"Monster Hunter Wilds," "Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A," "Kirby Air Riders,"... and the Nintendo Switch 2.
In 2025, so many blockbuster games were released, stealing the hearts, time, and money of gamers like us, that we couldn't finish playing them.
And just like that, it's December.
While temperatures have dropped considerably and the shadow of winter is closing in with the first snow observed across Japan, the autumn leaves are displaying their final colors.
The Committee for the Promotion of Orderly Inbound Tourism carried out the Yamanashi Prefecture Project on Friday, November 28, and Saturday, November 29, 2025.
Chinese-speaking influencers Fu Yumeng (付 玉蒙) (Weibo) and Xiaohua Jiangya (小花 醤鴨) (RedNote) participated and experienced the charms of Yamanashi Prefecture.
Chinese-Speaking Influencers Experience the Charms of Yamanashi
今日は #山梨県民の日 マル🗻/
11月20日は甲府県が山梨県に改められたことを記念した、山梨県の記念日マル！！博物館や科学館、美術館などの県有施設が無料になったり、山梨県内でもイベントが開催されているマルよ～🐶✨
みんなは、お休みマル？マルは今日もお仕事マル～💪… pic.twitter.com/tga1kMMt8S— 武田菱丸【公式】 (@t_hishimaru) November 20, 2025
The number of foreign visitors to Japan has been remarkable in recent years, with new records being set every month.
Amidst this growth, issues stemming from differences in manners, culture, and language have become a challenge for many regions.
Both the benefits and drawbacks of inbound tourism policies are starting to appear.
The Committee for the Promotion of Orderly Inbound Tourism is seriously addressing this issue by cooperating with influencers to increase the number of individual travelers welcomed by local communities.
For this third installment, they visited Koshu City, Fuefuki City, and Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture—cities that offer rich nature and year-round sightseeing experiences while being easily accessible from the city center.
Day 1 Focuses on Wine Culture and Cuisine
The destination was only about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Shinjuku Station via the JR East Limited Express Kaiji.
As the name suggests, grape farms and wineries line the area around Katsunuma Budōkyō Station, where the influencers quickly arrived.
The two influencers began their coverage after being welcomed by Takeda Hishimaru (@t_hishimaru), the captain of the Mt. Fuji Country Yamanashi Tourism Caravan Team.
At "Budou no Oka" (Grape Hill), a famous tourist attraction and symbol of the area, they enjoyed dishes made with local ingredients at an observation wine restaurant nestled in nature.
They also toured the storage space at the adjacent underground wine cellar, where over 100 brands of wine are displayed.
In the afternoon, they visited the "Oohikage Tunnel Promenade," which repurposes the former facilities of the JR Chuo Main Line, and the "Former Takano Family Residence (Kanzō Yashiki)," designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
The residence is said to have been named Kanzō Yashiki (Licorice Residence) because licorice (kanzō), a medicinal plant, was cultivated and delivered to the shogunate during the era of Tokugawa Yoshimune. It retains the appearance of a private house and estate from the late Edo period.
For dinner, they enjoyed charcoal-grilled cuisine using Koshu's proud brand meats (Koshu Beef, Koshu Wine Beef, and Koshu Jidori local chicken) along with seasonal vegetables at "Kazan."
Day 2 Focuses on Popular Experiential Content
Day 2 began at the "Kikyō Shingen Mochi Factory Theme Park."
This popular program allows visitors to participate in an all-you-can-pack event for Kikyō Shingen Mochi, a classic local souvenir, for only 220 yen per bag!
Visitors can also learn about the manufacturing process and the history of the local brand at the facility.
Next, at the "Marusa Marche Fuefuki Store," they experienced making original parfaits with seasonal fruits and creating lip and hand cream using natural ingredients like beeswax and almond oil.
In addition to the delicious food nurtured by nature, the region's wide availability of hands-on activities is another one of Yamanashi Prefecture's charms.
At "Chōjumura Gonroku" and "Museum café Sweets lab Budōya Kofu," they sampled pumpkin hōtō, a local Yamanashi dish, and sweets made with seasonal fruits.
They concluded the two days with a luxurious course that offered a taste of both the traditional and modern sides of Yamanashi Prefecture.
Aiming to Increase the Number of Orderly Individual Travelers
Through this experience, the two influencers provided the following comments: "We realized the splendor of Yamanashi's rich nature, diverse tourism resources, the warmth of the local people, and the regional food culture" and "Going forward, we want to communicate the charms of Yamanashi overseas through social media and increase the number of travelers welcomed by the local community while promoting an understanding of local culture and manners."
The Committee for the Promotion of Orderly Inbound Tourism is an organization that conducts educational activities aimed at improving the quality of inbound tourism from overseas.
The organization is expected to continue various activities in the future, with the goals of solving inbound tourism issues, facilitating smooth international exchange, and establishing sustainable local communities.
