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■Yamanashi Press Tour (November 22, 2010)
～Challenges of "Yamanashi Brand" created by rich natural environment, forests and water～

 

 

 

 

Yamanashi Governor Shomei Yokouchi
Yamanashi Prefecture lies in a basin which is surrounded by steep mountains as much as 3000 meters high, including Mt. Fuji. Therefore, the summers are very hot and the winters are very cold. The high percentage of clear weather helps produce a variety of quality fruits. Another famous product of Yamanashi is mineral water. We have approx. 40% of the share, which is the highest production in Japan. The prefecture is surrounded by high mountains from which comes high quality water. This means that we can also produce excellent wine here. I would particularly like to recommend Koshu wine to you. Koshu wine is a white wine which is made from Koshu grapes. Koshu grapes have been cultivated for more than 1000 years in Yamanashi.

 

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Mr. Shigekazu Misawa, President of Chuo Budoshu Winery
Koshu wine has won international respect because of its originality. It goes well with healthy food like Japanese dishes. Koshu wine was officially certified by OIV, the International Organization of Vine and Wine, in this past April, which means we can display the name “Koshu” on our wine labels for the European market. Koshu finally debuted on the London market this July.

 

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Ichikawa Daimon has been famous as a production center of washi--Japanese paper-- since the Heian period (794-1192). Even now, this region is a major paper production area with 40% share of all the paper screens in Japan. Onao, a well-established washi manufacturer based in this area, continues producing washi using an approx. 50-year-old paper processing machine, which is rare in the country. 

 

Mr. Yoshinori Ichinose, Director/Owner of Onao
Here are a variety of products which are to celebrate the New Year. The Chinese zodiac animal for next year is the Hare. We make several New Year celebratory products with paper which is processed by machine. We have basically made Japanese style products until recently; however, we have had a strong desire to introduce our traditional products overseas. Three years ago we started making new-style products such as bags with the help of Mr. Naoto Fukasawa, a world-renowned industrial designer from Yamanashi. We made an appearance in Maison & Objet Paris, the largest international home decoration exhibition in Europe, with our new product line “SIWA”. I think it may take some time but I believe SIWA will become popular.