Towards our 10th year anniversary

2021 will mark the 10th year since the founding of Yamatomichi.

2011, was the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake. At the time it was not easy to start something, but we kept going through the rolling blackouts and power failures… and by April, 1st, Yamatomichi was officially a reality. Following an earthquake, a tsunami and nuclear power crisis, I seriously wondered how long we would make it.

It was then that we created a 5-year founding early business plan for Yamatomichi. Thanks to this, we have been able to stick to our way through early hardships following the 2011 Earthquake.

Our tiny steps became bigger steps and before we knew it, we were able to walk.

The journey of Yamatomichi that Yumiko and I started wouldn’t have been possible without the help from many wonderful people along the way. From our amazing staff and our many friends and acquaintances, to hikers from all across Japan and even Taiwan.

Even as we are all faced with the covid19 pandemic, we wish to honor the treasured relationships that took us 10 years to grow.

Now at the beginning of 2021, our 10th anniversary, I wish to once again set out some guiding principles for us in the coming years.

I believe it is important for Yamatomichi to mean something, to both the larger society and to you, the individual.

But what kind of meaning exactly? This is a question I want to explore more.
For the time being, our commitment is to deliver what we believe is the absolute best hiking gear.

I want very much to share the life changing experience of UL hiking that first inspired Yumiko and me to start Yamatomichi.

When I am hiking and happen to notice someone using our gear, I get excited and happy. When you use our gear, we want to give you a meaningful experience.

And to every one of us making our way along this “mountain” we call life, it is our hope Yamatomichi can provide a little extra support along the way.

We want to connect hikers through our gear and community events.

We want freedom to travel beyond the usual boundaries.

We want to continue moving forward, thoughtfully, step by step.

Akira Natsume
Yamatomochi Founder and Director