iCLA students visited the grape vineyards of Monde Winery for a hand-on experience learning about Viniculture, the production of grapes for winemaking, under iCLA’s iEXPerience Program. The group of students were joined by Professor Ryo Furuya of Yamanashi Gakuin University’s Faculty of Business Administration and his seminar students.
Yamanashi is Japan’s top producer of wine made with grapes grown in Japan. Yamanashi boasts more than 90 wineries in the prefecture, producing 30% of all Japanese wine made nationally.
The program started off with an informative lecture about the agricultural industry in Yamanashi from Professor Furuya. The lecture covered topics such as Yamanashi’s most popular agricultural products, trends in the agricultural industry, and the business of wine production in Yamanashi. He also discussed the current events in Japan’s agricultural industry, such as the recent lack of rice availability in Japan.
Students were able to appreciate agriculture practices in Yamanashi first-hand at Monde Winery’s vineyards located in Akeno, Hokuto City. Students harvested grapes alongside winery staff at Monde Winery’s vineyard located an hour’s drive from the Yamanashi Gakuin University campus. The geography of the area is ideal for growing grapes, with many hours of sunlight, little rainfall due to the high mountains, and optimal soil conditions. The particular grape varieties that were harvested was “Fuji no Kagayaki” (also known as Black Shine Muscat) grown inside a greenhouse, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for wine production grown in the trellis vineyard. The students carefully cut off split or shriveled grapes so only the best ones were being sold or used to produced wine.
The iEXPerience Program, which is organized semesterly by iCLA, typically includes visits to culturally or historically important places around the prefecture with the aim for students to deepen their understanding of Yamanashi Prefecture and Japan. Students have the opportunity to experience arts or cultural activities with guidance from local experts in the field or iCLA and Yamanashi Gakuin University’s professors specializing in the subject.
The program provided an educational lecture and a hands-on experience of viniculture in Yamanashi. Through the program, iCLA students could interact with Monde Winery’s professionals in the viniculture industry, as well as Professor Furuya and his students in the Faculty of Business Administration.
Links
iEXPerience: Traditional Japanese Culture Workshops
iEXPerience: Wadaiko with Nirasaki Technical High School
iEXPerience: Local Temple Tour and Haiku Workshop
iEXPerience: Visit to Lumiere Winery to Learn about Yamanashi Wine Industry
iEXPerience: iCLA Students Visit Erinji Temple
iEXPerience: Erinji Temple for Tea Ceremony and Calligraphy Experience