table of contents
- Shioyama is secretly interesting right now.
- The events you encounter by chance are also interesting!
- I still have some time, so I'll go to the suburbs
- Let's head to Cirque 3, 5, and 6 garages!
- ramp.Coffee & Rooster
- To the main Cirque building?
- Back to garages 3, 5 and 6!
- It's not just Mayu-Kou.
- We asked Meitetsu Sakashita about the brand and its history.
- It won't be realistic unless it's made by someone who embodies it.
- Why was it named Maydeka?
- Garages 3, 5, and 6 are hiring staff!
- Finally, a special announcement about the autumn event!?
Shioyama is secretly interesting right now.
Mannenrou (Matte Fragrance). I'm sure that no hardcore mountain enthusiast has heard of it. It suddenly appeared, but in the blink of an eye, it spread the concept of wide pants to mountain wear, and its influence even reached outdoor festivals, becoming a big hit in outdoor fashion and everyday life.
This Yamamachi tour begins in front of JR Enzan Station in Yamanashi Prefecture, where Meitei-ka lives.
The events you encounter by chance are also interesting!
Cirque, the complex that houses Meitei-ka's physical store, hadn't yet opened, so I was strolling around the station when I happened to discover a morning market happening almost next to the station.There was no reason not to stop by.
It's called Katsunuma Morning Market and is held on the first Sunday of every month.It seemed to have everything from local specialties to apparel and wooden products.
Katsunuma Morning Market https://jimmycorp.net/katsunumaasaichi-top/
Persimmons and grapes were in season, but these spices were delicious! Shin Mix has a slightly Asian flavor that goes well with any dish. It was so good that I bought one.
graindesel https://www.graindeselyp.com/
I still have some time, so I'll go to the suburbs
A short stroll from Shioyama Station to Moshimoshi House. It's a quick drive, but it might be a little far if you're using other forms of transportation.
A pop-up event was also happening here, so an illustrator was preparing.
This place, Moshimoshi House, is an accommodation facility where you can rent out an entire old Japanese house, and it has an incredibly nice atmosphere.
The reason why it is called Moshi Moshi House is that in the past, this house was the only one in the area that had a telephone, which really brings back memories. Moshi Moshi House is available for rental as a whole, with only one group allowed per day. It is available for both overnight stays and day trips, and can be used in a variety of ways, such as as a gallery venue, a meeting place, a workshop venue, a rural life experience, a trip with family and friends, or a photo shoot. It's a great place!
By the way, it has also been used as a filming location for many famous TV dramas and movies.
Hello Househttps ://koushu-minka.jp/
Let's head to Cirque 3, 5, and 6 garages!
So, thinking it was about time, I headed back to the station and headed to garages 3, 5, and 6 located within the Cirque complex.
Let's get started! But as you'd expect from Meitei-ka, customers come in constantly and it's hard to talk to them (laughs). Garages 3, 5 and 6 only have a few business days, so it's rare for them to be open. That's because people who are interested in Meitei-ka often stop by.
This is one reason why I did that, but I also naturally found myself heading to the coffee shop next door, which I had been curious about for a while.
ramp.Coffee & Rooster
Ramp is a home-roasted siphon coffee shop with the concept of "helping to improve the quality of life."
The interior of the store is so stylish and dazzling, it's such a wonderful space!
There are various roasting and brewing methods suggested, not just siphon, but for the first time, I recommend using a siphon!
It's the best.
Apparently it's only available in the summer, but they also serve coffee using this special extraction equipment, which is so amazing that I don't really understand it (lol). Lamp is open from 7am on weekdays, and it seems to be quite busy with people in the area before they go to work, which is great.
ramp.Coffee & Rooster
Weekdays 7:00-15:00
・Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 9:00-16:00
・Irregular holidays (see business calendar)
・Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ramp.coffee_and_roastery/
To the main Cirque building?
Next to Lamp is a large building that appears to house several stores.
When I visited, there was a pop-up like this right at the entrance. These terracotta pots with original paintings were the work of Aoiro POT. If you love plants and want a cute pot to go with them, make it yourself! The artist is still a junior high school student, but he's still so active and energetic. It's a great time, and the parents who support him are so kind.
Aoiro POT https://www.instagram.com/aoiro_pot_2024/
If you go further in, you'll find a store that specializes in earthenware pots! It seems that it has just opened.
The name of the shop is Sodo. Apparently, the owner personally visits and is satisfied with the brands of donabe pots he stocks, and apparently donabe pots can be used for a variety of cooking purposes, not just cooking rice. You can see this for yourself by checking out their official Instagram. I'm a donabe lover myself, and the rice I cook in this one is delicious.
sodo
・Business hours: 10:00-14:30
・Please refer to Instagram for opening hours
・Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sodo_enzan_/
Returning to the entrance, on your right you will find Fermentation Department Yamanashi.
Apparently they carry all kinds of fermented foods from all over Japan.
Among all of this, it seems that Lamp's coffee beans, which I mentioned earlier, are purchased by everyone who happens to visit Lamp's store on its closed day, so I thought that there was a collaboration like that.
And among the many products, outdoor natto seems to be quite popular! If you look closely, you will see that one of the triple collaboration logos is the Gunma outdoor shop Purvayers.
This flavored natto can be stored at room temperature and is easy to carry around! You can add it to your existing dishes to change up the flavor, or you can eat natto rice on the mountain! It's also highly nutritious, so it's a great addition to your mountain food if you like it.
Fermentation Department Yamanashi
・Business hours: 10:00-13:30/14:30-17:00
・Please refer to Instagram for opening hours
・Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/hakko.department.yamanashi/
There are many other attractive shops within Cirque, so please check them out here.
Cirque https://www.instagram.com/cirque.enzan/
Back to garages 3, 5 and 6!
Now, when the store has calmed down, we head back to the Meitetsuka store and garages 3, 5, and 6.
As the name suggests, this is a small garage-sized store, just big enough to fit two regular cars.
Although it is a small store, it is impressive to see so many Mayflower items there.
When it was released, many people were probably surprised by the unexpected collaboration item, Mayuka/Mountain and Highland Map MAP FUROSHIKI. This water-repellent furoshiki is versatile and can be used however you like, and it actually functions as a map, as it is the Mountain and Highland Map No. 28/Kinpuzan, Kobushin, and Okuchichibu area where garages 3, 5, and 6 are located. It can also be folded into a compact size that won't tear even when wet, making it an item that goes beyond paper maps. Perhaps a second edition will be released in the future!?
The MCS-9 OCTA BASE TEE is a boldly reversible octa base! The concept behind this is to wear it with the brushed side facing out as a warm t-shirt, and then turn it inside out when you're out in the mountains to take advantage of the octa's inherent sweat-wicking and quick-drying properties. This kind of flexible thinking is unique to Garage.
The lineup also includes coats and jackets perfect for the coming season, including the UL Daily pack coat, a lightweight coat with an octa inner lining and an ultra-thin ripstop nylon outer fabric that is windproof and packable. It is designed so that it doesn't get in the way when you lift your legs, making it a surprisingly versatile piece for both mountain and city use, depending on the mountain region.
One of the great things about being in a physical store is being able to see the many different versions of the HARVEST TRAINER series, wide pants that are synonymous with Mei-Tian Xiang. I was wondering why they were called trainers even though they were pants, but after talking to the brand owner, it all made sense. More on that later.
There are also products from 221 Village, which is owned by the same brand as the Mitian brand
The owner says that these hand towels sell well to the neighborhood ladies, and are like hidden gems. The manufacturing process is a little different from others, and the design is also outstanding.
This bold eco-bag made from a tenugui was on sale when I visited, making it a great bargain! It's a simple but great product.
It's not just Mayu-Kou.
The quantity is not large, but there are some spicy selections chosen by the owner. These extraordinary fans are the best in Evernew!
But then the owner said, "Wouldn't this makgeolli cup be enough for something to do in the mountains?" I was impressed by how flexible they are to offer such an inexpensive and easy-to-use suggestion.
There are also some great deals that may be important right now!
There is also the solid fuel Fire Dragon, which has enthusiastic support from some people.
The display items that blend in with the products are also very cool.
We asked Meitetsu Sakashita about the brand and its history.
Now, let's finally ask Mr. Sakashita, the owner of Mayeka/Garage No. 3, 5, 6, some questions.
-When did the Mitekiko start?-
I started in 2020. I was originally a designer for Barbour's Japanese planning. I quit that job about seven years ago and then started Mayfair. In between, or rather before that, I started the fashion-oriented brand 221 Village, and then I started Mayfair in earnest five years ago.
Reference: The recently opened Barbour Harajuku Cat Street store.
The reason I started Maydeka was that I had been splitting my time between Yamanashi and here for about 10 years, but I'd always loved the outdoors as a lifestyle, and after coming here I started gardening and growing vegetables, and I wanted to create a brand that evoked that atmosphere.
It won't be realistic unless it's made by someone who embodies it.
I've always loved outdoor wear, so I've always wanted to do it someday. However, unless it's made by someone who embodies it, the reality won't come across, so at Meidenka, I feel that I have to create something that is truly "what I do" in real life.
-What was the first product released by Mitianxiang?
Well, what did they make at first? I remember they were making workwear-like items, not the hit item, wide pants, HARVEST TRAINER. HARVEST TRAINER was originally made to be something that could be used casually for gardening, but it was featured by *Sanso Iijima, and from there it gradually started to attract the attention of mountaineers, leading to its current popularity. *A mountaineering equipment store in Setagaya, Tokyo with a unique approach.
-Why HARVEST TRAINER?-
HARVEST means harvest, right? As I said earlier, I actually made these pants for when I harvest in the fields, and although "trainers" tends to sound like sweatshirts in Japan, the name is a play on training wear.
The pleasant sound of records echoes throughout the store.
These pants were made with reference to old nylon military wear, which is the so-called crinkly pants and jacket that military personnel wear during training. HARVEST TRAINER is a collection of pants that have been tailored in a maize style. So the name doesn't have as deep a meaning as you might think (lol).
However, when it comes to creating something, it may seem like it only takes an instant to complete, but it can also be said that it takes an enormous amount of time to finally release the accumulated elements that have led up to that point.
Why was it named Maydeka?
-What is the origin of the brand name "Mei Di Xiang"?–
Mannenrou is the Japanese name for rosemary. When I moved to Yamanashi, the first thing I planted was rosemary. The place was vacant, but now it's covered in rosemary (lol).
Plants that are suited to the land will grow, and those that aren't will be weeded out. But rosemary suited our house perfectly, and we wanted a name that would symbolize this place. But rosemary probably wouldn't be able to be trademarked, so we decided to try writing it in kanji.
That's why I chose Meidenka, but doesn't kanji and Chinese characters have a mysterious atmosphere to them? I think that's a nice feeling and I like it, without saying too much.
Also, during my previous time working in apparel, I often traveled abroad, but I felt like I was buying clothes out of admiration for Westerners. But here, I wanted to express the kind of "goodness" that Japanese people have, so I decided to stop using English in the brand name.
While English certainly has the advantage of being readable all over the world, we also wanted to make the name feel more local to us. As a result, it's a little mysterious and hard to read at first glance, but people are somehow intrigued and end up looking at the pants and buying them, so we think it's created a positive cycle.
-The fun of ingenuity–
I think it's better for the person wearing the clothes to come up with the ideas. I think even MYOG is based on the idea that the person using it should come up with the ideas, so I think that even for things like catalogue shoots, it would look better if beautiful models wore the clothes, but I don't think it's best for us to do that sort of thing.
At Meidenka, we think it would be more realistic to take inspiration from the cool ways our users have styled their clothes, although we don't deny that models wearing the clothes is one way of showcasing the products.
-A new work from a steep angle!?–
I'm releasing a new pair of shoes soon: "Leather Shoes." Taking a completely different approach, I'm releasing leather shoes that can be worn in the mountains. Mountain shoes that can be worn in the city tend to be more casual, and in my previous job I wore quite a few of the so-called world-famous leather shoes. I think there's something beautiful about those shoes, but I think that most of them don't fit my feet as they are more Western-style. So, I thought it would be nice to have leather shoes that can be worn in the mountains and are designed to fit Japanese feet, so I'm calling them Town Peaks Shoes.
This is the Sportiva on display.
After all, counter-trends are a part of fashion, and culture too. I thought it would be interesting to target that kind of thing, so I tried this. I think the HARVEST TRAINER was also a counter-trend, but honestly I didn't think wide pants would be this popular in the mountain area (laughs). I'm also thinking about new pants, and for the jackets I'm trying to make simple ones that aren't too functional. I thought it would be cool if they looked like they blended in with the crowd in a second-hand clothing store a few years from now.
-The inside story of MAP FUROSHIKI -
I brought this project myself, and I'm really glad that I accepted. It's water-repellent, can be used as a simple tarp for your head when bivying, and best of all, it's great for looking at maps. If you wrap it in a furoshiki, you can stick it on the wall, wrap it around your neck, or spread it out when you take a break.
Genuine from World War II.
If you get injured, you can wrap it around your body instead of a bandage. It's a map, but it's not just a map; you can use it for anything. This actually has a source, an escape map used by the British Royal Air Force. At the time, British Air Force pilots wore scarves around their necks with maps of enemy territory printed on them, so they could escape in case of a crash.
These are now being traded at high prices in the secondhand clothing industry, and this idea was the starting point.I came up with the idea of printing a mountain map like this, and it became a reality.
At first, the other party was like, "Hmm," but when the item came up, they were like, "Wow!" and it felt good.
Garages 3, 5, and 6 are hiring staff!
Although we have a brick-and-mortar store, we are currently unable to increase the number of business days due to work on the e-commerce site, our next project, and other things. So, we are currently looking for someone to help us out, and we are currently looking for part-time workers. It would be great if someone would simply come and work here in Shiozan, Yamanashi, so that we could open the store more days.
If you think you have what it takes, we look forward to your application. (As of November 2025)
If you are interested, please contact us via the EC site.
What did you think of Meitei-ka/Garages 3, 5, and 6? I think we were able to get a glimpse of the full picture of Meitei-ka, which has a slightly mysterious aura. It seems likely that Meitei-ka will continue to launch a number of high-profile projects, so we can't help but keep an eye on their future developments. And for those of you who are wondering, "Meitei-ka? Wide-leg pants?", I think it's a good idea to take a peek into their world after reading this article. Seeing is believing, after all.
stray incense
・Official EC site https://mannenro.official.ec/
・Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/man.nen.ro/
Garages 3, 5, and 6
・Cirque Garage 3.5.6, 537-2 Shimozozo, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture
・Business days/hours: see Instagram
・Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/356bansyako/
Finally, a special announcement about the autumn event!?
Shionoyama, the event that was suddenly held this year and was met with great success, is returning early on 3..5.6!
This information is reproduced with permission.
Enjoy autumn at Shioyama! "3..5.6 Shionoyama Vol.2" will be held on Monday, November 24, 2025 (Labor Thanksgiving Day)!
The market event "3..5.6 Shionoyama" in Enzan, Yamanashi Prefecture, which received a great response at its first event in May 2025, will be held again this fall on Monday, November 24, 2025 (Labor Thanksgiving Day)!
This time, the venue is once again "Garages 3, 5, and 6," part of the "Cirque" complex, which boasts excellent access, just a five-minute walk from JR Enzan Station. While still convenient enough for a quick day trip from afar, you can now enjoy autumn in Enzan as the season changes. While focusing on hiking, many unique stores have been reunited, offering more than just outdoor activities. In the clear autumn air in front of the station, you can take your time browsing the carefully selected gear and lifestyle items.
This year's event will be held on Labor Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy delicious local food and drinks, along with DJ music creating a comfortable atmosphere, all day long. It's an hour and a half by express train from Shinjuku. Come visit Shiozawa, Yamanashi in autumn, whether you're hiking or attending an event! Let's toast together on Monday, November 24, 2025 (a national holiday)! We'll keep you updated on the event's dedicated account for details and participating brands!
・Event Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/3._.5.6_shionoyama/
・Organizer: Shionoyama Executive Committee
・Date and time: 11/24 (Monday/Holiday) 9:00~15:00
・Venue: 537-2 Shimozono, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Cirque Garage
・Outdoor-related shops/flea markets/food/drinks
・MUSIC TBA
・Access by train From Tokyo/Shinjuku to JR Chuo Line: Take the limited express train to Enzan Station in 1.5 hours. From Kanagawa/Shin-Yokohama to Hachioji, take the JR Yokohama Line for approximately 50 minutes, then transfer to the JR Chuo Line for the limited express train to Enzan Station in 1.5 hours. In both cases, walk 450m (approximately 5 minutes) from Enzan Station.
・By car: From Tokyo - Chuo Expressway (approx. 1 hour 20 minutes) get off at Katsunuma IC. From Nagoya - Chuo Expressway (approx. 3 hours 20 minutes) get off at Katsunuma IC. → In both cases, take the Fruit Line for approx. 10 minutes to Enzan Station.
・Free admission!
From the previous pattern.
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