Spot

In the Edo period, Katsunuma grapes were transported by horse and wagon to Edo (now Tokyo), the capital of Japan at that time, along the Koshu Highway, a trip which took several days. However, most of the Katsunuma grapes species are fragile, and they tended to rot during these long hours of transportation. Only rather sour species, such as the Koshu Grape, would arrive in Edo without suffering great loss of quality. The opening of the railway in 1902 made it possible to transport large quantities of a sweeter variety of Katsunuma grape to Tokyo (a big consumer market) within a little over half day.