japanese honeybees I tend. Adjusting the conditions around the hives as the seasons turn. It is work that runs on a different timescale from the daily roasting. In this article I have set down what Japanese honeybee honey looks like from that ground: how it differs from the European honeybee, why it is called rare, what a harvest actually involves, and a Q&A on crystallisation and storage.

How the Japanese honeybee differs from the European honeybee

The Japanese honeybee is a wild bee native to Japan, a size smaller than the European honeybee. Its name is written with the characters for Japan, honey and bee. On a small body it flies about the satoyama, gathering nectar and pollen a little at a time. Along the way it carries pollen from flower to flower, and so holds up the plant life around it.

The amount of nectar it can gather at one time is very small. Broadleaf and conifer, tall trees down to the flowers at your feet: nectar gathered across a satoyama where many different plants turn with the four seasons carries the year of that place in it just as it is.

Less than 1% of the whole

Japan is said to produce less than 10% of the honey it consumes. Even domestic honey is limited in quantity, and within that, Japanese honeybee honey is less than 1%. So little of it reaches the market because a single bee gathers only a small amount of nectar, and because the harvest is limited to once or twice a year. If you rarely meet Japanese honeybee honey while looking for natural honey, this is why.

A harvest once or twice a year, taken as a share

This beekeeping uses none of the antibiotics and the like that are common in commercial beekeeping. The basis of it is living in the same satoyama, adjusting the conditions around the hives as the seasons turn. The harvest comes once or twice a year. Of the honey stored in the hive, I set aside only a little, the way you would accept a share of something.

The year of a Japanese honeybee colony, which begins with the swarming of spring, is written about in more detail in Botarhythm's beekeeping record: a year with the Japanese honeybee and a special honey.

What unheated and additive-free mean

The honey that is harvested is bottled unheated and with nothing added. Honey contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, organic acids, and a range of enzymes. It is not heated so that those enzymes stay alive.

Because the enzymes are alive, fine bubbles can appear at the surface inside the jar. This is a natural effect of the enzymes at work, and proof that the honey is unheated and natural. The bubbles can be eaten as they are.

Frequently asked questions

It has crystallised and turned grainy. Is there a problem with the quality?

Honey crystallises depending on the temperature. It is not a quality problem, and you can enjoy the grainy texture as it is. To return it to a liquid, stand the jar in water at around 60℃. Boiling water is not recommended, because it deactivates the enzymes.

There are bubbles at the surface. Can I eat it?

Because it is unheated the enzymes are alive, and their work can raise bubbles. There is no problem eating it as it is.

How should I store it?

To keep the enzymes working gently, a cool dark place or the fridge is best.

Is it safe to give to children?

Never give it to an infant under one year old.

When can I buy it?

Because the harvest comes only once or twice a year, Wild Japanese Honeybee Honey appears in the online store only in the period after a harvest. Quantities are limited as well, and at some times of year it is out of stock.

* Update (July 2026): there is no honey for sale in 2026. The account of how that came about is in A Turning Point in Life with the Japanese Honeybee.

In closing

Just as a cup of coffee carries the year of its origin, a spoonful of honey carries the year of the satoyama. Moving between the two grounds, the roastery and the satoyama, I will go on bringing what Minamiboso gives in the form it comes in.