Wine used to lure students

Faced with slumping student numbers, a university in Kofu has hit upon a possible way to keep enrollments up--sell wine on campus.

Yamanashi University, the only university in Japan to have a wine research institute, hopes its wines will give it a competitive advantage in attracting students.

Wines, made by four local wineries using yeast developed by the university's Institute of Enology and Viticulture, will be sold at a convenience store that will open on campus early next year.

Six major convenience store chain operators have expressed interest in opening an outlet on campus. Next month, the university will choose which operator will run the store.

In April 2004, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry relaxed university management regulations to enable universities to adopt new measures to improve amenities for students and staff.

In the same month, state-run universities, including Yamanashi University, became independent administrative corporations.

"To compete with private universities in the area and the many universities in Tokyo, we must rack our brains to [find ways to] increase our entrance examination applicants," said Hideaki Nukui, president of the university.

The convenience store will open from early morning until late at night. "The existing co-op and the new convenience store will compete with each other to upgrade services," Nukui said.
The news has been hailed by students, particularly those in graduate courses who often have to study late.

Faculty members are also pleased because they will no longer need to leave the campus during lunch hour to avoid packed canteens run by the co-op.

In December 2004, Kyoto University became the first state-run university to have a convenience store open an outlet on its campus. Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya and other universities have since followed suit.

Yamanashi University had previously planned to sell wine on campus, but the plan fell foul of government regulations that placed restrictions on new retailers of alcoholic beverages to protect existing retailers. The restrictions will be lifted on Aug. 31.

The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan.
(Aug. 21, 2006)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060821TDY17003.htm