Saga Prefecture's First Ministry of the Environment-Certified Nature Positive Site: Karatsu Minami High School Students Harvest 'Mixed Flower Honey' from Japanese Honeybees | Food Distribution Department's Challenge to Create a Local Brand for Satoyama

Participants gathered in the satoyama of Yokomakura holding freshly harvested mixed flower honey.

On June 6, 2026, NPO Karatsu Farm&Food (Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, Representative Director: Nozomi Hamaguchi) conducted honey harvesting for the "Karatsu Honeybee Project," a collaboration between Karatsu Minami High School's Food Distribution Department and local residents, at the "Ochicho Yokomakura Nature Positive Area" certified by the Ministry of the Environment as a Nature Positive Site. On this day, approximately 2kg of "mixed flower honey" (hyakka mitsu), a blend of nectar from various flowers, was harvested from one Japanese honeybee hive.

The Karatsu Honeybee Project began in 2024 in Yokomakura, Ochicho, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. It is an annual program where students from Karatsu Minami High School's Food Distribution Department and local residents learn about "food," "local resources," and "sustainable satoyama" through the beekeeping of Japanese honeybees, set in a satoyama certified as a Nature Positive Site (OECM) by the Ministry of the Environment. Based on the concept of "Nature Positive" (nature restoration), the project aims to establish itself as a traditional community event that continues for over a decade.

This project has been registered as a national collaboration program for the International Horticultural Exhibition "GREEN×EXPO 2027" to be held in Yokohama in 2027, under the title "Karatsu Honeybee Project: Cultivating Community Bonds and Learning in OECM Nature Positive Sites." It aims to disseminate an environmental education model where high school students and the community collaborate through the breeding and harvesting of Japanese honeybees.

Students in protective gear holding a honeycomb frame, laden with abundant mixed flower honey.

A Day Transcending Generations and Regions: From First-Year High School Students to a Family from Fukuoka

This honey harvesting session included members who have been active from the beginning, as well as first-year high school students who newly joined the project this academic year. Additionally, a family met at a green market held in Fukuoka recently also came to the venue, experiencing the entire process from harvesting to squeezing honey alongside local residents.

The honeycomb removed from the hive overflowed with the soft floral scent and mellow sweetness of mixed flower honey nurtured by the satoyama of Yokomakura, and all participants enjoyed its bounty. With local people at the center, crossing generations and regions to work together—from such collaborative efforts, good honey was born again this year.

Golden-hued mixed flower honey from Yokomakura.

Squeezing honey together around the honeycomb at the community center.

Mixed Flower Honey from Japanese Honeybees: Value in Story and Regionality Rather Than Quantity

Honey from Japanese honeybees tends to become "mixed flower honey" collected little by little from diverse flowers, with characteristics that easily reflect the individuality of the season and location. Although the yield is not large, precisely because of this, efforts are being made to create a local brand that conveys value through story, quality, and regionality rather than quantity. The harvested mixed flower honey is also offered as a return gift for hometown tax donations, providing an opportunity to support the satoyama of Yokomakura and the activities of this project.

Comments from Stakeholders

"It was a day of great joy to see the new first-year students and the family who visited from Fukuoka working shoulder to shoulder with local residents during the honey harvest. The mixed flower honey from Yokomakura brought by Japanese honeybees may be small in quantity, but it has a taste and story that can only be born here. I hope to nurture this initiative, where students and the community continue to learn together, into a traditional satoyama event that lasts for 10 or 20 years." — Hiroaki Kojima, Vice Director of NPO Karatsu Farm&Food

In front of the Yokomakura community center. New members smile as well.

About the Karatsu Honeybee Project

Ochicho Yokomakura, with its clear streams of the Kyuraki River, bamboo groves, rice paddies, and mixed forests, is home to diverse wildlife such as ayu fish, kingfishers, and the endangered salamander, and is Saga Prefecture's first Ministry of the Environment-certified Nature Positive Site (OECM). This project succeeded in its first honey harvest in 2024, set against this rich satoyama. The learning outcomes through experience are evident, including a participating Karatsu Minami High School student winning the top prize in the National Agricultural High School Essay Contest.

Lead: Karatsu Minami High School Food Distribution Department × Ochicho Yokomakura Nature Positive Area (local residents)

Content: Beekeeping of Japanese honeybees, cultivation of nectar plants (sunflowers, etc.), honey harvesting and commercialization, learning at the Food Distribution Department

Goal: Establish high school-community collaboration as a traditional event lasting over 10 years

Collaboration: Registered as a national collaboration program for GREEN×EXPO 2027

Karatsu Honeybee Project - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Co., Ltd., Mirai no Agri★Star (Saga Prefectural Karatsu Minami High School)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What is the Karatsu Honeybee Project?

A. It is an annual program in which the Food Distribution Department of Karatsu Minami High School and local residents breed and harvest Japanese honeybees at the "Ochicho Yokomakura Nature Positive Area," Saga Prefecture's first Ministry of the Environment-certified Nature Positive Site, learning about "food," "local resources," and "sustainable satoyama." It started in 2024 and is registered as a national collaboration program for GREEN×EXPO 2027.

Q. Where can I get the harvested Japanese honeybee "mixed flower honey"?

A. The harvested mixed flower honey is offered as a return gift for hometown tax donations. It is a precious honey unique to the satoyama of Yokomakura, with limited quantities.

About NPO Karatsu Farm&Food

Based in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, this NPO is engaged in biodiversity conservation, environmental education (ESD), circular economy promotion, and nature positive initiatives. It serves as the management organization for the "Ochicho Yokomakura Nature Positive Area," Saga Prefecture's first Ministry of the Environment-certified Nature Positive Site, and also operates the plastic upcycling business "Precious Plastic Karatsu."

Official website: https://karatsu-f-f.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preciousplastic_karatsu/