BUNACO is a brand of woodcrafts carefully handcrafted one by one from beech trees in Aomori Prefecture, which boasts the largest accumulation of beech trees in Japan, using a unique and original manufacturing process.

Beech is a tree with excellent water retention capacity, so much so that it is called “natural dam.” However, because of the high water content in its trunk, as a building material, it is prone to distortion and rotting, making it difficult to dry with conventional techniques. In order to make effective use of such Aomori beech, BUNACO has developed a unique technique of rolling beech wood in tape form like a coil and extruding and molding it. Various forms can be created by changing the way the tape is wound and shifted.

BUNACO CAFÉ and BUNACO Nishimeya Factory opened in April 2017 in Nishimeya Village, Aomori Prefecture, in a building reused from the former Nishimeya Elementary School. The factory produces a wide variety of products, including lampshades and tableware, using a unique process of slicing beech wood into thin strips, processing them into tape, and rolling them up. In a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of an elementary school, visitors can tour the factory and try their hand at making products, and experience the craftsmanship up close and personal.

There is also a store where you can find vintage BUNACO and other items that you can only find here.

BUNACO CAFÉ is a space renovated from a former elementary school lunchroom, and BUNACO products are placed throughout the store. The distinctive table in the shape of Aomori Prefecture is particularly eye-catching.

The menu includes light meals such as Neapolitan-style Nishimeya Honey Pizza made with 100% honey from Nishimeya and honey baum. Also popular is the “Do-It-Yourself” Mont Blanc of Nishimeya Japanese chestnuts, a marron paste made from Japanese chestnuts and honey produced in Nishimeya, which you can squeeze and finish yourself.

BUNACO CAFÉ is open from 10:00 to 15:30 (last order 15:00) on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays when BUNACO Nishimeya factory is open. In addition, regular business days in FY2024 will be until Saturday, November 9, and thereafter will be closed for the winter season until around spring 2025.

▶Access

◆By Car: 30 minutes from Hirosaki Station.

◆By Konan Bus: Take “Ankumon Shirakami” (Tsugaru Pass) [Operating period: June 1 – end of October] and get off at “Nishimeya-mura Yakuba mae” (4-minute walk) https://www.konanbus.com/7652.html

Or

Take Hirosaki – Nishimeya-mura Yakuba line [Operating period: June 1 – end of November] and get off at “Nishimeya-mura Yakuba mae” (4-minute walk) https://www.konanbus.com/6709.html