Honeybees and Swallows: The Changing Landscape of Ginza’s Rooftops

The apiary on the rooftop of the Pulp and Paper Building is 45 meters above ground.

Made in Ginza, Ginpachi honey is distinguished by its playfully attractive package designs.

The nectar-gathering season has ended, but on warm winter days, the honeybees still fly out to collect pollen.

Liquor produced by Ginpachi. The second bottle from left is Seiippai, a sake, and the second from the right is Ginza Imojin, a distilled sweet potato shochu.

”We need to preserve the environment in Ginza so that the swallows will return every year,” says Kaneko Yoshihiko, who has studied the birds and their urban habitat for years.

The apiary boxes are opened to check on the honeybees before it gets too cold.