[OGZ's Yamato Town Exploration Story Vol. 12] Nagano Chino Edition: The gateway to Mt. Yatsugatake, the place to go, the mountain tools and cafe Eightdoor!
written by yans
Now, the Nagano episode begins this time, and it is a grand project that continues from a regular exploration to a "a certain" garage brand, then teaches you how to use the gear together with the brand owner, and then spends a night while using it, and then reviews that delve into the gear in depth.
The first project is also a greedy project where you can take a look at mountain tools shops that you're interested in on the way to the brand owner, so if you'd like, we hope you'll stay with us until the end of the series!
A rope called "The Pillar" welcomes you
Nagano Prefecture is located in Chino City, in front of the west exit of JR Chino Station.
Go straight down the road that runs south from the front of the station.
You will then be at the transformation intersection, so you will need to cross the crosswalk and enter the path.
The entrance will appear on your left, about three to five minutes from the station.
It would be nice if there was a mountain hut in town where climbers could stop by as they please. We have arrived at Eightdoor, a mountain tool shop that catches.
When I entered, I looked right from the front
This is a great item to be pleased with the slightest consideration of the Zack Okiba store.
If you turn left, you will see a long counter, and Eight Door has a cafe.
There were clothing and hats on the right in front of the counter. I see, there's a cafe and I wonder if there's something a little outdoor... Don't let it go quickly!
After passing through the counter earlier and passing through the slightly narrow passageway, the dream space is small, but the gears are concentrated in a tightly convincing space for even gear enthusiasts! On the other hand, this density is irresistible.
And then suddenly I saw... Plylett's mountain stool, a familiar one from Giajin!?
Past visits
By the way, the Plylet edition also includes the climbing mountain Azuma with the owner Kamikubo, so it is something that we would like readers who have not read it to see in the past as well.
When I looked further towards the wall counterclockwise, I saw that it was TMR this time! I feel a sense of emotion on my own.
TMR is also popular as well, and personally I recommend the 4g titanium spoon spoon shown on the far left. A homage to something from the past. There are also Evernew.
Past visits
that TMR's products were recently surrounded by many of KALUGII's wireframe products and coffee.
There are also many small items in this area, including the extremely popular Miyagen whistle.
The clothing was made of static and seemed to be noticeable.
This corner has plenty of Ridge Mountain gear.
The sleeping bag and tent section was LELEKA HAMMOCK, which was taken care of at the Alps Summit the day after this interview.
Past event reports can be found here
The backpacks seem to be selected mainly from LITEWAY, Ridge Mountain, SAYAMA works, etc.
The same brand name as the backpacks also stand out from the same brand name.
There were also PergoWorks products that could be said to be a classic in the mountains!
The fascinating gear space connected from this small path is quite blissful, so we head back to the counter.
Looking at the counter, you can see that all the cafe menus are all in one place. It also appears that there will be light snacks such as toast.
I'm sure craft beer lovers will be irresistible!
After seeing all the details, let's ask the owner, Matsumura Shunpei.
Q. Why did you open your store in Chino?
A. My wife and I both work in Tokyo and Kanagawa, and on our days off we used public transport to go mountain climbing. We met my wife through mountain climbing, but before we first arrived in the Kanto region, we both grew up in the countryside, so we wanted to live in a place close to nature, and we also wanted to create an environment where we could go to the mountains whenever we wanted, so we decided to move to Nagano and open our own shop.
It was quickly decided that I would start looking for a place to move to Nagano Prefecture. This prefecture is home to famous Japanese mountains, so anyone who climbs a mountain would have dreamed of it at least once.
In particular, Yatsugatake was a popular destination for access from the Kanto region, so I often visited the area throughout the year. Yatsugatake has many wonderful mountain huts and some are open all year round, so you can climb the mountains not only in summer but also in winter. What I felt was that despite the wonderful mountains, the area around Chino Station, the gateway, was a little deserted, with climbers not having a place to wait for trains after descending the mountain or kill time.
I eat standing soba noodles at the station and wait for Tsusa in the waiting room. That's fine, but I thought it would be nice to have a space like a "city mountain hut" where you can enjoy the afterglow of climbing the mountain, such as the sense of fulfillment and excitement. Let's combine tool shops and cafes! It has now become the shape of the current store.
Q. Shop concept What is it? [I wish there was a mountain hut in the city where mountaineers could stop by as they please]?
A. Mountain huts are indispensable to climbers. Not only is it a place for breaks, supplies, and gathering information, but it is also a place for encounters that connect people.
Eightdoor is a mountain hut in front of the station where all climbers can easily stop by and spend their time doing their best. Buy all the essentials before climbing the mountain, take a quick break, and get information. After descending the mountain, I sipped coffee at the counter and immersed in the afterglow of the mountain we climbed. It was a trigger for someone to discover tools they had never seen before and to wake up in a mountain hiking style that is typical of them.
Pass through the door called Eightdoor, meet new tools and people, and then head to the next mountain.
Q. What are your future prospects?
A. Thanks to you, it has been a year since we opened. Some people were talking about the mountains with customers who were returning from the mountains and drinking coffee in the cafe space, and some people were delaying the train. It seems that everyone comes to Yatsugatake about twice a year, and many people come to repeat visits even in far away.
On the other hand, I also want to be more closely involved with local people. Our store holds an event called Coffee Hiking, where you can walk along the low mountains around Chino about once a month. It's a rather relaxed event, but we would like to ask the guide to hold it with a more in-depth course on mountain climbing safety. For example, reading diagrams and first aid courses... Since we run our shops near the mountains, we often have the opportunity to hear stories of lost or injured. To ensure that you are not just lucky enough, I have come to strongly desire to share not only tools to make people enjoy the mountain for a long time, but also the ways to use it beyond that, as well as practical mountain climbing techniques.
It is supported not only by people returning from the mountains far away, but also by local people, so I hope that by holding such a seminar, I can give back.
There seem to be a lot of possibilities waiting for you, so you can't miss the next development! So, I received a letter from Eight Door about recommended products for this season's FW, so I would like to introduce them to you.
"We'll introduce three new items this year! First off, we'll be introducing the STATIC ROAR series and STATIC AROUSAL series. Both use AYUKAN thread made from Octa and wool, making this a popular wear that adds high heat retention and looseness to the weight of Octa, as well as the deodorizing and moisture control of wool!
The ROAR series is a middle layer made from AYUKAN woven with whole garment. Whole garments are sewn without sewing and woven in a three-dimensional way, making them soft to wear and no cutting chips. The fabric is woven with thin thread and keeps it warm and breathable. Another major advantage is that it is not odor-resistant and light, and it is also recommended to carry it as a spare long sleeve when hiking in the summer mountains! The design is easy to wear on a daily basis, so before you know it, you often wear it on days when you don't go to the mountains.
The AROUSAL series is a base layer made from fabric made from AYUKAN woven into a pile shape. It is characterized by its moderate elasticity and soft feel, and is recommended as a base layer for autumn and winter. It is not transparent, so it can be worn alone, and keeps your body at an appropriate temperature, which tends to get hot when hiking up snowy mountains. It also doesn't smell easily, so you won't be bothered if you keep wearing it on your night's snowy mountain hike. The following models are available at our store. ROAR HOODIE ・ROAR RELUX HOODIE ・ROAR CREW ・AROUSAL L/S SHIRTS.
The third one is the Power Stretch Earmuff Cap from RIDGE MOUNTAIN GEAR. Based on the design of the Basic Cap, which is synonymous with RIDGE MOUNTAIN GEAR, the ear pads are added to the design to make it even in winter. There was a model that originally used grid-shaped merino wool fabric, but now a version using Polartec® Power Stretch has been released. Polartec® Power Stretch is a versatile fabric that combines all the necessary elements for winter hiking, including elasticity, breathability, heat retention, moisture absorption and quick drying, and is relatively wind-proof, making it useful in situations where you walk in cold winter winds (for example, open areas in alpine mountains). We live at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake, and in winter we are forced to fight against the cold, strong winds blowing down from Mt. Yatsugatake, and we also like the warmth and design that is perfect for overcoming the wind in such a city. ”
And I'm curious to see all of them being Eight Door FW's favorite products!
What did you think? Nagano is the eight door in Chino. I can only hope that the owners and couples who are still opening new doors to Chino will be the ones to cheer them up. Although it is frustrating that there are no opportunities to visit far away, I would like to support them in a simple way from afar.
We will continue to talk to our next destination, "Aru" garage brand, so please continue to support us!
Mountain tools and cafe Eightdoor
・3582-3 Chino, Chino, Chino, Nagano Prefecture
・Business hours: 11am to 6pm on weekdays and 8:30am to 6pm on holidays
・Closed on irregular days
・Official website https://eightdoor-chino.com/
・Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eightdoor_chino/
After exploring the Eight Door, we took a short walk around Chino Station and in front of the station. Even though it was close to the afternoon, the bustle of mountain climbers was impressive, and it was more impressive that there were more people heading towards the area than people returning home, which was the afternoon.
I also went inside the tenant building in front of the station, but it's amazing that there's a Montura! Just as you thought that, most people already know that the people who retreated seemed lonely. Also, as the owner of the Eight Door said, there are many mountain climbers, but there are few mountain related shops... I still had the impression that.
I left Chino, hoping that the Chino area would become an opportunity to get more excitement from the Eight Door.
Continued here!
Yans
A person who has grown into a gear lover and finally ended up writing on Gear Gin. He has been a tough gear enthusiast and loves modifying and making his own gear, and also loves outdoor events. We would like to place emphasis on brand exploration and shop reviews.
