The French-born Kangoo assists your hobby and lifestyle. vol.04 / Shoichi Yamada Freelance PR

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, he dares to be in nature. To do so, the car has become an indispensable part of Mr. Yamada's life. Just as people who love the outdoors are particular about their gear, Mr. Yamada has an indispensable requirement when it comes to his car. That is cargo capacity. Gear is an essential part of outdoor activities. If it cannot be loaded properly, the very premise of the car will collapse.

The first requirement is that it has a high load capacity. That's why I think "Kangoo" is right for me. I especially like the height. I really need it to carry stoves and other long, vertical camping equipment. Also, if I have friends in the back seat, the height allows me to stack luggage on top. Also, the back door is a double-sliding door, which is very attractive. It makes it easier to get luggage in and out of the car."

Mr. Yamada said this as he gripped the steering wheel on the way to Yamanashi. We asked him about the comfort of the Kangoo as he looked straight ahead in the direction of travel.

The engine responds to the slightest pressure on the accelerator pedal, and the brakes are very effective. The performance is incomparable to the cars I normally drive (laughs). (Laughs.) And because it is not a very large car, it is easy to maneuver. I am glad that it is easy to drive even on small roads.

In addition, Mr. Yamada mentioned the design of the Kangoo and the Renault car brand.

The Kangoo is pop and stylish, isn't it? I think Renault is in a very niche position. Although it is an imported car, it doesn't feel like a luxury car. In that sense, they are easy to get to know, and you can enjoy the feeling of driving a car that is different from others. I don't think there is any other car brand like that.

Less than two hours after leaving Tokyo, we finally arrived at our destination. Surrounded by trees and with a river flowing right next to it, it is the perfect place to enjoy fishing and camping at the same time. The scent of nature, which cannot be experienced in the hustle and bustle of the city, wafts through the air, and the sounds of birds singing and the river flowing can be heard in the distance.

I used to be a mountain climber and climber, but after I got injured and couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, I started camping a lot. But at some point, I began to feel uncomfortable about it. Gathering together in nature, setting up a tent, and enjoying food and drinks around a campfire. That in itself is a lot of fun, but I began to wonder if there wasn't an activity that was more like me. I wondered if there was anything that could be linked to my roots and my life."

That led him to mountain stream fishing," Yamada continues. Mountain stream fishing is a way of going from downstream to upstream along steep, rocky river paths to find the best spots to fish. Yamada says, "There was a link between mountain fishing and mountain climbing.

"Setting up a camp in the mountains and using it as a base from which to enjoy fishing has become my own way of enjoying the outdoors. Being in nature gives me the sensation of having my five senses sharpened. Simply put, my hearing and eyesight improve, and my body clock becomes normal. The animal instincts that we all have come back.

We may sense that someone is approaching by the sound of falling leaves or twigs, or we may spot something moving in a distant landscape. By sensing the subtlest of changes, we may develop a kind of wild intuition.

I think of coming to nature as a reset. It reminds me of the feeling I had when I was a child playing in the wild in nature. In the city, I think that feeling becomes duller and duller. It is in nature that the memories of those times come back to me physically.

Once the base camp is set up, we immediately begin preparing for fishing. We set up our fishing rods, change clothes, and go into the river to look for points where we can find fish.

I was attracted to tenkara fishing because it is a very analog activity. You don't need much equipment, and you can start right away. In Japan, tenkara fishing is a traditional method of fishing, in which you throw a bait-like hook, called a "hair hook," at a target position, but fish are clever and difficult to fool. Unlike normal fishing, there is no weight, and the movement of the line has to convince the fish that it is an insect that will be used as bait, so experience, skill, and strategy are required to catch it. But that's why it's so much fun to think about it and do it."

When I first started fishing," says Yamada, "I could not catch anything at all. But as he continued, he reflected on what he had done wrong and tried different methods to see what would work best.

Even if I don't catch any fish, I enjoy the process of getting there. That's what kept me going. I think about the route upstream, choose a hook that fits the environment, and choose a position to stand in before casting the hook so that the fish don't sense my presence. I enjoy fishing by making such strategies from a variety of options. So when I don't catch a fish, I can think a lot about it and gain a lot from it. It may seem a bit silly, but when I catch a fish, that's the end of it.

However, the joy of catching a fish is still very special. Looking back on the first time he caught a fish, Mr. Yamada shared his excitement with us.

I felt a rush of strength in my body, a feeling I had never felt before. At that time, I went up to the headwaters. Downstream, there are released fish, but near the headwaters, there are native rockfish. They are smart and difficult to catch because they have survived in that area. But I made my own strategy and it worked, and I was even happier because I was able to catch them with a hook I made myself."

After several hours in the river, unfortunately, no fish were caught that day. Yamada never forgets to carefully analyze the cause of his defeat, saying, "Nature does not work the way I want it to.

"The water temperature was low and the day was short, so I chose a hook that sinks in the water and cast it in case the fish were not fully active, but I think the fish were quiet today. Usually they are more energetic and move around, but they were quiet under the rocks."

After fishing, Yamada returns to the base camp and relaxes in nature. Relaxing with a sigh of relief, he relieves himself of the fatigue of driving and fishing.

When I am in nature, I can look at my work and private life in a flat way and clear my mind. When I am fishing, all I can think about is how to catch a fish, but when I am in a daze over a cup of coffee or slowly reading a book, I get the feeling that all my useless thoughts somehow disappear and become purified."

Being in the city, it is easy to forget the importance of being in nature. However, through Mr. Yamada's lifestyle, I was able to reconfirm the importance of this.

Maybe I'm asking for something I don't have, but if I stay in nature all the time, it's hard. The city makes me miss nature, but if I stay there all the time, I want to go back to the city. It's a repetition of that. And I need a car, a piece of gear that connects the two environments.

In addition, Mr. Yamada also talked about the potential of the Kangoo in outdoor activities.

With this car, you could probably load up a 125cc off-road bike," he said. Or a bicycle. We could load it up and go out to the mountains, then ride it from the base camp to the fishing grounds and enjoy fishing there. I think the Kangoo's loading capacity is what makes it possible to add an extra dimension of fun to everyday activities. If I'm going to go to the trouble of driving a Kangoo, I want to pursue the unique pleasures of that particular vehicle.