Yamanashi — Land of Wine and Fruits
Nature & Hidden Fuji Views

Yamanashi — Land of Wine and Fruits

The homeland of Japanese wine, Shosenkyo Gorge, and fruit orchards with views of Mount Fuji

Slow harvest

Gentle Harvest — The Flow of Time in Yamanashi

Upon entering Yamanashi, the air feels different. The dry wind blowing from Fuji and the coolness descending from the Southern Alps meet in the Kofu basin. At this crossroads of wind and water, people planted grapes.

At the beginning of the Meiji era, two young men brought winemaking techniques from France, which took root on the slopes of Katsunuma. One hundred and forty-five years have passed since then. Even today, the harvest here is never rushed. Peaches ripen on the branches, and grapes are picked only when they are fully infused with sunlight. In sake breweries, they simply wait as water passes through granite for nearly thirty years.

To wait is to believe. Trust in the land and in time becomes fruit, becomes sake, becomes wine. Perhaps a visit to Yamanashi is a chance, if only for a moment, to touch this “time of waiting.”

Additional options

 

  • Sasaichi Brewery (Otsuki city): private tour and tasting of the "Dan" series — founded in 1661, uses Mt. Fuji spring water "Gozen-sui" 
  • Yamanashi Meijo (Shichiken / Shirazu-cho, Hokuto city): private tour and tasting of Alain Ducasse Sparkling — founded in 1750, uses Southern Alps spring water "Hakushu no Mizu" from Mt. Kaikoma 
    *The Hakushu area is about an hour's drive from Katsunuma. Visiting both breweries in one day takes a total of 11–12 hours
  • Seasonal fruit picking (cherry, peach, grape)
  • Takeda Shrine and a Sengoku-era history walk in Kofu (sites associated with Takeda Shingen)
  • Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art — "The Sower" by Millet and other works of the Barbizon school
  • Visit to a crystal craft workshop (Koshu crystal gemstone craft)
  • Sightseeing helicopter tour over Mt. Fuji
  • Plan to extend your stay by one night in a ryokan
  • Autumn foliage photo tour (late October — mid-November)
  • Scenic route through the Southern Alps

*Please note that meals and additional options are not included in the price of this tour.