Chapter 1 About VISON

It boasts an area the size of 24 Tokyo Domes.
The complex "Vison" (VISON).
It is more like a "town" than a complex.
It is that huge.

As you can see from this picture, it is just vast!
There is a hotel on site, a restaurant, some stores, and a gallery.
Also, there are hot springs and fields, and some facilities for edu-cation.

But it is not just a spacious facility.
The reason why "vison" is attracting attention is the quality of each tenant.
Restaurants supervised by Michelin chefs and,
It's a collection of charismatic stores, only a few of which are open nationwide.
It is different from a large shopping center.

The "vison" consists of nine major areas.
Each area has its own concept,
This small aggregation forms a "vison".
The number of tenants is over 70 (with many sights that cannot be counted as tenants).

Although it opened in July, it is far from being truly complete.
In the future, self-driving cars will run in this facility,
Drones fly around and issue local currency that can only be used here,
It is slated to become a completely smart city.

• 01

  hotel

  

  01

  hotel

  Standing like a fortress
  Huge inn.

  When you visit "Vison," you will see a building that stands looming majestically on the southern slopes of the mountain. It is the Hotel Vison, a lodging facility. As the concept of "play in the wild, learn in the wild" suggests, the six villas and 155 guest rooms all have the warmth of wood and a private terrace the size of a room, from which you can directly experience the surrounding wilderness. Next to the hotel building, there is a hot spring developed by Mie University and Rohto Pharmaceutical, where you can enjoy 72 kinds of medicinal herbal baths.

• 02

  STORES

  

  02

  STORES

  And the land ones,
  Some are cosy.

  There are more than 40 stores, both large and small. From stores selling foodstuffs and crafts from Mie to stores with enthusiastic fans nationwide, such as Mina Perhonen and Kurumi no Ki Kurashi-no-Keishitsu (Walnut Tree Living Reference Room). The KATACHI museum, a museum and gallery supervised by the charismatic ceramic artist Koichi Uchida, is another must-visit place. Moreover, each of the stores is simply huge. If you want to take a good look around, a day is not enough time, not to exaggerate.

• 03

  MARCHE

  

  03

  MARCHE

  Freshly picked vegetables and seafood,
  And Matsuzaka beef.

  Here you will also find one of the largest marche (direct produce market) in Japan. The marche area was supervised by Ryuji Teshima, who once won a Michelin star in Paris, France. In addition to local vegetables and fruits, Ise lobsters and abalone shipped directly from Ise-Shima are available for sale, and there is also a restaurant specializing in Matsuzaka beef, which is a specialty of Mie. Adjacent to the marche is a BBQ stove, where you can grill and eat the food you bought at the marche on the spot.

• 04

  restaurant

  

  

  

  

  

  

  04

  restaurant

  If it were in Tokyo,
  Everywhere is at the level of a hard-to-reserve restaurant.

  From casual stand-up drinking to prestigious restaurants, Vison offers a wide range of restaurants. In addition, many of the restaurants are supervised by top chefs. Among them, the restaurants in the area named "San Sebastian Street" are restaurants that have stores in San Sebastian, Spain, where the real thing is located. Wouldn't it be great to pick up some pintxos and a glass of wine at siesta time and resume your stroll?

• 04

  restaurant

  

  

  

  

  04

  restaurant

  If it were in Tokyo,
  Everywhere is at the level of a hard-to-reserve restaurant.

  From casual stand-up drinking to prestigious restaurants, Vison offers a wide range of restaurants. In addition, many of the restaurants are supervised by top chefs. Among them, the restaurants in the area named "San Sebastian Street" are restaurants that have stores in San Sebastian, Spain, where the real thing is located. Wouldn't it be great to pick up some pintxos and a glass of wine at siesta time and resume your stroll?

Chapter 2 Orange Innovations

All of the tenants of Vison are minimalist, lean, and sophisticated.
The only store among them is messy, wild, and not very easy to see.
This is the outdoor store Orange. And this is the main place for this interview.

Orange," which has its head office in Katsuragi Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is now becoming a sacred place for campers.
Hundreds of thousands of people a year visit this town of 17,000 people for its "oranges.
Many items are only available there, and rare garage brand items are, for some reason, also sold there.
What kind of store did such a charismatic outdoor store create in "vison"?
We spoke with Michio Ikeda, representative of the company.

Orange for campers.
Reasons for enthusiasm.

Interview by Michio Ikeda.

Orange RepresentativeMichio Ikeda

Profile

Born in 1971, he opened a surfboard store in Katsuragi Town, Wakayama Prefecture, when he was in his 20s. Then, in 2000, he opened the first "Orange" store on the site of a former surfboard store. Currently, he has expanded to 6 stores nationwide including "Vison". He also has a large collection of vintage outdoor gear, which is said to be the largest in the industry.

First of all, congratulations on your opening.

Ikeda: Well, it was a tough time (laughs).

Did someone offer you the opportunity to open a restaurant?

Ikeda: There is a spa complex called "Aqua Ignis" in Mie Prefecture, and it is actually the same company that operates Vison. The president of Aqua Ignis approached me. At first, I didn't think about opening a restaurant.

What made you decide to open the store?

Ikeda: The president asked me to visit Aqua Ignis once, so I did. I found a restaurant produced by patissier Hirohiro Tsujiguchi and Japanese cuisine chef Masahiro Kasahara, as well as famous creators of hot springs and inns, and everywhere I looked there was a high level of sensitivity. The place where Aqua Ignis is located was originally a desolate place, but thanks to Aqua Ignis, the town is now visited by one million people every year. The town of Katsuragi, where the main Orange restaurant is located, also wants to revitalize itself through outdoor activities, and we decided to open the restaurant because we felt this connection.

The name "Orange" has become a national brand in the last couple of years.

Ikeda: Thank you very much. However, I don't think I've made a breakthrough at all. It's not quite there yet.

There was a huge line (even on the day of opening).

Ikeda: Anyway, the most important thing is to make the customers who come want to come back. We don't try our best to sell products, but we are passionate about how we can make our customers happy. I think the fact that we have so many customers is the result of the accumulation of these efforts. When I decide on the layout of the store, I always aim to create a store that makes customers excited.

There are so many products, and they are all cluttered in a good way.

Ikeda: Isn't it interesting, like a treasure hunt (laughs)? That is something I am conscious of.

What are the differences from other stores?

Ikeda: "Vison" is the first facility in Japan that is directly connected to a smart interchange. It is said that 8 million people are expected to visit annually. So I think there will be a lot of people who come here who are not coming for "Orange," so I tried to make the restaurant a place that would please them as well.
There are two entrances. The main entrance is an area with a wider frontage and more lifestyle-related goods. The deeper you go from there, the more you will find core outdoor goods. On the other hand, if you come in through a different entrance, hard-shell tents and chairs are waiting for you, and the deeper you go, the more lifestyle oriented you become. I think that both core campers and beginners will enjoy the show.

In terms of topic, you have the first Pendleton shop-in-shop in Japan, don't you?

Ikeda: That's right. Also, I like pet products, so I have items from "Pendleton," including beds for pets. I also have large cushions. The store has a large area, so we can put large items like these here.

How do you see the current camping boom?

Ikeda: I don't think it will suddenly drop off. But there will come a day when the heat will no longer be as great as it has been here. That's why I think it's important to take care of each and every customer, especially now that so many people are coming to the show. I think it is OK if the customers leave thinking "thank you" and "I had a good time." By doing so, I believe that our core fans will continue to come to the store even when the hard times come.

Also, we value "S" in various ways. S "mile," "S "super," "S "surprise," and so on. We always say that if you collect all of them, you will end up with "S "sold out" (laughs).

Chapter 3. Kenichi Taira.
Drummed gear.

He has worked as an outdoor stylist for magazines and advertisements,
Own outdoor store
Kenichi Taira, who also operates "Heiranya."
I have seen thousands and thousands of gears,
After visiting all kinds of stores, Taira-san,
why
Are you attracted to "orange?"

What do you think is great about "Orange"?

Taira: First of all, there are so many things.
This amount of stuff is not possible in other stores.
The moment I enter the store, I am always overwhelmed by the quantity of goods.
Also, I always find bargains when I come here.

There is always something new to discover.
So it always feels like a treasure hunt.
When I leave the store, I buy something (laughs).

I also have the impression that they have a lot of gear that you can't buy at other stores.

Taira: With the current camping boom, all manufacturers are really out of stock.
And yet, the reason we have such a wide selection of items is because our representative, Mr. Ikeda, knows everything there is to know about gear,
I think it's because the manufacturers trust us.

You couldn't buy a Zane Arts tent anywhere, but it was on sale (at the time of the interview).

Taira：Zane Arts is very famous now, but the brand was just starting out,
I heard that Mr. Ikeda, the representative of Zane Arts, ordered so many that it drew the attention of Zane Arts.
They sold out quickly.
We have a history of working with manufacturers other than Zane Arts,
I think "Orange" would attract items.

I see. By the way, what are your criteria for selecting gear?

Taira：It's all about looks. It is something that makes you feel good when you have it.
I guess I don't really care about the weight or anything.
Next, toughness. After all, it will be used in an outdoor environment, so sturdiness is important.

Now, please introduce the items you actually found at "Orange", Mr. Taira!

ORANGE × OMNI

Omni kerosene burner(Orange special order)

This burner is just so warm. Since it is actually filled with kerosene, the heat power is totally different. It is a must for winter camping. You can also boil water and do light cooking on the top board. And this color is a special order for 'orange.

MIKAN

Tangerine fire pit

Tangerine is a private brand of Orange, and it can be used in five different ways: as a fire pit, grill, wood stove, windshield, and tri-pod. I don't think there is any other fire pit that is so versatile.

BAREBONES.

Bear Bones machete axe

This is also very popular right now. The best feature is the price. It is sharp, tough, and well-designed, yet it costs less than 10,000 yen. I think the cost performance is outstanding. If you can find one, it is definitely a good buy.

THERMOS

Thermos
Cooling Can Holder

A 350 ml can fits perfectly and keeps its temperature, so if you put a can of beer in this, it will stay cold for a long time. By the way, there is also a 500 ml one. So small things that can be used where you have an itch can improve the quality of your camping experience.

GRIP SWANY × Orange

Grip Swanny's Glove (Orange special order)

Once made, these gloves were sold out immediately, and additional production was added to this very popular glove. Grip Swanee" is known for its yellow color, but the special order for "Orange" is red. They are made of cowhide leather, so they are really sturdy and the thickness is just right, so I recommend them for beginners.

4w1h

Y2W1H
hot sandwich maker

Hot sandwiches usually use two slices of bread, but this one can make a hot sandwich with just one. The size is really just right. It's a winning idea. It is made in Tsubame-Sanjo, so the quality is perfect.

Peregrine Furniture

Peregrine Furniture's
hanging chain

I like Peregrine's stuff a lot, and I have a table and some other things. The design of each item is superb. The hanging chain can be used to hang various items from a tent or tarp, and it can also be used inside a car or at home.

Chapter 4. By VISON
Places and vehicles of interest.

Really, one day is not enough.
I can't go around everything,
Too wide.
If you want to see it thoroughly, you will need at least one night and two days.
This time, from among about 20 Tokyo Domes,
We have selected four locations of interest.

• HOTEL VISON

  If you can stay, I would prefer a villa.

  

  

  

  If you have come all the way from far away to "Vison", I would recommend staying at "Hotel Vison".
  One of the most impressive is "Kochiga Soyotofuku," one of the six villas.
  Here, there is a room with a tea ceremony room supervised by tea master Sen Soya, which is a real tea ceremony room rather than an authentic one.
  Wabisabi abounds. All villas have a completely private open-air bath.

• BBQ

  Buy fresh produce and eat it right away.

  

  

  

  Indeed, there are many good restaurants in "Vison".
  But what caught my attention the most was the BBQ spot in the Marché area.
  You can grill fresh ingredients and eat them yourself.
  Troublesome to process food? No problem, because the perfectly pre-processed food is sold on a plate.
  Use of BBQ stove is 300 yen.

• electric scooter

  You cannot walk the equivalent of 24 Tokyo Domes.

  

  

  

  The inside of the "vison" is very spacious.
  Of course it is possible to travel by car, but if you come here, you should ride an electric scooter.
  The station is located by the largest parking lot. A simple registration is all that is required, and there is no rental fee.
  It saves time and makes a huge difference in fatigue.
  Incidentally, all the interviews were conducted on foot.
  The pedometer read 15,000 steps. But I still couldn't go all the way around, which is still a bit of a hump.

• NOUNIYELL.

  Yamagata's famous chef
  Vegetable restaurant.

  

  

  

  The restaurant "Nouniere" is located a short distance from the center of "Visson".
  The concept is to "give a cheer to the future of agriculture," and is operated by Kewpie, a mayonnaise company.
  The cuisine is supervised by Masayuki Okuda, chef of the famous Yamagata restaurant Al Quecciano.
  An organic farm extends behind the restaurant, offering safe and fresh vegetables.
  Incidentally, Mr. Okuda is a wunderkind who once spent time buried in the earth to learn how vegetables feel.