01.
About 85% of the farms grow fruit, with the largest output of grapes and peaches in Japan.
About 85% of all farms in the Kyoto region (7,636 households) grow fruit, and in 2014, the region produced 70,570 tons of grapes and peaches, with a production value of 36.7 billion yen. This accounts for about 18% and 25% of the total domestic output of grapes and peaches, respectively.
Most of the farms in the Kyoto region are small, family-run businesses. With an area of around 0.7 ha of arable land per farm—small even by world standards—these farms have developed a highly productive agricultural system based on a meticulous manual approach to farm operations that achieves stable production of high value-added, high-quality fruit.
As a result, the fruit grown in the Kyoto region is held in high esteem not only in Japan but also overseas, and in 2014, the average farm income per 0.1 ha was 145,700 yen—2.4 times the Japanese average of 61,900 yen—making Kyoto one of the most productive regions in the country.
02.
“Korogaki” dried persimmons and Koshu wine, our leading processed fruit products, have also developed into tourism industries.
With a 400-year history, production of dried persimmons, known as “korogaki,” has been passed on and maintained to this day as an important source of supplementary income for farmers during the winter season, when other fruits are not harvested, and as a means of diversifying weather-related risk and dispersing labor.
The Kyoto region’s wine industry, which dates back 140 years, is the biggest in Japan—home to more than 60 wineries of various sizes producing their own unique wines. Almost 7,000 tons of grapes are shipped for winemaking each year, providing an important source of income for farmers.
The annual value of grapes shipped for wine production is about 12.8 billion yen (figure for 2014), accounting for 17% of the total volume for Japan, while the wineries have created more than 800 jobs, contributing greatly to the local economy.
Further to this, fruit tourism has grown into a unique industry in the Kyoto region, with 334 farms operating fruit tourism facilities centered on grapes, cherries, peaches, and other fruits, which in 2015 drew in 1.25 million visitors and generated consumption in excess 2.6 billion yen.
