Bunkyo Ward "Grape" Ward-ification Project, Commences! Challenging Wine Grape Cultivation on a City Campus Rooftop

Toyo Gakuen University (Toyo Gakuen Educational Corporation, Headquarters: Hongo, Bunkyo-ku; Board Chairman: Taro Aichi)'s Faculty of Modern Management's "Modern Consumption Research Seminar" (Associate Professor Takuya Nomura, hereinafter "Nomura Seminar") is launching a project that aims to cultivate wine grapes and produce wine utilizing its campus rooftop. This endeavor, which aims for integrated grape cultivation to wine production on an urban university campus, is still rare in Japan and is attracting attention as an initiative that opens up new possibilities for agriculture and food culture in urban spaces.

Bunkyo Ward "Grape" Ward-ification Project: Urban Wine Production and Regional Promotion

Nomura Seminar Project Members

Wine grapevines (potted plants) and rosemary flower beds

In this project, with the cooperation of "Fattoria AL FIORE," a winery in Miyagi Prefecture, we will receive wine grapes and proceed with verifying varieties and cultivation conditions suitable for the urban environment of Hongo, Bunkyo Ward. This is an education and regional collaboration initiative with a view to future urban wine production and regional promotion.

Since 2004, when the rooftop of Building No. 1 on campus was renovated to be lush with greenery, the Nomura Seminar has launched the "Rooftop Garden Branding & Harvest Product Commercialization Project," working on branding the rooftop space and developing products from its harvests.

To date, the Nomura Seminar has developed and sold products such as aroma candles utilizing rosemary cultivated on the rooftop. In 2025, they exhibited at the regional event "Bunkyo Expo 2025" and received favorable reviews. Furthermore, the rooftop space has been conceptualized as an urban "nest" likened to the "Phoenix" (鳳凰), the symbol of Toyo Gakuen University, and a brand sign bearing the brand name "IL NIDO DELLA FENICE" (Italian: Phoenix's Nest) was installed on November 13, 2025.

This wine grape cultivation is the next step to further develop these initiatives. While there are cases of product commercialization and wine manufacturing on university rooftops, instances of "winemaking on an urban university campus" are rare, making this project a new challenge.

Excavation of grapes in Miyagi Prefecture, installation work on the campus rooftop

【Project Features】

① Wine grape cultivation on an urban campus rooftop Utilizing the campus rooftop in Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, wine grapes will be cultivated in an urban space. This is an experimental initiative that demonstrates new possibilities for agriculture in urban areas beyond just rooftops.

② Research and cultivation in collaboration with a full-fledged winery Wine grapes will be provided by "Fattoria AL FIORE," a winery in Miyagi Prefecture, and varieties and cultivation conditions suitable for the urban environment of Hongo, Bunkyo Ward will be verified.

③ Rooftop space branding "IL NIDO DELLA FENICE" A unique logo was created with the university's symbol "Phoenix" (鳳凰) as its motif, replacing the traditional "Paulownia and Phoenix" design with grape leaves. This broadcasts the brand as an urban space where agriculture and culture merge.

"IL NIDO DELLA FENICE" brand logo

④ Commercialization and product development of harvests Initiatives to process and sell cultivated crops such as aroma candles from the rooftop are already underway. With the start of wine grape cultivation, there is a concept to develop into wine production in the future.

【Expansion to Education and Region】

This project is positioned as a place for students to practically learn about urban lifestyles, culture, and business possibilities, as part of the education of the Faculty of Modern Management. Under the learning objective of considering the ideal form of the city and exploring business possibilities based on it, students themselves are integrally involved from brand development to commercialization and sales channel development. Furthermore, the university aims to position itself as a collaborative hub for the agriculture and food industries, and contribute to the regional revitalization of Bunkyo Ward through community formation centered on food and agriculture.

【Future Vision: "Bunkyo Ward 'Grape' Ward-ification Project"】

This project also has a vision to lead to the "Bunkyo Ward 'Grape' Ward-ification Project," which aims to develop Bunkyo Ward into a "city connected with food, agriculture, and regions" in the future. Through the popularization of grape cultivation utilizing urban rooftops and unused spaces, and the fostering of local food culture and communities centered around it, a new form of city harmonized with the earth will be proposed.

【Overview】

Project Name: Rooftop Garden Branding & Harvest Product Commercialization Project

Brand Name: IL NIDO DELLA FENICE (Italian: "Phoenix's Nest")

Executor: Toyo Gakuen University, Faculty of Modern Management, "Modern Consumption Research Seminar" (Associate Professor Takuya Nomura)

Grape Cultivation Start: Mid-March 2026

Partner: Fattoria AL FIORE (Winery in Miyagi Prefecture)

Location: Toyo Gakuen University Campus