INDEX
Japan’s national parks are actually very close to us.
Celeina: You became the brand manager of PARKS PROJECT JAPAN in January this year, right?
Hikiji: Yes. We have had a chance to work together on this project.
Takano: And the T-shirt you are wearing today?
Hikiji: Yes, that’s right. This T-shirt has a design of 34 national parks in Japan on the back, and it has cultural elements in the design, like vintage clothing and tour T-shirts.
Celeina: I like the design. Once again, this PARKS PROJECT is a brand that donates proceeds from sales to protect national parks in the U.S. for the maintenance of nature such as tree planting and park operations, right?
Hikiji: Yes, that’s right. In the U.S., the brand has about 770,000 followers on Instagram and is quite well known. The Japanese version of the brand will be launched in 2020, and we are continuing our donation and volunteer activities for branding and preservation of Japan’s national parks.
Celeina: If one purchases goods from PARKS PROJECT JAPAN, does that mean that the proceeds will be used for the conservation of Japan’s national parks?
Hikiji: Yes, that’s right.
Takano: That is very stylish.
Celeina: I hope you will take a look at this.
Hikiji: Thank you very much.
Takano: I had never really thought about national parks, but how many are there in Japan?
Hikiji: There are currently 34. I didn’t know that much about them until I actually got involved.
Takano: So there are that many.
Hikiji: I visited 10 places without realizing it. I was able to answer the question later.
Celeina: So this is actually a national park.
Hikiji: That’s right.
Takano: Do you have a favorite national park?
Hikiji: We had an event two days before this one, but did you know that there is actually a national park in Tokyo?
Takano: There is a national park in Tokyo?
Hikiji: Yes. Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. There are national parks in Akiruno City, Okutama, and other areas that straddle Saitama, Nagano, and Yamanashi. The valleys there are very beautiful, so we go fishing there.
Takano: So it is rich in nature. I had never imagined a national park in Tokyo.
Celeina: I hope this will be an opportunity for people to pay attention to Japan’s national parks. FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends connected by “go-touch,” and we are asking you to introduce us to your friends.
Hikiji: I would like to introduce Max McKee, CEO of Kamui, a platform that offers the best nature experiences in Japan. There are many outdoor guides registered with Kamui, and a mutual friend of ours there introduced us. We exchange information as both he and I are working with nature as a resource in Japan, and the other day he came to visit me at Mt. Takao and we talked about doing something interesting.
Takano: In a word, what kind of person would you describe him?
Hikiji: He is super handsome.
Takano: Super handsome!
Hikiji: Yes, enjoy (laughs).
Takano: Thank you very much. Tomorrow we welcome Max McKee, founder of Outdoor Guide Kamui.
Celeina: “FIST BUMP”, today we had Hiroyuki Hikichi, story creator of Mountain States Tokyo. Thank you very much.
Hikiji: Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
