Jul 17, 2020 (soranews24.com) - In Japan, just about every city boasts at least one local specialty, where the climate, soil composition and geographical location combine to create the perfect growing conditions for a particular product.
It’s the reason why biscuits containing eel are so popular in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture and almond butter is sought after in Hyogo’s Himeji City. And in a city called Shiojiri in Nagano Prefecture, the claim to fame that draws visitors from far and wide is wine grapes.
The city is so famous for grape production that it can also lay claim to another unique feature: it’s home to Japan’s one and only station platform vineyard. Designed to catch the attention of visitors from the very moment they step foot in the city, the vineyard is tended to by Japan Rail staff, along with volunteers and members of the city’s tourist association, under the guidance of Shiojiri grape farmers.
The wine grapes produced in Shiojiri City have earned an extremely high reputation in Japan, led by the world-famous “Kikyogahara Merlot“, produced in Kikyogahara, which retails for well over 10,000 yen (US$93.49) per bottle.
The grapes cultivated on the platform are the red Merlot variety and the white Niagara variety, which will be harvested in autumn and used to make Shinshu wine. Shinshu, an old name for Nagano, is one of Japan’s leading wine-producing regions, making wines from the area highly sought after throughout the country.
