Kamiyotsubaki is a rare camellia oil that uses only seeds of fully ripe Yabu Tsubaki, or wild camellia variety indigenous to Japan, harvested in the gardens on Toshima Island in Tokyo under a thorough traceability system, which are then carefully pressed and refined to ensure that active ingredients contained in the seeds are retained. As of November 2020, Kamiyotsubaki Shizuku is the only camellia oil product in Japan that carries the COSMOS-certified signature, which is a universal standard that guarantees environmental-friendly production. Toshima Island is covered in camellia groves where some 200,000 trees bloom in winter coloring the island in red all around. Being the largest producer of camellia in Japan, several products such as camellia oils are manufactured, making it the most famous camellia island in the world. Camellia trees have served as windbreaker to protect the life of the islanders since long ago and now have become an important economic pillar of the entire island. With a long history of 300 years in Toshima, Camellia is an integral part of the island. For example, during the Edo period (1603-1867), camellia oil was exchanged for cash to pay tribute tax.
Only extract from the seeds of Yabu Tsubaki is used for the camellia oils produced on the island. Due to the geological features, cultivation and refining method unique to the island, the oils are very rare and boast distinctive characteristics that are distinguished from other products derived from camellia seed oil obtained from foreign varieties such as Camellia oleifera commonly known as the oil-seed camellia or tea oil camellia.