Umeda Honeybee Project
Osaka, Japan · Operator: NPO法人 梅田ミツバチプロジェクト (Umeda Honeybee Project NPO)
Overview
Launched Osaka's first urban beekeeping on the rooftop of the Yanmar Building in Umeda's Chayamachi district in March 2010. Rather than honey itself, its aim is promoting local greening through bee pollination and providing food and environmental education. It has expanded with an experience-based apiary in Hattori Ryokuchi park.
Citizen participation
Runs honey-harvest experiences, lectures, and workshops for citizens at its rooftop apiaries. Partners with companies such as Yanmar, the Osaka prefectural greening program, and Shitennoji temple, giving residents hands-on ways to connect with urban nature through beekeeping.
Operating model
NPO-run. The rooftop space is provided free by Yanmar; activities are funded through honey sales, workshops and experience programs, corporate partnerships and sponsorship, and crowdfunding.
Impact
Raised public interest in urban greening and biodiversity and became a pioneer of urban beekeeping in Osaka and a member of Japan's nationwide urban-beekeeping network, using several hundred kilograms of honey per year as a local resource.
Crops
- honey
- herbs (nectar sources)
Scale
Rooftop apiary on the Yanmar Building in Chayamachi, Umeda; up to 200,000+ bees at peak, ~300-400 kg of honey harvested per year across multiple apiary sites
Sources(2)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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