Ginza Urban Beekeeping Connects Communities and Nature

Tanaka Atsuo, 69, vice chairman of the Ginza Mitsubachi Project, which started urban beekeeping in Tokyo’s Ginza district in 2006, highlighted that bees not only pollinate flowers but also connect people. He noted that beekeeping has linked local residents and merchants, fostering interaction between urban and rural areas, and stressed the importance of considering the urban environment from the bees’ perspective.

Tanaka explained that the project began when a group of Ginza enthusiasts met a beekeeper from Iwate Prefecture. They proposed placing beehives on building rooftops and planting honey plants nearby to minimize conflicts between bees and pedestrians. Initially, they planned to lend rooftops to beekeepers but eventually took on beekeeping themselves.