Since he was in kindergarten, Eita Nishitarumizu traveled Japan with his beekeeper parents as they sought out the country's most flavorful honey.

Now 26, Eita, whose family runs the Nishitarumizu Bee Garden based in Minamikyushu, Kagoshima Prefecture, is the one his family relies on to traverse the Japanese archipelago from their home in the south to the town of Bifuka, Hokkaido, in the north to produce the high-quality honey they sell.

Known as migratory beekeepers, their method became widespread in Japan after the Taisho Era (1912-1926). But the number of beekeeper families has dwindled due to a graying populace and fewer plants that produce the all-important nectar.