insights from frontier Japan

Ikeda Wine Castle in the town of Ikeda in the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido added four venison dishes to its restaurant’s menu in November, as part of a ‘Hokkaido venison fair’. “We have prepared a venison dish that is perfect with our ‘Yamasachi’ wine. We hope people will enjoy how much they complement each other,” said head chef Nishina Naoya.

The work of thinning-down the ‘Yamasachi’ vines – developed especially for wine-making – is reaching its peak in the vineyards of Chiyoda in the town of Ikeda in the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido.

"Daichi" (Obihiro City) is a company that operates the resort facility "Tokachi Makibanoie" in the town of Ikeda in Eastern Hokkaido's Tokachi region. It recently built three sauna structures in Ikeda. The saunas are "wine barrel saunas" made by reusing giant barrels previously used for aging wine.

To promote the June 9 "Rosé on the Rocks Day", the Ikeda Town Tourist Association in Eastern Hokkaido's Tokachi region is sponsoring a campaign from June 9 to 30 gifting Townsperson Rosé Wine to 15 people.

‘Tokapuchi 400’, a cycle route with an excellent riding environment from which the magnificent natural landscapes of the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido can be enjoyed, has been selected as one of Japan’s National Cycle Routes. It is the first route in Hokkaido to be selected as such.

Export certification organization National Research Institute of Brewing (Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture) announced on November 19 that the original winemaking grape "Yamasachi" has been registered as a grape variety by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV, Paris). The grape variety was developed by eastern Hokkaido's Ikeda-cho Grape and Wine Research Institute.

Tokachi Wine from eastern Hokkaido's Ikeda Town started selling "Qvevri" on November 13 in Ikeda Town only. The production style is a traditional method from Georgia of the former Soviet Union, said to be the birthplace of wine.

Tokachi Wine in eastern Hokkaido's Ikeda Town started processing grapes for this year's wine on September 25.