Taipei Samplus Staff Store Training:
Chi Arrives in Japan

Samplus, our *partner store in Taipei, carries the full Yamatomichi lineup and serves as the hub for HLC Taiwan. Like our stores in Japan, it regularly hosts events and programs that bring the hiking community together.

Samplus, a beautiful store with an equally beautiful team in Taipei, is Yamatomichi’s partner store. It carries our full product lineup and serves as the base for HLC Taiwan activities, regularly hosting events just like our stores in Japan.

This marks the second chapter of our staff exchange program, where Samplus team members join us in Japan. This time, Chi will stand behind the counter, ready to welcome you. It’s a rare chance for Chi to engage with Japanese hikers, experience our culture firsthand, and share perspectives across borders. We look forward to the rich, inspiring exchanges this will bring.

Taiwan is home to soaring mountain ranges, with many peaks rising above 3,000 meters, as well as peaceful satoyama (foothills) just a short trip from central Taipei. While Chi is here, drop by our store—connect, share stories, and gain insights from someone who hikes those incredible landscapes daily.

*Samplus is co-managed by three partners: COW Records, a select shop in Taipei; Raying Studio, the design studio of KOH BODY (Hung Pao-ti), who creates graphic art for Yamatomichi; and Yamatomichi. For those interested in hiking Taiwan’s high mountains, Yamatomichi offers a service to assist foreign hikers with the necessary permits, in collaboration with local guiding companies. For details, please visit this link (currently in Japanese).

「samplus」是台灣的Yamatomichi唯一直營店，位於台灣台北市東區，由當地的合作夥伴所經營。我們雙方將開啟「台日店員交換留學計畫」，samplus店員將前往日本的直營店，與日本的登山者、Yamatomichi的工作人員進行交流，分享他們在台灣關於登山、徒步旅行的經驗。

Yamatomichi Kamakura: May 16 (Fri) – May 19 (Mon)
Yamatomichi Kyoto: May 24 (Sat) – May 25 (Sun)

Do you remember Kay, who visited from Taiwan in September 2024?
Following in Kay’s footsteps, CHI (Chi)—a graphic designer and band member from Samplus—will be joining us for the next phase of our staff exchange at our directly managed stores in Japan.

We invite you to drop by the store and take this opportunity to chat with Chi about hiking and mountain life in Taiwan!

Hello everyone! I’m Shìqí, you can call me Chi.

In September 2024, Samplus and Yamatomichi launched our very first staff exchange program. When Kay participated, she returned to Taiwan with so many memorable stories and experiences from Japan that still resonate with us.

This time, the baton has been passed to me. A little different from the previous exchange, I’ll be visiting one additional location—Yamatomichi’s training factory in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, established in preparation for the new Kamakura factory to be built in the coming years. I’m incredibly excited to see firsthand where and how the products are made, and I can’t wait to share this experience with the hikers who gather at Samplus back in Taiwan.

I’m thrilled to bring my hiking experiences from Taiwan and connect with fellow staff members, customers, and anyone interested in Taiwan’s mountains.

大家好，我是士琦，也可以叫我CHI。
2024年9月，samplus與Yamatomichi展開了第一次的店員留學計畫，當時作為我方代表的Kay在結束返台後，帶回了許多至今仍令我印象深刻的趣味小故事。

這次輪到我擔任這個角色，比起上回多了一站拜訪的地點，我有機會可以造訪Yamatomichi位於豐岡市的工廠，能夠親眼目睹產品製造生產的現場，這令人感到興奮，也期待可以將在日本的體驗分享給聚集在台灣 samplus 的登山者們。

這次作為samplus的店員代表，我將繼續帶著我在台灣所知道的事情，與日本的夥伴、顧客們，以及對台灣山岳感興趣的人們近距離接觸、交流，我感到非常期待。會發生什麼樣有趣的交流呢？我很期待。