Yamatomichi Kamakura

Originally from rural Hokkaido, Hidenori worked for five years as a physical therapist at an orthopedic clinic before spending time as a hut worker in the Northern Alps.

In 2019, he walked Te Araroa, a long trail that runs the length of New Zealand, with his wife. Four months of moving between nature and towns, repeating the simple rhythm of walking, eating, and sleeping, helped him realize that his hiking style is simply to keep walking and stay connected to nature.

That experience led him deep into ultralight hiking. He continues to study ultralight hiking as a way to reduce the load on both the body and the natural environment, with the hope of staying an active hiker well into old age.

Oji usually hikes with a fairly dialed-in ultralight setup, with a base weight in the 2 kg range.

But for him, it’s not only about cutting weight. He still likes to bring his camera, and eating well on trail is important to him too. Every hiker’s pack should be a little different.

When it comes to lightening your load, the fastest way might actually be getting to know yourself better.

He’s happy to share what he has learned from his own experience, so feel free to come and chat with him at the shop.

Yuko loves walking long distances. Her interest in long trails and ultralight hiking began after walking the Everest Trail and wanting to experience that same feeling again.

These days, she has been paying more attention to recovery, trying things like better sleep and massage so she can start each day feeling fresh.

As she gets older, she wants to keep enjoying the mountains in a way that feels active, but sustainable.

If you have any tips or recommendations, she’d love to hear them. Feel free to come and chat with her at the shop.

I like keeping things relaxed and doing whatever looks fun. If something sounds interesting, I’ll usually give it a try. That might mean cooking hot pot in a snow cave, tenkara fishing in a mountain stream, climbing camp, hiking, skateboarding, or pretty much anything else. If it’s in the mountains, I’m always up for finding a way to play.

Yuhi got into hiking at the end of 2022 on Kamakura’s Daibutsu Hiking Course, and soon found himself hiking low mountains around Kanto almost every week.

Drawn to ultralight hiking, he joined Yamatomichi in July 2023. He also runs with Saturday Hikers Run, gradually building enough fitness to finish 25 km and 30 km trail races.

These days, he is exploring ways to lighten both his gear and his body, while moving back and forth between dieting and rebounding.

Feel free to say hello.

Daisuke joined Yamatomichi in September 2024. Known by those around him as “Beyoncé,” he loves singing out in the wild.

After traveling as a backpacker, he went on to hike two long trails overseas: the Pacific Crest Trail in the U.S. and Hexatrek in France.

Despite his love for long trails, he has weak knees and is always battling cold hands and feet. Feel free to ask him about long trails, layering in cold weather, or anything else you’re curious about.

He’ll be happy to help you get ready for your next walking journey.