COMMUNITY

The purpose of Yamatomichi HLC is to foster a community of ultralight hikers.

As part of this effort, there is the Yamatomichi Festival, a celebratory gathering where ultralight hikers from across the country come together beyond the activities of each regional group. The venue has rotated among the regions that host an HLC base.

After being canceled three times due to typhoons and bad weather, the festival was finally realized in 2023, hosted by HLC Shikoku at Mt. Ishizuchi. What left a lasting impression was the joyful smiles of everyone, delighted to reunite at the Yamatomichi Festival after such a long time.

At the same time, it was also a celebration for the people involved and the local community, who had carried out enormous work and coordination to make the festival happen. Hearing HLC Shikoku Ambassador Mr. Sugano say, “The process of preparing for the festival itself became an opportunity to deepen the connections we already had,” made me very happy.

And I clearly remember strongly realizing that “ultralight hiking” is not just a hiking method, but something more meaningful—because people trusted this still unfamiliar term and came together to share their hopes and ideas at the Yamatomichi Festival.

Since then, HLC Shikoku has continued to nurture a community!