Lying at the foot of the mighty Mount Fiji, Yamanashi is Japan's prime wine producing region. The landlocked Yamanashi boasts fertile soil, ideal for vine growing. Some of the regional wineries open for visitors and offering wine tasting tours include Vintage Farm and Charmat Wine in Hokuto-Shi, Sadoya Wine and Chateau Sakaori in Kofu-Shi, Okunota Wine and Chatearu Katsunuma in Koshu-Shi, Suzuram Winery and Lumiere Winery in Fuefuki-shi. Koshu-city in Yamanashi prefecture is one of the few regions in Japan which in 2010 declaired their own AOC system to protect the name of local wines ensuring the wines produced there are 100% Japanese without the use of imported ingredients.
What makes a wine tour to Yamanashi even more appealing is its proximity to Tokyo. Yamanashi can be easily reached via a direct bus ride from central Tokyo or via a more picturesque railway ride on Fujikyu railway.
Wine is not the only attraction of the region with hiking, climbing, fishing, camping and hot springs being within an easy reach.
Yamanashi, The Most Popular Destination for Wine Tourism in Japan
News in Asia
Wine tourism is gaining momentum all around the world and if traditional old school European wines and their counterparts from Napa Valley and beyond look too boring, head to Japan instead.