It’s time to bee serious. One thing I love is finding a specialist. Especially one who loves what they do. And that’s exactly what I found at Yoshino Junsui Hachimitsuten (hachimitsu ten = honey shop) on Koenji’s north side, nearing the far end of Koshin Dori shotengai. Everything from the owner’s explanation about the varieties of honey to the manner in which he pours it, you can tell he has a passion for honey.
And before you go wondering why you’d want to seek out a shop that only sells honey, permit me to clarify three things.
Firstly, this is not only good honey, it is real honey. This is not that glistening chemical concoction peddled in plastic squeeze tubes in Seiyu (ie: Walmart) and konbinis. A lot of that stuff isn’t even honey. Fact.
Secondly, if you think all honey is created equal, you’re in for a surprise. He has an ever-changing selection of flavours/varieties. The color, flavour, and aroma of honey depends on the nectar source of the flowers visited by the honey bee. The same flower source can even produce different results depending on the season. Honey — delicious and fascinating.
Thirdly, you can make this an environmentally friendly (or “eco” as they say here) shopping experience as well. If you bring in your own (clean) jar you not only save the world a little bit more by not creating more garbage, you also get a discount.
Imagine that: delicious, high quality goods at a lower price that are not detrimental to the environment! It’s a win-win-win situation. Just don’t enjoy it on a daily basis. Like most things, there are pros and cons to honey. But it’s generally better than sugar, and real honey is (obviously) better than the processed stuff labelled “honey” in most supermarkets.
Upstairs on the 2nd & 3rd floors there is also a gallery space which is rented out to artists and artisans. (No need to worry about bees.)
| Shop info: Koenji-Kita 3-35-24 Suginami-ku, Tokyo, 166-0002 Tel: (03) 3337-8813 Tue-Sun: 12:00 to 20:00 Closed Mondays URL: http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/disco/hachimitsuten.html Email： disco@kd5.so-net.ne.jp Twitter: @YJ83gallery Discount for bringing your own jar |
Koenjagaya 