【FOCUS IT.] If you want to climb mountains in New York City. What is the new select store Contrast in Brooklyn like?

’Contrasto" opened in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, this past March. It is one of the few select shops in New York specializing in mountaineering gear that also features an in-house café. The owners are RYO Matsuoka, director of the brand Nothin’ Special; TOMO, who has been running the coffee shop “PPL” in Brooklyn since 2018; and Ryohei Kamide, a video director. Why do they go hiking in New York, and what inspired them to launch this shop? In mid-March, just before the grand opening, we conducted an online interview connecting Tokyo with the store, where construction was in its final stages.

Photo by Koki Sato
Text_Neo Iida

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How the three met and the beginning of "Contrast."

—How did the three of you meet?

RYO:When I moved to New York 11 years ago, there was a reggae party every Thursday on the Lower East Side, and I went there every week. That’s where I met TOMO. At the time, TOMO hadn’t started “PPL” yet, and I hadn’t launched my own brand either, so we just hung out as friends.

Uede and I have a mutual friend, Hiroki (Sarumaru), the owner of “Pizza Slice.” Hiroki lived in New York for a while, and we’ve been hanging out a lot ever since. So when Hiroki came to visit last April, I mentioned that I was working on a project called “Contrast,” and he said, “I know someone who’d be a good fit,” and introduced me to Uede.

KAMIDE:When I published *MIDNIGHT PIZZA CLUB* in 2024—a book documenting the travels of a group consisting of actor Taiga Nakano, photographer Yusuke Abe, and myself—I held an event at “Pizza Slice,” which is where I met Mr. Sarumaru. Then, while we were eating pizza together at Scarr’s Pizza in New York, I mentioned, “I’m thinking of starting a tool shop,” and he said, “Huh? Well, if that’s the case, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.” That’s how I ended up connecting with Matsuchan (RYO).

RYO:But it just so happened to be the day Uede was leaving for Japan, so our schedules didn't work out.

KAMIDE:We finally agreed to meet the next day, and we ended up drinking quite a bit starting around evening at "Peet's Candy Store" in Williamsburg. I don't remember much of it now.

RYO:I don't remember (lol).

KAMIDE:That’s how we met. When I heard they were planning to launch “Contrast,” I said, “Please let me be a part of this.” Originally, my wife and I had planned to open a mountain gear shop together, so I’d written up a business proposal, but I had no idea what the market was like in New York, and I was wondering how we’d even go about securing funding… that was the situation. At that point, Matsuchan and TOMO had already spent about two years raising funds and working hard, and they were at a stage where everything was pretty much set—all that was left was finding a property. I thought it was a godsend, so I joined them.

—I see. So, how many years ago did the “Contrast” project actually get started?

RYO:It was about four or five years ago. When I first started the brand “Nassins Special,” my main goal was to have a place to sell my products and build a community. But I didn’t feel confident running just a regular clothing store, so I reached out to TOMO-kun and asked him to join “PPL.” It wasn’t just any café I wanted—I was just so into TOMO’s café. I figured if he helped out, it would be a huge boost. Plus, I wanted a place where I could get to know the people living in the neighborhood, and I thought it would be a great way to build a local community.

TOMO:I’ve been running my own shop since 2018, and when I heard about this, it sounded interesting, so I decided to join in.

RYO:So we started looking for a place right away, but it was way too expensive, and we didn’t know anything about it, so we had to start over from scratch. Around that time, TOMO and I got really into rock climbing, and we started going hiking almost every weekend.

—Where would you recommend for rock climbing in New York?

RYO:You can actually do it in Central Park, too. There’s also a spot called Fort Tyrone Park in the Bronx, and if you drive north, there’s a large state park called Harriman State Park, which has a spot called Power Lines. If you go even further north, there’s a rock climbing area called the Ganks—it’s like a mecca on the East Coast and a popular spot among climbers.

—Do you rock climb too, Mr. Uede?

KAMIDE:I’ve never really done any hiking or mountain climbing before. That’s where our roles are clearly divided between the two of us.

I see.

RYO:Around that time, an American friend I used to go hiking with said, “Work in New York is too tough, so I’m going back to my hometown in Ohio.” When I mentioned, “Come to think of it, we used to talk about opening a store ourselves,” he encouraged me, saying, “There aren’t any stores in New York that sell mountaineering gear, so you should definitely do it.” That got us all fired up again, and we decided, “Let’s start our own business and give it our all!”

—So there aren’t any stores in New York that sell mountaineering gear, are there?

RYO:That’s exactly right. There are clothing stores with a mountain theme, but there were absolutely no places where you could buy serious gear for hiking, like tents and sleeping bags. The only option was a large REI store in SOHO. Since the only way to get the gear I really wanted was online, I started seriously thinking about it.

—Did Mr. Uede join the company about a year ago?

RYO:That’s right—we met around April, and it took less than a year to open.

KAMIDE:I just went along to the spot they found and said things like, “That’s nice,” though (lol).

—What kind of neighborhood is the shop located in? What’s the atmosphere like around there?

RYO:It's right on the border between Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn, just a short walk from McCallen Park.

KAMIDE:It used to be an area full of large warehouses, but as development has progressed, there are now many trendy shops that have taken over those existing spaces. There are clothing stores, furniture shops, gift shops, and restaurants, the streets are clean, and lots of people come here to spend their weekends. Large-scale construction is still underway, and there’s talk that Brooklyn Brewery’s headquarters will be moving here. Plus, McCallen Park is nearby, which makes it a really pleasant place to be.

RYO:If you walk south for about 10 minutes, you’ll be right in the heart of Williamsburg. You’ll come right out onto the street where stores like Chanel, Hermès, and Nike are located.

—I’ve also heard there’s a radio station nearby and a bouldering studio. It feels like a neighborhood that’s constantly evolving—it’s really the place to be right now.

RYO:Yes, it is.

KAMIDE:I guess you could call it a hot spot.

—How did you end up finding that property? Is the process different from looking for a place in Japan?

RYO:Of course, I asked real estate agents too. But I also checked online message boards—since owners sometimes post property listings there directly—and even contacted people after seeing “Tenants Wanted” signs around town. I really tried everything. Actually, this place had been vacant for about six months. When I first looked at the property details, it said “DRY GOODS ONLY.” I had given up on it because I couldn’t open a café there, but there’s a Japanese developer I work with who happens to be good friends with the owner of this property. Thanks to that connection, I was granted special permission, so I decided to go with this place.

—So, since the listing was for dry goods only, it wasn’t a property designed for food and beverage service, was it?

RYO:That's right. That's why we needed to do some construction work. However, since we couldn't handle the plumbing and electrical work ourselves, we had to hire professionals for that. But everything else was done by hand by us.

—Wow! How big is the store?

RYO:It’s about 1,400 square feet, though...

KAMIDE:Um, it's 130 square meters, right?

—There are quite a few, aren't there?

KAMIDE:I think it’s spacious. It might be larger than most mountain gear shops in Tokyo. Plus, there’s a café area.

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Whether made in Japan or the U.S., I want quality products.

—What criteria did you use to select the items you carry?

KAMIDE:As expected, we’re focusing our selection mainly on gear for climbing and long hikes. Since our selection would be limited if we only carried items we’ve personally used, we’re planning to stock some other products as well—just to try them out—and demonstrate them to customers as we use them. We’ll be working the shop ourselves, so we’re committed to carrying items we can confidently recommend to our customers.

Titanium pegs: left column (Field Record), right column (Bargo)

Sleeping bags from Western Mountaineering, Enlightened Equipment, and montbell

—What kinds of brands do you carry?

KAMIDE:We carry Japanese brands, as well as American brands—not just from New York. One of the most iconic brands in the outdoor culture scene is Utah-based ULA Equipment. We also carry Hikerkind, a New York-based brand that makes women’s mountain wear.

Backpacks by ULA Equipment

Tents by Hyperlite Mountain Gear

RYO:Then there’s a brand called HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEAR, based in Maine, that makes lightweight backpacks. I’d love to mix my brand, Nassin Special, with other streetwear brands from my generation and local brands as well.

KAMIDE:We plan to carry both long-established Japanese brands and garage brands. For example, there’s EVERNEW, a brand well-known to anyone who hikes. Based in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, it’s famous for its outdoor cookware. Interestingly, they also manufacture the chalk used for white lines on elementary school playgrounds and vaulting boxes.

Then there’s *HERITAGE*, which has been popular for ages. There’s also a brand called *Alpine Flower Guide* that makes socks with cute floral embroidery. The designs are lovely, the construction is sturdy, and they’re perfect for the mountains. We carry brands like these—ones that customers are experiencing for the first time here in the U.S.—so I think they’ll find them pretty interesting.

—That means we can showcase a wide range of Japanese mountaineering gear.

KAMIDE:But it doesn’t really feel like a “typical Japanese store.” It’s more like we just gathered a selection of great items, and it just so happened that many of them were made in Japan.

Climbing shoes by LA SPORTIVA

〈Rosemary〉 Pants

—I see. Will you also carry items from the “Mountain Uniform Promotion Association,” which Mr. Uede runs with his friends from junior high and high school?

KAMIDE:Yeah, I plan to put a few items up for sale. I’ve actually been making a bunch of really weird stuff on the sly (lol). It looks like I might end up with something pretty amazing, so I’m thinking of bringing it in to sell. I usually just sell things on the street, so this will be my first time having my stuff carried by a shop.

— That looks like so much fun.

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A community brought together by coffee.

—What’s TOMO’s café space like?

TOMO:Our commitment to brewing delicious coffee and creating an atmosphere that satisfies our customers is the same as at "PPL." But there’s a difference between what I can do on my own and what three of us can accomplish together, so this feels like a real challenge for me.

—Are there any features unique to "Contrast"?

KAMIDE:We serve baked goods. I’ve asked a wonderful chef I’ve known for years to create delicious treats with a focus on gluten-free and vegan options. So I think we have plenty of customers who come just for the coffee, and plenty who come just for the baked goods. I actually think there’s a potentially larger audience for this than for people just looking at mountaineering gear, so I’m secretly hoping that even people who haven’t been interested in hiking before might come visit the mountains. You can browse the shop with a cup of coffee in hand, and I’d love to create that kind of community—I hope it becomes a hub for people.

—It’s not just New York; that’s the image people have of America in general. It seems like the kind of place where people gather at shops and events spring up, creating a real sense of community.

RYO:That’s true. Actually, when you go to a gym that hosts regular events, you’re bound to run into people you know. Also, there are quite a lot of rock climbers there. The number of climbing gyms is kind of crazy.

—I didn’t know that. Is that so?

RYO:It's amazing. I think the market is pretty saturated.

—It’s hard to just casually go hiking in the mountains, but rock climbing is more accessible, and I guess the health aspect plays a big role too.

KAMIDE:To begin with, I think the whole culture of working out at the gym—the idea of getting active—is amazing. And now, instead of just running on a treadmill, we have climbing, which is a full-body workout. Plus, since the skill levels are clearly defined and it’s an activity where you can really feel yourself improving, it’s easy to see why there was such a demand for it.

—But it’s strange that, even though it’s so popular, there aren’t many stores that carry the gear. I wonder if people are just getting everything they need through online shopping.

RYO:Last June, I went to Uta with Kamide, and there were an incredible number of outdoor gear stores lined up in Salt Lake City. It really shows that the range of outdoor activities available is fundamentally different between the West Coast and New York on the East Coast.

KAMIDE:Also, I don’t think many people realize how easy it is to get to places like Harryman State Park and the Gunkies, which I mentioned earlier. It’s probably about the same as going to Okutama from Tokyo—or maybe even better. It’s also easy to get to the Appalachian Trail, one of the three major trails that represent the United States. New York offers so many different ways to enjoy the mountains, but I feel like that information just hasn’t really gotten out there yet. So I think people have the potential interest, but they just didn’t have the information. I’d love to be the catalyst for that, and I think there’s huge potential here.

RYO:That’s why I chose the name “Contrast.” Just a short while ago, I was deep in the mountains with no cell service, but an hour later, I was already standing in front of Madison Square Garden. I chose this name because I wanted to express that gap—that contrast between cultures.

—The logo is really cute, isn't it?

RYO:That's right. We used the same font, Windsor. If you look closely at the logo, you'll see that it's made up of the letters "C" and "O."

—Regarding business hours, is it usually the case that at least one of the three of you is there when customers visit the store?

RYO:That’s right. I think we’ll need to be there in person to get a feel for things at first, so I imagine the three of us will basically be working the shop together. The café is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the shop is open from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

—Are there any events already planned for after the opening?

RYO:First, we’re planning to start a running club, map out some routes in Brooklyn, and get together to run once a week or once a month. If that goes well, we’d like to start a climbing club and go climbing in Central Park together. That’s how I’d like to expand things.

KAMIDE:I’d also like to shoot a variety of videos. I mean, isn’t it a bit surprising to hear that you can go climbing in Central Park? There’s a lot of that unique New York charm—where mountain and city activities blend together—so I think it’s important to share that through video. I have a feeling this could really help build that kind of culture.

"I see. It's wonderful that you can share the experience of hiking through your shop. Now I have another place I'd like to visit when I'm in New York."