A cheese produced at a farm in Tokachi, Hokkaido, won the gold medal at the third Mountain Cheese Olympics in Switzerland, which ended Sunday, the organizer said.
Kyodogakusha Shintoku Farm's cheese, "Sakura," won the highest prize in the section for the flavor of soft cheese.
It is the first time a Japanese cheese has won the gold at the Olympics in Appenzell.
"I am very happy to hear that our cheese which we developed about two years ago has finally got the prize," said Kyoko Miyajima, the wife of the farm operator, Nozomu Miyajima.
The Sakura white creamy cheese, flavored by leaves of mountain cherry trees, won the silver in the previous Olympics.
A total of 430 cheeses from more than 10 countries, mainly in Europe, competed in 16 categories, according to the organizer.
The Mountain Cheese Olympics was launched in 2002 to promote production of cheese in mountainous areas.