Travel Feature on Yamanashi, Japan

feature
Yamanashi
A Bountiful Harvest:
Produce from
When you visit Yamanashi, one thing’s for sure - you’ll never go hungry.
Surrounded by mountains and pristine spring water, the quality of the
local produce is nothing short of excellent.
If you’ll like a preview of some of the
best dishes from Yamanashi, book
yourselves into the Tokiwa Hotel.
Located in the Yumura hot spring area
of Yamanashi Prefecture, this hotel
has a history dating back at least
1,000 years and has served
generations of the Imperial family,
foreign nobility, as well as other
esteemed artists and writers.
Dining at the Tokiwa Hotel is an
immersive experience in itself. The
kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef
Hideji Ono, who has over 40 years of
culinary experience. Chef Ono uses
only the freshest regional produce in
his cuisine. Some noteworthy dishes
include local Koshu beef cooked on a
lava stone hot plate (the lava is
extracted from Mount Fuji) and “Kai
salmon” steamed in hot spring water.
Despite its name, this is not actually a
salmon; it is a local river trout and Kai
is the old name for Yamanashi. Also
served here in Autumn is the classic
Dobinmushi (teapot soup), which
comes with slices of Matsutake
mushroom. Matsutake mushrooms are
a delicacy, and their subtle fragrance
lends the soup a beautiful aroma.
As its moniker — “kingdom of
fruit” — suggests, Yamanashi is home
to a rich diversity of fruits and
vegetables. During your stay on
Yamanashi, you can enjoy freshest
veggies such as okra, yam, and
burdock, prepared in a variety of
styles. For fruits, take your pick from
Koshu grapes, plums, peaches,
strawberries, and Japanese pears.
In the following pages, we pay a
visit to some of these local producers
and find out more about what makes
Yamanashi prefecture such a great
place for agriculture.
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The entrance hall of Tokiwa Hotel. The view from
the window captures the beauty of famed traditional
Japanese garden throughout the year. Established in
1929, Tokiwa Hotel has hosted many members of
the royal family and foreign diplomatic visitors.
K
ofu, the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, is located in a
valley surrounded by many mountains. The rainwater from
the mountains washes away the good soil, making it hard for
rice cultivation. However, the rocky ground that is left behind
is great for growing fruit, which is why Yamanashi is the top region for
fruit production in Japan. At Tokiwa Hotel, we are lucky to have ready
access to such great produce so our guests can sample them through our
chef’s cooking.” - Hiromi Sasamoto Lawson, Tokiwa Hotel
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feature
Yamanashi
Fresh Produce
from
What is it about Yamanashi Prefecture
that makes it such a great source of fresh
produce? We speak to local food
producers for their secrets.
Wine Beef by Kobayashi Bokujo
At 1,100m above sea level, this farm is located on the
highest point of Kai City. Here, some 1,300 cows enjoy
a leisurely existence with beautiful spring water from
the mountains and a special feed consisting of grape
husks, and non-genetically modified corn and soybean
husks.
When you think of Wagyu beef, you
automatically think of marbling and high fat content.
However, with wine beef, the focus is not on the fat.
According to the owner Mr
Teruo Kobayashi, the enzymes
from the grape husks consumed
by the cows contain
antioxidants that minimises
any gamey smell from the meat.
The result is beef that has less
marbling than Wagyu beef but
with a richer, more complex
flavour.
Fruits at Peach Senka Yamashita
Stretching out over seven hectares of farmland, Peach
Senka Yamashita is one of the biggest fruit farms in
Yamanashi Prefecture. About six hectares of this farmland
is dedicated to the cultivation of peaches. Because peaches
require plenty of sunshine and a good amount of rain in
order to flourish, the climate in Yamanashi is perfect for
peach cultivation. In fact, Yamanashi Prefecture is the
number one producer of peaches in Japan, with 33.1
percent of peaches being from the region. The owners have
also opened a small cafe within the farm compound – La
Casa Della Pesca, where you can sample a delectable range
of fruit-based desserts such as peach toast with
gelato and grape pizza. Psst … the gelato here
is homemade and absolutely
yummy!
Eggs by
Kurofuji Farm
At this farm, they produce
three types of eggs –
organic, free-range, and
Sakura (where the
chickens are kept in cages
but still receive adequate
sunshine and are able to
breathe freely). In an
unpaid blind taste test,
celebrity chef Joël
Robuchon chose Kurofuji Farm’s organic eggs three times consecutively!
What makes their eggs so great? With a strict policy of not using genetically
modified grains, the owners Mr Yohei and Kazuki Mukoyama use a specific
chicken feed that include rice husks, seaweed, and lactobacillus. They are also
currently exploring including chlorophyll in the feed, as it can help stabilise the
chickens’ digestive systems and improve the overall colour and flavour of the
eggs. The owners believe that when animals are raised in a clean and stress-free
environment, they are more likely to produce good produce.
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Food Producer
Lumiere Winery
Although Yamanashi’s mild weather and fertile soil make it an ideal location for
winemaking, it was only about 140 years ago during the Meiji Restoration
period that the government started encouraging wine production in the
Yamanashi region. This was largely due to the fact that Yamanashi was
already well known for its top-quality grapes.
Lumiere is a family-owned winery that was established in 1885.
Today, they sit on three hectares of land surrounded by picturesque
landscapes of mountains and rivers. Each year, Lumiere Winery produces
300kl of wine, of which two-thirds are produced using grapes native to
Yamanashi. The wines from Lumiere have consistently clinched awards at
top wine competitions in Europe since 1967.
According to Shigeki Kida, president and CEO of Lumiere Winery, there is a
rising public inclination towards white wine and rosé, mainly because
Japanese
cuisine and other Asian cuisines are also
rising in popularity. The subtler flavours of
white wine and rosé are better suited for
these cuisines. Kida says, “At Lumiere
Winery, we create wines that match the
sensitive, subtle flavours of Japanese
cuisine. For example, our Koshu white wine
has a lot of character but is still delicate on
your palate.” At the winery, you may sample
their wines alongside fine cuisine at the
beautiful Zelkova restaurant.
Grapes farm
at Budou Batake
Organic Vegetables at Tamana
This humble roadside stall sells a dizzying selection of
organic vegetables, from corn to potatoes and eggplant
to tomatoes. From the first bite of these vegetables,
you’ll be able to taste their freshness and goodness.
According to Toshihito Miura, the owner of Tamana,
even people who usually dislike vegetables are fans of
the vegetables he cultivates. The secret, he says, lies in
the soil he uses. The soil on his farm is a mix of rice
husks and droppings from an organic chicken farm and
a free-range cow farm. As such, the soil is full of
minerals, which is vital for the flourishing of crops. At
the back of the shop, there is an outdoor grill where
Miura will grill a selection of freshly picked veggies for
you. The vegetables are so delicious you won’t need any
dressing; they’re good enough on their own!
A visit to Yamanashi Prefecture is not
complete without a visit to a grape farm. On
these grape farms, you’ll be able to pick your
own grapes and enjoy them on the spot. Each
farm has its own varieties of grapes, such as
Kyoho, Pione, or Koshu. Some farms even
sell a selection of grape products such as
raisins, wines, and fresh grape juice.
Budou Batake is owned by Hitoshi
Mimori, and apart from fresh fruit, the farm
sells home-brewed wine and homemade jam.
Check out our OISHII TV
on YouTube for awesome video clip!
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