A new hobby: spending time in the mountains.
On this day, Ms. Takamine visited “Swallow,” a café in Sangenjaya. It’s a place where you can relax in a spacious, comfortable setting while enjoying specialty coffee, bagel sandwiches, desserts, and baked goods. In the morning, you can order a great value breakfast set featuring coffee and a bagel sandwich, and in the evening, you can enjoy natural wines and craft beers. Ms. Takamine chose an Ethiopian washed coffee and a salami pizza bagel sandwich, and spent a relaxing time there.
On his days off in the city, Mr. Takamine often goes to cafes like he did today, or heads out for drinks after dark, but it seems he’s become more of a homebody lately. That’s because he’s preparing for an adventure he’s taking on for the first time this year.
"I'm taking a month off work starting at the end of July to go long-distance hiking—or 'long-trail hiking'—in the U.S. To prepare, I'm currently practicing making my own tent and tarp from scratch. I'm spending all my days off on that."
Long-distance hiking involves packing all your essentials—food, clothing, and shelter—into a backpack and walking through nature for weeks or even months. The United States has three trails known as the “Three Great Trails,” which are the stuff of every hiker’s dreams, and Takamine will be tackling the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT). The trail stretches approximately 2,000 km from the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Montana, in the east, to Olympic National Park in Washington State, which faces the Pacific Ocean.
"Of those sections, I plan to hike only the ones with the most beautiful and spectacular scenery. I’ll visit a few base camps and stay there for a while. I’d like to stay near a lake and go fishing, too. This time, I’m more interested in savoring the atmosphere of each place than covering a long distance. Long-distance hiking has a unique culture, and you meet all kinds of interesting people."
"Long-distance hiking is what people who are passionate about the mountains do while exploring the essence of walking, that most basic of movements. This time, I'm heading out to discover what that world is all about."
Apparently, there’s a culture called MYOG (My Own Gear) in the world of UL hiking and long-distance hiking. It stands for “Make Your Own Gear,” which basically means making your own gear. Right now, Takamine is spending his days off making gear to use on the PNT. The last time Takamine touched a sewing machine was in home economics class in elementary school. It seems he’s enjoying sewing as if it were almost his first time.
"It's so much fun. I've learned a lot about fabrics, and I feel like I'm getting better little by little. Since I started sewing, I've realized just how amazing the clothes out there really are. I keep thinking, 'They're doing something this difficult?!'"
He is currently working on making a tent and a tarp, and plans to tackle the PNT using a floorless shelter. He has learned about fabrics and sewing through this new hobby and seems to be aiming for further progress.
“We use a fabric called Silpoly for our tents and tarps, and I'm thinking of trying to make clothes out of it. That's why the theme for the next *Metropolis Fishing* is ”the mountains.'"
Time is flying by on this PNT journey. I need to keep up with my MYOG gear, and to walk long distances, I have to build up my mental strength even more than my physical stamina. “I can’t afford to take it easy anymore,” he says, but his laid-back demeanor—which is part of his charm—somehow keeps those words from sounding too serious.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a morning off from work. Lured by the pleasant early-summer weather, I went for a casual stroll around the “Swallow” area. I paired my pants with “Aventrail Sandals” in a matching color scheme and added a light, casual touch with a checkered shirt. I find myself wearing nothing but sandals on my days off this time of year.
"I've never chosen this kind of color scheme for my footwear before, but it's actually really nice. I think it's a soft color that's easy to coordinate with other items. The sandals I usually wear are flip-flops. I feel like flip-flops can look a little sloppy. But the ‘Aventrail Sandal’ doesn’t look like that at all, which is great. It’s perfect for everyday use. And the fact that you can run in the mountains with them is awesome. I highly recommend this pair to anyone who loves the outdoors.”
Teva traces its roots back to 1984, when a river guide in the Grand Canyon invented a flip-flop with an ankle strap. Teva’s functional footwear, inspired by a spirit of adventure, suits Takamine perfectly. From outdoor activities like trail running and fishing to everyday life, the “Adventrail Sandal” is sure to comfortably support Takamine’s lifestyle.
