The face of a Kumabachi, Xylocopa appendiculata, a carpenter bee, in Japan. Though these carpenter bees are quite large 22mm and fly with a low droning sound, they are typically non-aggressive. Don't mess with them in your hands though, females can sting and both they and the males can still bite with mandibles they use to carve nests out of wood! Leave a way for the bee to escape, move slowly and you can get quite close.
European honey bee, Apis mellifera, common and introduced all over the world did to it's ease of keeping, high production of honey and for pollination of agricultural plants.
Long Horned Bumble Bee Eucera nipponensis, enjoying the lavender in the garden, a wonderfully fuzzy bee is a solitary ground nesting bee. This one's antennae aren't particularly long, identifying it as female. The male bees have antennae nearly as long as their entire body!
From the top:
I haven't been able to identify this bee with much confidence. But it is the smallest bee I've seen at about 8mm! I thought it was some small fly when I spotted it, but looking closely it's definately a bee. I took the photo in Osaka, so if you know what kind of bee it is, I'd be grateful for your help in identifying it.
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