Our Town Inagi 2019: Eiji Shiobara

Beekeepers of Inagi City

Located within a 30-minute train ride from the city center, Eiji Shiobara runs a beekeeping business in Inagi City, which retains rich nature.
Beekeeping is the practice of raising bees to collect honey, royal jelly, propolis, beeswax, pollen, and other products. Mr. Shiohara collects honey from flowers such as cherry blossoms, rapeseed, clover, acacia, and sunflowers in Inagi City.
Mr. Shiobara was shocked by the scale of beekeeping in America during his student days and studied beekeeping for a year under a beekeeper in Shinshu. After that, he learned that Inagi is a place rich in nature and ideal for beekeeping, leading to his current situation.

When I asked Mr. Shiobara, who has been engaged in beekeeping for over 50 years, about the difficulties he has faced, he passionately replied, "I have never felt any hardship. Even when troubles arise, I feel motivated to overcome them."
Mr. Shiobara has been the advisor for the beekeeping club at Inagi Dai 3 Junior High School for about 9 years. In the beekeeping club, Mr. Shiobara teaches beekeeping to teachers four times a month, and based on that, the teachers instruct the students. Therefore, Mr. Shiobara's beekeeping site is named "Inagi Beekeeping Dojo." Currently, he is also providing guidance to teachers at junior high and high schools outside the city, further expanding the scope of Mr. Shiobara's activities.

Mr. Shiobara believes that through beekeeping, children should have various questions and find their own answers. He mentioned that in an era where it is easy to obtain what we want to eat by simply going to the supermarket, it is important to teach the process of growing crops and the significance of the food chain until it reaches our mouths.
Mr. Shiobara hopes that many children will continue to experience beekeeping and feel that the knowledge and education they acquire are treasures that cannot be taken away by anyone.
Let's support Mr. Shiobara, a rare beekeeper in the city, who provides valuable experiences for children.
Honey can be purchased at Tama Beekeeping Farm (Yanokuchi).