Morey, founder and local guide at Winery Tours Japan, hosting private wine tours in Yamanashi.
Winery Tours Japan is a locally based private wine-tour operator in Yamanashi, specializing in private winery and wine-tasting tours in the Koshu Valley for international visitors.
Founded in 2015 by Morey, Winery Tours Japan grew from years of living in the region, exploring its wineries and wines, and developing longstanding relationships throughout the local wine community. Today, Morey personally plans and leads private tours designed to help guests experience Yamanashi as a wine region, not simply move from one tasting room to another.
Meet Morey
I have lived in Japan for more than three decades and have spent about 15 years living in Yamanashi’s Koshu Valley. Over that time, I have come to know the region through its wineries and wines, but also through its food, agriculture, history, culture, mountains, temples, and everyday local life.
As a Bilingual English-Speaking Local Guide, my role is not simply to take guests from winery to winery. I personally plan and lead the tours, help bridge language and cultural differences, explain the wines and the region in an approachable way, and adjust the pace to the people I am guiding.
Guests come to Yamanashi with very different levels of wine knowledge. Some are tasting Japanese wine for the first time. Others have traveled through wine regions around the world or studied wine in considerable depth. I enjoy both. My aim is to make the day informative without making it formal or intimidating and to give each guest the context they need to understand what they are tasting and where it comes from.
Local Knowledge and Winery Relationships
Yamanashi’s Koshu Valley includes areas such as Katsunuma and Enzan and is home to a diverse mix of small family-run wineries, historic producers, and larger established estates. Each winery has its own history, wine styles, people, schedule, and way of welcoming visitors.
An important part of Winery Tours Japan is the network of relationships Morey has developed throughout this local wine community. These relationships have grown naturally through years of living in the region, visiting wineries, tasting wines, talking with producers and staff, and following the development of Yamanashi wine over time.
Guests frequently mention the warm reception they experience at wineries and the value these local relationships add to their day. Depending on the winery and the circumstances, there may be opportunities to speak with owners, winemakers, or other members of the winery team.
Those encounters can add considerable depth to a visit, but they are never presented as guaranteed. Winery schedules, staffing, harvest work, and availability change from day to day, and part of good local planning is knowing when to adapt.
A Private Tour Planned Around You
Winery Tours Japan does not approach every guest with exactly the same itinerary.
Some visitors want to focus on Koshu. Others are interested in Japanese red wines, boutique producers, historic wineries, different winemaking techniques, food, local culture, or simply a relaxed introduction to Yamanashi wine country.
Those interests help shape the wineries selected and the pace of the day. A typical full-day private tour visits several wineries, usually five, but the aim is not to collect stops. It is to put together a balanced day in which the wineries, wines, local lunch, travel between locations, and time available all work together.
Flexibility also matters once the tour has started. Guests may discover a particular wine style they want to explore further, enjoy one location more than expected, or encounter a change in winery availability. Where practical, the day can adapt rather than being tied unnecessarily to a rigid schedule.
This personal approach works equally well for couples, solo travelers, small private groups, experienced wine enthusiasts, people discovering Japanese wine for the first time, and guests visiting Yamanashi for a special occasion.
Experiencing Yamanashi Beyond the Tasting Room
Wine in Yamanashi is closely connected to agriculture, food, family businesses, history, landscape, and everyday life in the Koshu Valley.
Morey’s local knowledge extends beyond wine to Japanese history and culture, local food, temples, mountain areas, nature, and other parts of Yamanashi. Understanding those connections helps give context to the wineries and wines rather than treating them as something separate from the place where they are produced.
When it fits naturally into the day, a tour may include a scenic viewpoint, a cultural stop, a roadside fruit stand, or another local experience encountered along the way. These moments are not packaged or promised in advance. They are part of the flexibility that comes from exploring the region with someone who lives locally and knows it well.
Firsthand Knowledge of Japanese Wine
Winery Tours Japan also publishes guides to Japanese wine and wine travel, including Yamanashi wineries, the Koshu grape, regional varieties, wine styles, and other Japanese wine regions.
That information is not separate from the tour business. It grows from the same firsthand experience behind the tours: visiting producers, tasting wines across different wineries, vintages, and styles, speaking with people in the wine community, and observing how Japanese wine continues to develop.
The goal of these guides is to make Japanese wine easier for international visitors to understand and to provide useful context for people who are planning a visit, have already toured with us, or simply want to learn more about a wine culture that remains relatively unfamiliar outside Japan.
What Guests Notice About Winery Tours Japan
Guests have joined Winery Tours Japan from around the world and with very different expectations and levels of wine experience.
Across their reviews, several themes appear repeatedly: personal attention, flexible planning, knowledge of Japanese wine and Yamanashi, strong relationships within the winery community, thoughtful winery selection, local food, practical help, good conversation, and a relaxed pace.
Guests also frequently mention the value of experiencing different kinds of producers, learning about Japanese wine without the day feeling overly formal, and discovering places and aspects of Yamanashi that would have been difficult to experience in the same way independently.
Rather than summarize those experiences for them, you can read what guests have said in their own words on our Winery Tours Japan Customer Reviews page.
Our Approach
Winery Tours Japan is intentionally small and personal. The focus is on providing a well-planned private experience rather than moving large numbers of visitors through a standardized itinerary.
We believe a good tour needs enough structure to run smoothly while still leaving room for conversation, discovery, and the unexpected moments that often become the most memorable part of visiting a region.
That means being clear about what is included, realistic about winery availability, attentive to each guest’s interests, and willing to adapt when circumstances require it.
Luxury is the quality of the experience, not the appearance of luxury.
Plan a Private Yamanashi Wine Tour
If you would like to experience Japanese wine in Yamanashi with a private local guide, learn more about our Private Yamanashi Wine Tours, read our Customer Reviews, or contact Winery Tours Japan to discuss your plans.