The Joy of Honeybees: The Great Power of a Small Creature

Highlights

The exhibition presents photographs that look closely at the lives of honeybees, selected with a biologist's eye by Masami Sasaki, Professor Emeritus at Tamagawa University, from the vast trove of images he has captured over more than 50 years of honeybee research.
Summer vacation research events for children include lectures on themes such as “How a Honeybee's Body Works” and “The World of Flowers and Bees,” along with “All-BEE Thanksgiving Festival,” a class with quizzes run by the TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project urban beekeeping initiative.
Visitors will be guided into the world of honeybees from many angles, with the latest bee research published in Nikkei Science, a map of nectar sources around Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi), and seasonal flowers favored by honeybees.

Images to be exhibited (Selected Works)

Collecting nectar from borage
©Masami Sasaki

Collecting pollen from corn poppies
©Masami Sasaki

Nectar gathered by honeybees is ripened and concentrated, then sealed with wax
©Masami Sasaki

Forming gathered pollen into pellets while in flight (top).
How a pollen pellet is shaped in the pollen basket (bottom)
©Masami Sasaki

About the exhibition

FUJIFILM SQUARE is pleased to present The Joy of Honeybees: The Great Power of a Small Creature, a photo exhibition that offers a fun-filled way to learn about the lives of honeybees and the environment that surrounds them through photographs and panels.

Honeybees do more than produce honey. They also pollinate many fruits, vegetables, and nuts, playing a crucial role in our daily lives. This exhibition features photographs of honeybees and flowers, accompanied by panels with commentary, taken over many years by Masami Sasaki, Professor Emeritus at Tamagawa University and a leading figure in honeybee research, offering views of bees that are seldom seen.

The exhibition is supervised by Susumu Takahashi, editor of The Joy of Honeybees: An Urban Beekeeping Project Cultivating People and the City (published by Nikkei Science Inc.), which traces the history of the TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project launched in 2011 by TBS Holdings, Inc. (hereafter “TBS”), based in Akasaka and a pioneer of urban beekeeping in Japan. The exhibition presents the biodiversity of the Akasaka area and the activities of honeybees there, along with an accessible account of urban beekeeping today.

To enable visitors to experience the great power of these small creatures firsthand, a wide range of events will be held during the exhibition period, including honeybee classes and lectures that parents and children can enjoy together. Please join us.

Exhibitor's Profile

Masami Sasaki

Professor Emeritus, Tamagawa University. His connection with honeybees began at the College of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, where he wrote his thesis on queen bee differentiation. After conducting research at the graduate schools of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Tokyo on parasitic plant host specificity and the biological clock, respectively, he returned to his alma mater, where his research has focused on the social structures of honeybees. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dean of the Graduate School of Agriculture, and Director of the Academic Research Institute before his retirement. He is now Professor Emeritus at Tamagawa University and President of the Beekeeping Promotion Association of Japan. His books include The Science of Beekeeping, The Japanese Honeybee, and The World of Flowers as Seen by Bees.

Supervisor's Profile

Susumu Takahashi

Biodiversity communicator. Graduated from the Department of Landscape Architecture (now Department of Landscape Architecture Science), Tokyo University of Agriculture. He joined Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. (now TBS Holdings, Inc.) as an announcer and was active in news and information programs, going on to work in program production, the Planning Division, the Public Relations Department, and the General Affairs Department. From 2007 he engaged in environmental initiatives, taking charge of biodiversity classes and SDGs-related projects at the CSR Promotion Department. He left the company in 2023. He is a Standing Director of the Society for the Cultural History of Living Things, a Director of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, a Councilor of the Research Institute of Evolutionary Biology, a member of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture and the Tokyo Metropolitan Beekeeping Association, and a Biotope Manager certified by the Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan.

The Joy of Honeybees: An Urban Beekeeping Project Cultivating People and the City (published by Nikkei Science Inc.)

Corporate Partner Websites

TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project

Website Instagram

Nikkei Science

Website Instagram

Exhibition overview

Title	FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo Exhibition The Joy of Honeybees: The Great Power of a Small Creature [Concurrent Event] Summer Vacation Independent Research Event: The Amazing World of Honeybees
Dates	August 14 (Fri) – September 10 (Thu), 2026
Time	10:00 – 19:00 (Until 16:00 on the final day. Entry is allowed for up to 10 minutes before closing.) Open every day for the full duration of the exhibition.
Venue	FUJIFILM SQUARE, Space 3, in FUJIFILM Photo Salon Tokyo
Admission	Free * This exhibition is being held as a corporate MECENAT activity. We are pleased to announce that admission is free to enable more people to attend.
Number of works	Approximately 25 color works in A3 and other sizes (scheduled) Works are digital prints. Works on view are FUJIFILM silver halide prints, known for their outstanding tonal rendering. Approximately five panels with commentary and one video (scheduled).
Organized by	FUJIFILM Corporation
In cooperation with	TBS Holdings, Inc. Nikkei Science Inc.
Supported by	Beekeeping Promotion Association of Japan, Tokyo Metropolitan Beekeeping Association, Akasaka Community Development Council, Roppongi Shopping Street Promotion Association, Minato City Board of Education, Setagaya City Board of Education
Supervised by	Susumu Takahashi (biodiversity communicator)

* The photo exhibition may be cancelled or rescheduled for unforeseen circumstances. Visit FUJIFILM SQUARE online or call for updates.
* We kindly request that you do not send congratulatory flowers.

ACCESS

Summer Vacation Independent Research Event: The Amazing World of Honeybees (free admission)

1. All-BEE Thanksgiving Festival by TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project
2. Lecture: “Honeybee Q&A” (for elementary and junior high school students and their guardians)
3. Lecture 1: “The World of Flowers and Bees” (for adults) / Lecture 2: “How a Honeybee's Body Works” (for adults)
4. “A New Experience: Honeybees Under the Microscope” (for honeybee enthusiasts)
5. “Walking Tour: In Search of Flowers That Honeybees Love in Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi)”
6. Gallery Talks

1. All-BEE Thanksgiving Festival by TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project

Description	TBS's All-Star Thanksgiving Festival is leaving the studio and coming to FUJIFILM SQUARE! Learn about honeybees and the global environment in an entertaining way, then take part in a lightning-round quiz on honeybees, a symbol of biodiversity, using your smartphone.
Speakers	Yutaka Kobayashi (former TBS announcer), Chigusa Tani (beekeeper, TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project)
Date / Time	August 14 (Fri), 2026, 14:00–15:00 (reception opens at 13:30)
Venue	Special venue on the 2nd floor of FUJIFILM SQUARE (second floor of the exhibition venue, seating available) (Please enter through FUJIFILM SQUARE.)
Admission	Free
Registration	Advance reservations required (first-come, first-served). Capacity: 100
How to register	*Details will be announced on the website in June.

2. Lecture: “Honeybee Q&A” (for elementary and junior high school students and their guardians)

Description	This session answers questions from children about honeybees, such as “Are worker bees male or female?” “How long do they live?” and “What do they eat?” Questions can be submitted when you make a reservation.
Speaker	Susumu Takahashi (biodiversity communicator)
Date / Time	August 15 (Sat), 2026, 10:30–11:30 (reception opens at 10:00)
Venue	Special venue on the 2nd floor of FUJIFILM SQUARE (second floor of the exhibition venue, seating available) (Please enter through FUJIFILM SQUARE.)
Admission	Free
Registration	Advance reservations required (first-come, first-served). Capacity: 150
How to register	*Details will be announced on the website in June.

3. Lecture 1: “The World of Flowers and Bees” (for adults)
Lecture 2: “How a Honeybee's Body Works” (for adults)

Description	Lecture 1 Honeybees move from flower to flower with the seasons, pollinating plants and living in close partnership with the plants they visit. This lecture looks at how nectar and pollen are distributed inside flowers, and at the extraordinary world of the honeybee. Lecture 2 A worker bee measures just one centimeter in length and weighs only 0.1 gram. Packed into that tiny body are all the functions needed to care for the queen and larvae, sense the external environment, and gather nectar. The lecture explains how all of this works.
Speaker	Masami Sasaki (Professor Emeritus, Tamagawa University)
Date / Time	August 15 (Sat), 2026 (1) 13:30–14:30 (reception opens at 13:00) / (2) 14:45–15:45
Venue	Special venue on the 2nd floor of FUJIFILM SQUARE (second floor of the exhibition venue, seating available) (Please enter through FUJIFILM SQUARE.)
Admission	Free
Registration	Advance reservations required (first-come, first-served). Capacity: 150
How to register	*Details will be announced on the website in June.

4. “A New Experience: Honeybees Under the Microscope” (for honeybee enthusiasts)

Description	Using a digital microscope, this session projects close-up views of the internal and external anatomy of the honeybee, as well as the structure of flowers, onto a large screen with live commentary.
Speaker	Masami Sasaki (Professor Emeritus, Tamagawa University)
Date / Time	August 16 (Sun), 2026, 14:30–16:00 (reception opens at 14:00)
Venue	Special venue on the 2nd floor of FUJIFILM SQUARE (second floor of the exhibition venue, seating available) (Please enter through FUJIFILM SQUARE.)
Admission	Free
Registration	Advance reservations required (first-come, first-served). Capacity: 150
How to register	*Details will be announced on the website in June.

5. “Walking Tour: In Search of Flowers That Honeybees Love in Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi)”

Description	The honeybees kept by TBS also fly to the gardens of Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi) to gather nectar. Join us to find out which nectar-bearing plants grow there.
Speaker	Masami Sasaki (Professor Emeritus, Tamagawa University)
Date / Time	August 15 (Sat) and August 16 (Sun), 2026, from 17:00 each day *The tour will be canceled in the event of rain.
Admission	Free
Registration	No reservation required. No capacity limit.

6. Gallery Talks

Description	Beekeeper Kazuko Takahashi presents “A Honeybee Class with a Hive for Observation” and “Decoding the Figure-Eight Dance,” and Taro Maeda and Shigeki Kishi of NARO (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) present “Flowers That Make Insects Happy.”
Date and Time	Beekeeper Kazuko Takahashi: Wednesdays, August 19 and 26, 2026 Taro Maeda and Shigeki Kishi, NARO: Sundays, August 23 and 30, 2026 Each talk begins at 13:00 and runs about 30 minutes.
Venue	FUJIFILM Photo Salon Tokyo exhibition venue
Admission	Free
Registration	No reservation required. No capacity limit. *No seating is provided.

* The exhibition and events are subject to cancellation or change without notice due to unforeseen circumstances.
* Photographs and video may be taken at events and in the exhibition area for use in FUJIFILM SQUARE communications and publicity.

Honeybee Reference Area

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 14–16, during the event period, a space will be set up in the event venue on the second floor where visitors can freely consult the latest research materials and books on honeybees. Also on display will be a hive in which bees raise their young and store honey and pollen, along with the protective clothing worn during honey harvesting.

This exhibition aligns with the initiatives outlined in Goal 13: “Climate Action,” and Goal 15: “Life on Land.” By presenting photographs of animals and the natural world, we hope this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to engage with the SDGs.

[Image]Goal 13: “Climate Action,” and Goal 15: “Life on Land.”

Long-term Goals of the FUJIFILM Group

International long-term targets such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs^*1) and the Paris Agreement^*2 have been announced recently in the drive to resolve social issues. Expectations concerning the role of companies as players in resolving social issues and building a sustainable society are especially increasing. In view of these developments, the FUJIFILM Group's CSR plan, Sustainable Value Plan 2030 (SVP2030), has set as its long-term goal for 2030 to contribute to achieving the goals for resolving global social issues set by the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and other frameworks. The FUJIFILM Group believes it can make a significant contribution to 11 of the 17 SDGs listed below, and is actively pursuing specific initiatives toward their achievement.

*1 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals): Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs set out social issues to be addressed by the international community by 2030, defining 17 goals and 169 targets in areas such as the reduction of poverty, inequalities and injustice, health, education, decent work, and climate and environment.

*2 Paris Agreement: A multilateral international agreement on climate change mitigation adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), held in Paris in 2015. The agreement sets the goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

SDGs to which the FUJIFILM Group principally contributes

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A honeybee on the white blossom of a strawberry plant that will soon bear fruit (left)
Honeybees gathering nectar inside pumpkin squash flowers (right)
©Masami Sasaki

The Joy of Honeybees:
The Great Power of a Small Creature

FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo Exhibition

August 14 – September 10, 2026

FUJIFILM PHOTO SALON Space3

The Joy of Honeybees:The Great Power of a Small Creature [Concurrent Event]Summer Vacation Independent Research Event: The Amazing World of Honeybees

About the exhibition

Exhibitor's Profile

Supervisor's Profile

Corporate Partner Websites

Exhibition overview

Summer Vacation Independent Research Event: The Amazing World of Honeybees (free admission)

1. All-BEE Thanksgiving Festival by TBS Akasaka Honeybee Project

2. Lecture: “Honeybee Q&A” (for elementary and junior high school students and their guardians)

3. Lecture 1: “The World of Flowers and Bees” (for adults)Lecture 2: “How a Honeybee's Body Works” (for adults)

4. “A New Experience: Honeybees Under the Microscope” (for honeybee enthusiasts)

5. “Walking Tour: In Search of Flowers That Honeybees Love in Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi)”

6. Gallery Talks

Honeybee Reference Area

Long-term Goals of the FUJIFILM Group

EXHIBITION

The Joy of Honeybees:
The Great Power of a Small Creature

[Concurrent Event]
Summer Vacation Independent Research Event:
The Amazing World of Honeybees

3. Lecture 1: “The World of Flowers and Bees” (for adults)
Lecture 2: “How a Honeybee's Body Works” (for adults)