[Nagano ]Amazing work of art! Nagano, Bee Heaven is too amazing!
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2023-01-19
"Bee Heaven "is located in Tomi-shi, Nagano Prefecture. It is a famous and unusual spot that has been featured in the media many times, and is highly recommended for those who want to visit a slightly different sightseeing spot. This article will provide you with plenty of information on the highlights of Bee Heaven!
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A bee heaven where one-of-a-kind works of art can be seen.
Bee Heaven is the world's first bee art museum, established in 1995.
When you hear the name "Bee Art Museum," you probably have an image of a bee-inspired artwork on display.
But bee heaven is not such a lukewarm place.
So, what kind of art is on display at Bee Heaven?
The answer to this question can be roughly guessed by looking at the sign for Bee Heaven.
Please see, you can see something on the head of the beckoning cat sandwiched between two wasps.
Yes, Bee Heaven is not a facility that exhibits works of art featuring bees, but rather art using beehives!
The sign here is an illustration, so it still looks cute, but the real thing is a visual far beyond the realm of the imagination.
The Birth of Bee Heaven
Bee Heaven was established by Yoshikuni Shiozawa, chairman of the Shiozawa Sangyo Group, which sells construction materials, operates gas stations, and sells cars.
Shiozawa learned bee-catching from his uncle when he was a child and became passionate about it.
After becoming a manager, he temporarily stopped beekeeping, but when his company became more stable, he discovered a nest of yellow wasps under the eaves of an acquaintance's house, and he became fascinated with bees again.
Since then, Shiozawa has been collecting beehives and combining them with various materials to create his artwork.
He decided to open Bee Heaven to "let people see the works of art that bees create ""and to let people know that wasps are not evil, but are actually contributing to human society ".
Bee Heaven contains not only the works created by Mr. Shiozawa, but also his passion for bees, which is written everywhere.
"Bees have a strong image of being too scary to approach ""and too much trouble if you get stung ". However, if you see Mr. Shiozawa's works and messages displayed in the museum, your image of bees may change a little.
Surrealistic beehive artwork throughout the museum
When the museum first opened, it was only 270 square meters in size, but as the number of artworks increased, it was expanded, and today it is a bee's paradise, having grown to nearly 900 square meters.
The museum is divided into several exhibition rooms, each of which displays beehive art.
Base is fused with beehive
The main exhibits in Bee Heaven are a combination of familiar items and beehives.
The creator, Mr. Shiozawa, says that these works are "created in collaboration with bees ".
So, what exactly are the works on display?
Here is the first one we would like to introduce. It is a beehive beckoning cat, which was also depicted on the signboard.
You can probably find a beckoning cat with a beehive on its head only here, even if you search all over the world.
The impact is outstanding from the beginning, but there are many more of these too-surrealistic works lined up.
Next is a kokeshi doll with a beehive larger than its head. This is another original work.
Why on earth did he decide to combine a kokeshi doll with a beehive? There is no end to the number of times I think about this every time I see a work of art.
Yes, art is about feeling rather than thinking. It is important here to see with an empty head.
This is a beehive Daikoku-sama created in 2009.
It is said to have been made by combining 30 beehives of yellow wasps, and is quite a powerful work of art.
I am sure that Daikoku-sama never thought he would become such a work of art.
Likewise, Mr. Deer, who probably never thought he would look like this.
A beautifully scaly, large beehive hangs from the mouth. It is quite a crazy piece of work.
There are other works with beehives hanging from them.
The beehives attached to the tengu's nose and Hannya's chin are very surreal.
I have an image that beehives are quite heavy, but I wonder if they can be combined in this way and not fall down later.
This is a beehive Dalmatian that makes you worry about its balance. Perhaps because the beehive on its back is about to collapse, it is displayed in a glass case.
This work seems to be more challenging than the works we have seen so far.
A bizarre work with a beehive on the saddle of a tricycle.
If a child sees it, he or she might cry involuntarily. ...... However, this is also an art form.
In addition, many other combined works, such as a beehive fan and beehive electricity, are on display in the exhibition room.
Shiozawa's creativity is amazing. We cannot take our eyes off what kind of works he will create in the future.
Also on display is a sculpture made from a beehive.
Bee Heaven exhibits not only works that fuse familiar materials with beehives, but also works created by combining only beehives.
Many large works are on display, including "bee umbrellas "made from 42 wasp nests and "bullet train Asama "made from 120 nests, some of which are too large to fit in a camera!
It is also very much worth seeing.
This is a swan made from 60 wasp nests.
What can I say about ......? I know that the work combining familiar materials and a beehive is a work of art, but I feel that I have finally arrived at the Art Tower.
Personally, I prefer these larger works.
Guinness World Records for Beehive Art
Among the works on display at Bee Heaven, the most eye-catching is the giant beehive artwork.
This is a beehive Mt. Fuji created in 1999. It is a work of 160 wasp nests combined together and is 3,776 meters high and 4.8 meters wide.
It is just a large work of art with a great impact! The year after it was created, it was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as "the world's largest beehive statue ".
Bee Heaven is also home to many other giant beehive artworks, including a 6.5-meter-high beehive objet d'art and a work called Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), which was created by combining 80 beehives.
The actual bees are much larger than you can imagine, so if you are going to visit Bee Heaven, be sure to see for yourself how big they are.
After seeing the beehive art, check out the souvenirs.
After enjoying the beehive art, be sure to check out the souvenir corner near the entrance.
Many souvenirs related to bees are sold here, including honey, beeswax wraps, and bee cookies (cookies with honey).
Bee larva, a well-known delicacy of Shinshu, is also available for sale.
It is said to be very nutritious and effective as a tonic.
Incidentally, according to a friend who lives in the area, bee larvae are often eaten as tsukudani or nandoki, but they are also delicious stir-fried or mixed with cooked rice.
For those who are not familiar with the food, it is a food of resistance, but why not buy one as a talking point?
They are giving away soju-soaked hornets to customers who spend over 5,000 yen. Hmmm, this may be a little more resistant to your mouth than the bee larva. ......
However, there are also habu sake and pit viper wine in the world, so wasp wine may taste better than expected.
It is said to be effective in relieving fatigue, so if you are interested, get excited and buy some souvenirs.
summary
Bee Heaven is a place where the owner, Mr. Shiozawa's passion for bees can be clearly felt.
If you are in the neighborhood, you should definitely visit this place at least once, not only to see the bizarre beehive art, but also to learn more about bee ecology.
From August to October, visitors can watch beehives being made, so if your timing is right, we recommend that you aim for that time of year. Please come and see the one and only work of art with your own eyes.
"Facility Information "
Address: 435-1, Kazawa, Tomi-city, Nagano, 389-0514 Japan
Phone number: 0268-63-3888
Hours: July - October ... 9:00 - 18:00, November - June ... 9:00 - 17:00
Closed: Year-end and New Year's Eve (December 31 to January 3)
Admission: 300 yen for adults, 100 yen for junior high and high school students, free for elementary school students and younger
URL：https://www.hachi-tengoku.com/Recommended articles
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