A Gift from the Bees
GOHŌBI

GOHŌBI, a little reward

Our Story
Mr. Uda, the beekeeper of Uda Apiary

Nature's artistry,
made by bees.

A clear, translucent amber —
and the quiet beauty of honey as it crystallizes
and changes form once more.
Back in my student days, it captured my heart.

Beekeeping is steady work that continues
through every season of the year.
The moment of harvest is but an instant in it all.
We hope you can taste a small "reward" for those days.
That wish is where this brand began.

Explore our honey

Our Commitment

Four things we hold to.

A honeybee resting on a flower
01

We harvest only
4–5 times a year.

Most beekeepers harvest many times through the season.
We harvest just 4–5 times, centered on spring at its finest.
We never take more than we should,
so the bees can live at their own pace.
We are shared only the honey they have slowly ripened.

A close-up of the honeycomb
02

We wait, quietly,
for the comb to be capped.

When the honey is fully ripe,
the bees seal the comb with wax "caps."
That is their sign of completion.
Until the moisture is gone and the aroma concentrates,
we simply wait, without haste.
That single patience gives the honey
its rich, layered depth of flavor.

Honeybees inside the hive
03

Honey-only combs,
clean and pure.

We use a board that worker bees can pass,
but the queen cannot.
The lower level is the queen's nursery; the upper, for honey alone.
We take only pure honey, with no eggs or larvae mixed in.
The yield grows smaller — but the taste, all the more clear.

A honeybee on an open palm
04

People and bees,
as equals.

These are words passed down from my master,
while I trained at a long-established apiary in Mie.
I tend each bee so closely I can tell the queens apart by their faces.
We leave the bees their share, and are shared our own.
That is the distance at which we live alongside them, day by day.

Our Honey

Three GOHŌBI Honeys

From Uenohara in Yamanashi — its cherry-lined streets, clear rivers and deep forests.
Three honeys, born from the nectar this land brings forth.

Sakura Hyakka  ·  Spring

Sakura Hyakka

A wildflower honey that begins
with the spring cherry blossom.
Gentle and floral,
with a lingering finish.

Sakura Hyakka honey, 100g Sakura Hyakka honey, 180g Sakura Hyakka honey, 600g
  • 100g ¥1,600
  • 180g ¥2,400
  • 600g ¥6,000
Shop Sakura
Acacia  ·  Early Summer

Acacia

A clear, translucent amber
with a refined, clean sweetness.
A favorite, often called
the queen of honeys.

Acacia honey, 100g Acacia honey, 180g Acacia honey, 600g
  • 100g ¥1,700
  • 180g ¥2,600
  • 600g ¥6,480
Shop Acacia
Vitaceae  ·  Midsummer

Vitaceae

A deep amber with a fruity,
muscat-like character.
A rare honey, gathered
only in tiny amounts.

Vitaceae honey, 100g Vitaceae honey, 180g Vitaceae honey, 600g
  • 100g ¥1,900
  • 180g ¥2,900
  • 600g ¥7,480
Shop Vitaceae
View All Items
The Place

Uenohara, Yamanashi.
The bees' home.

A town on the border where Yamanashi, Tokyo and Kanagawa meet.

In spring, rows of cherry trees come into bloom;
sweetfish swim in the clear Katsura River,
and deep forests spread all around.

With little large-scale farming and few agricultural chemicals,
the bees gather nectar freely here.
It is a gentle home for them.

Q & A

Honey questions,
answered.

Q.There's a white foam on the surface of the honey. Is that a quality problem?

Those are air bubbles that entered during harvesting and bottling. They are no problem at all for quality, so please enjoy with confidence. The bubbles gradually settle over time.

Q.My honey has turned white and solid. Is it still safe to eat?

Yes. This is "crystallization," a natural phenomenon unique to honey. It does not mean the quality has deteriorated, so please enjoy it as it is. To return it to its original state, warm it gently in a water bath no hotter than 50°C. Take care to avoid high heat, as it can damage the honey's nutrients and aroma.

Q.Can I give it to a baby under one year old?

No — never give honey to an infant under one year of age. Natural honey may, in rare cases, contain spores of the botulinum bacterium. In infants, whose intestinal environment is not yet developed, this can cause infant botulism.

Q.Should I keep it in the refrigerator?

Please store it at room temperature. Keep it out of direct sunlight, in a cool, dark place with little change in temperature (a pantry or kitchen drawer is ideal). Refrigeration makes the honey more likely to crystallize and turn white.

Q.The color and taste seem to differ a little between jars. Why is that?

Our honey is delivered just as the bees gathered it, so the color, aroma and flavor can vary slightly depending on the season, the place, and that year's weather. We hope you'll enjoy these differences as the one-of-a-kind character of a natural gift.

Q.Is GOHŌBI honey "raw" (unheated)?

Yes. Our honey is unheated. We bottle the honey the bees have slowly ripened in the hive, filtering only to remove impurities. By avoiding heat, we protect the honey's natural aroma and flavor. (Because "raw honey" has no clear legal or industry definition, we describe ours as "unheated.")

Q.Do you offer gift wrapping or noshi (ceremonial wrapping)?

We're sorry, but we don't currently offer gift wrapping or noshi.