Yamatomichi HLC Hiking Festival 2026
Coming to Taiwan

This November, the Yamatomichi HLC Hiking Festival is heading overseas. We’ll be gathering in Miaoli, Taiwan, and we’d love you to join us.

The festival has always been about bringing hikers together. Each time it moves to a new HLC region, it takes on the character of that place and the people who show up. Taiwan feels like a particularly special next step.

Yamatomichi’s connection with Taiwan goes back more than a decade. Over the years, friendships have grown through family visits, hikes and bike trips with PAPERSKY, and countless experiences shared along the way. Those relationships eventually led us to open Samplus with Hector and the team at Taipei’s COW Records, and to establish HLC Taiwan. Bringing the festival here feels less like starting something new and more like celebrating everything that has already grown.

Of course, taking the festival abroad means stepping into unfamiliar territory. There’s still plenty to figure out, but that’s also part of the fun. The Yamatomichi HLC Hiking Festival has never been a finished event simply presented to an audience. It takes shape through everyone who joins us.

If you’re making the trip, we hope the festival becomes just one part of your time in Taiwan. Explore the trails around Miaoli, from the rugged red ridges of Huoyanshan to the forests of Mt. Jiali. Spend a few days hiking, travel at your own pace, and arrive with a story or two to share.

Once hikers start talking, differences in language and nationality quickly fade into the background. Trails, gear, weather, food—there’s always something to bring us together. This festival is a chance to share the freedom and fun of ultralight hiking through real experiences, not explanations.

We’ll set the stage, but everyone who comes will help shape what the festival becomes.

Registration and program details will be announced soon.
For now, save the dates and start planning your trip to Taiwan.

We can’t wait to see you in Miaoli.

Akira Natsume
Yamatomichi