ABOUT
History of the Yatsugatake Mountains
Between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago, Jomon culture flourished here, and the area is also known as Jomon Ginza. It also has a history of flourishing as the territory of Shingen Takeda, a warlord of the Warring States period, some 500 years ago. The famous Battle of Kawanakajima, or Shingen's Stick Road, an ancient road along which Shingen Takeda's cavalry troop rode as a shortcut to Kyoto, runs through the grounds of the Kaw Ikigai Village. Riding out and trekking on this stick road heals us with a sense of history.
In 1945, after Japan's defeat in World War II, many young men who had served overseas returned home. Masayoshi Sugimoto, who returned to Japan after the war, set up a private school called Gokunan Gijuku in the Kobuchizawa pioneer area and later ran an orthodox horse-riding school called Eucalyptus Farm. This was the birthplace of the equestrian culture in Kobuchizawa. The Eucalyptus Farm is now the Kobuchizawa Country Riding Club.
In 1966, Masao Nakazawa, who had been running an animal testing laboratory and breeding animals at Fuji Animal Farm Ltd. (now Fuji Ginen Tech Farm and Simic Bioresearch), opened the Kobuchisawa Riding School to teach dressage in earnest, a hobby of his apart from his main business. The Kobuchisawa Riding School was established in 1966. At the time, the Kobuchisawa Riding School was a mecca for training camps for university equestrian clubs from all over the country. The Kobuchisawa Riding School was later succeeded by the current Narita Riding Club, a facility with a full-fledged indoor riding stable. The Yamanashi Equestrian Stadium opened in 1983, and the equestrian events were held here for the 1986 Kaiji National Athletic Meet. In the 1988 historical drama 'Takeda Shingen', local horsemen cooperated to create a battle scene using horses, taking advantage of the magnificent nature of the Yatsugatake Mountains, and the footage from that scene is still passed down to this day as a full-scale cavalry battle scene. The cool summer temperatures and the grandeur of nature are extremely comfortable for the horses, and the area has become a favorite destination for horse riding enthusiasts, who can easily ride outside. In terms of the number of riding facilities, riders, and horses, Kobuchizawa is one of the best in Japan and a rare example of a 'horse town, Kobuchizawa' in the world
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01
NATURE
Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan; the Southern Alps with Kitadake, the second highest mountain; and the Yatsugatake Mountains—the landscape of this place should make it a place for international conferences and international workers' IKIGAI. The southern foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains are known as a picturesque place blessed with wonderful nature, with the most hours of sunshine in Japan and one-third of the country's drinking water being produced here, but at the time of settlement, the area was a harsh wilderness, and the people who cultivated it had to endure an extraordinary amount of hardship. We cherish our mission to preserve this natural environment for future generations.
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02
ART
Hokuto City is home to the largest number of art galleries and museums in Japan relative to its population. The Nakamura Keith Haring Museum, the Seishun Museum of Art and the Ikuo Hirayama Museum of Art are among the best known. Many artists, ceramicists and musicians have also moved to the area.
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03
AGRICULTURE
Blessed with abundant sunshine, the region produces highland vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, melons, rice, peaches, grapes, and, more recently, wine grapes. Not to be forgotten here are the wine, sake, and whisky breweries, which produce world-class wine, sake, and whisky.
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04
WATER
Southern Alps Natural Water provides one-third of Japan's drinking water and quality water, the source of life, is the source that revitalizes the life force. Here we have a rich source of water that is also used for trout farming in the villages.
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05
WEATHER
We believe that sunlight gives us humans the most power out of anything else. With the most hours of sunshine in Japan, spending time here it self can revitalize your strength and energize you.