Stroll through a winery and its surrounding historic streets with a local guide! Includes one wine tasting.

A local guide will take you through the history of the winery, grape cultivation, winemaking, and the region’s heritage and culture—making it an enjoyable tour even for those not well-versed in wine. You’ll enter the normally closed Katashimo Winery, the oldest in western Japan, to see its nationally registered tangible cultural property storage house and vintage tools. Stroll through the vineyards and, weather permitting, toast with sparkling wine while enjoying a panoramic view of the Osaka Plain. You’ll also explore streets lined with old wooden buildings and see a giant camphor tree, designated a natural monument of Osaka Prefecture, that looks straight out of My Neighbor Totoro. The tour operates with a minimum of one participant.

Project Inauguration

With the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai in mind, this initiative was launched to help local residents learn about the region’s culture, which has continued for over 1,500 years amid ancient burial mounds, as well as its specialty products—grapes and wine. By allowing locals to witness visitors from outside the area being surprised and enchanted by its charm, the aim is to foster a greater appreciation for their own community. Tour guides, who are themselves local residents, are compensated for their work.

Project Activities

In 2023, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ “Rural and Fishing Village Innovation Support Center,” we developed this tour plan and launched it in April. It is currently listed only on the Katashimo Winery website, but with the 2025 Expo expected to attract many international visitors, it is available in both Japanese and English.

Reservations are being made from one week to several months in advance, and the tour has been very well received, with roughly equal numbers of entries in both languages.

For the English version, many guests come from wine-producing countries. Rather than focusing on how wine is made, they tend to be curious about why a winery exists in such a place, making the tour’s deep dive into history and culture especially popular.

For the Japanese version, it is favored by locals bringing guests from other regions, wine enthusiasts, and travelers seeking immersive tourism experiences where they can interact with local residents.

Future Prospects for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo

There has been a growing number of requests for small-group and private tours, a trend expected to continue as the Expo approaches. The tour has been designed as a mechanism to enhance the value of the entire community.

The guided portion lasts just under 90 minutes, allowing people with limited availability to serve as guides. As more guests visit the area, local residents have started opening businesses such as coffee shops and honey stores.

Kashiwara City is home to nationally recognized Japan Heritage sites, and collaboration with these sites is ongoing. The momentum of the Expo is expected to accelerate this trend, helping Kashiwara shine as a uniquely appealing city.