Japanese sweets, I have found, have had the perfect balance of sweetness, but nothing compares to the golden nectar of honey. Honey is easy to find in Japan but it can be very expensive. Even when I have the honey here, there is just something different about the honey in Japan.
This is what I believed until I found a honey farm in Akita. Located between Kakunodate and Lake Tazawako, the Honey Shop looks like a little beehive. Inside the store a mountain of honey greets every customer.
The Akita Mountain Honey Shop owner, Nishimura-san, has honey from America, France, and other countries that is mixed with different ingredients. For instance, American honey is mixed with raspberries and the French honey is mixed with lavender. In the shop honey is also in jams that is also mixed with different ingredients like oranges, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and more. There are also candies made of 100% honey. Along with edible honey products there are also bodycare products and Pooh Bear items.
Not only were my friends and I able to look through all the items in the shop but the shop owner, Nishimura-san, came out to chat to us about his business. He told us that during the sakura flower viewing that attracts many tourists to Kakunodate, about 12% of the foreign tourists end up at his shop to purchase honey. Nishimura-san said that he wants to expand his business even more and try and get even more customers to come to his store. He also told us that some of the honey and other ingredients used are from all over the world. For instance, one maple syrup honey is made out of maple syrup from Canada. He wants his honey products to be made out of honey from inside and beyond Akita from all over the world to create a world wide bond in his store.
If anyone finds themselves in Kakunodate or Lake Tazawako please take some time to visit this adorable location!
