Nobuko Takemura, co-founder and president of in Matsukawa, Nagano Prefecture, knows from more than 20 years working on her family¡¯s third-generation apple orchard that farming is hard work. Yet, looking out from the steps of VinVie¡¯s cidery and taproom, over the orchards and farms that roll out to meet snow-capped mountains, she also believes there is no better place to be.
¡°Matsukawa is really fun,¡± Takemura says of the town and region that has been her home since 1990. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. It¡¯s a great place to live and work.¡±
Pastoral and picturesque as it may be, Matsukawa is in trouble. Like many rural areas, Matsukawa¡¯s population is decreasing, a reflection of Japan¡¯s larger demographic shift and overall exodus to larger urban areas. This means not only fewer local customers for her farm, but also fewer growers to continue the region¡¯s centuries-old apple-growing tradition ¡ª in 2018, Nagano Prefecture produced nearly 19% of the nation¡¯s apple harvest, second only to Aomori Prefecture¡¯s whopping 58%.
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