A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On October 30, Shoichi Yamada of “people showroom” will appear. We asked him about how he turned his hobby of outdoor activities into a career, his recommended campsites, and what he values in enjoying the outdoors.
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Getting into mountaineering at the age of 18
Celeina (MC): We start off the week with a man recommended by the program, Shoichi Yamada of “people showroom,” who says he loves nature so much that he switched careers to work in the outdoors. Nice to meet you.
Takano (MC): What kind of work did you originally do?
Yamada: I was in the apparel industry.
Takano: And not outdoor stuff or anything like that.
Yamada: Nothing to do with that at all.
Celeina: While working for that apparel company, you enjoyed the outdoors as a hobby. What is the origin of your outdoor activities?
Yamada: I have been climbing mountains since I was about 18 years old. So mountain climbing, trekking, and rock climbing are my origins.
Celeina: What made you get into mountaineering at the age of 18?
Yamada: I was living in Hokkaido when I was in elementary school, so I guess that was the beginning.
Takano: How long have you been outdoors?
Yamada: About 25 or 26 years.
Celeina: You are a veteran.
Takano: I heard that you are also a licensed mountain guide.
Yamada: I had to renew it after three years, but I didn’t renew it, so I lost my license.
Takano: I didn’t realize that. How do you get a license?
Yamada: There are many detailed practical tests, such as having to be able to ice climb, and only those who pass them can get a license.
Takano: Climbing mountains is not only fun, but it is also hard work. So, the skills required to properly guide people through this part of the process are also important.
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I want to dye not only food, clothing, and shelter, but also working and playing all in the outdoors.
Celeina：What made you decide to turn outdoor activities into a career rather than just a hobby?
Yamada: I worked in the fashion industry for a long time, but I wanted to dye not only food, clothing, shelter, and clothing, but also work, play all in the outdoors.
Takano: So there is a phrase “food, clothing, shelter, work, and play”isn’t there?
Yamada: Is there?
Takano: It may be a phrase originating from Mr. Yamada. And I guess it goes like this: you got hooked on mountain climbing, and then you got hooked on camping.
Yamada: That is exactly right.
Takano: How long have you been camping?
Yamada: I got into camping when I was about 24 or 25 years old, so about 18 years. In the mountains, the objective is to peak hunt, so you have to climb, but camping is a lot of fun with everyone.
Celeina: I’m new to mountain climbing, but what is peak hunting?
Yamada: The objective is to climb all the way to the top of the mountain. That is too stoic, so we want to have fun in a more casual way.
Takano: I would like to ask if you have any recommendations for campgrounds for us camping beginners.
Yamada: Most people who go camping are from the city center, but there is a place called Soleil Hill Auto Campsite in Yokosuka that is easily accessible from the city center and has good facilities. It is both a park and a campground, with a nice view of the ocean right in front of it, and the grass is safe enough for children to run barefoot.
Takano: It sounds like it has good accessibility.
Yamada: It takes about an hour and a half from the center of Tokyo. The other campground is a little different. It is called Doshinomori Campground in Yamanashi Prefecture, which is wilder than the Soleil Hill campground I mentioned. It is surrounded by a forest with a stream running through it, and the autumn leaves are beautiful this time of year, so I highly recommend it. But there is Wi-Fi in the administration building.
Takano: Wi-Fi is available there, so you could use it as a workcation. Thank you very much. Now that you have given us two campsite recommendations, I would like to interject a song here. I asked Mr. Yamada to choose a song that we would all like to listen to together on the radio at this time. What kind of song would it be?
Yamada: It’s a song called “Go Go Sakanatsuri” by Yujiro Kudo. I started listening to it when I started fishing, and I recommend it because you can easily listen to it on the way to outdoor activities.
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Enjoying the outdoors with “Leave No Trace” in mind
Celeina：This was a folk song. Mr.Yamada chose the song “Go Go Sakanatsuri” by Yujiro Kudo.
Takano: When do you listen to this song?
Yamada: When I go fishing.
Takano: That’s great. You listen to it on the way to go fishing and get yourself in the mood. Do you go fishing a lot?
Yamada: It’s only been about seven years, but I mainly go mountain stream fishing.
Takano: Where do you go most often?
Yamada: I often go to Yamanashi because it is close by.
Celeina: Do you camp and fish at the same time?
Yamada: Yes, we do some wild camping.
Celeina：You mean while doing some serious camping. And I am interested in outdoor clothing. What do you think of the latest trends in outdoor fashion from your point of view?
Yamada: Earth colors such as beige and khaki have been popular recently, so I think it would be cool to add primary colors such as red and yellow to link with fashion.
Takano: Is it like festival fashion?
Yamada: Yes, I think wearing 501s, a Patagonia Snap T, and Danner on my feet is about right.
Takano: I think it’s something you can wear around town.
Celeina: If you were to use primary colors, where would you recommend using them?
Yamada: I think it would be easier to incorporate them in a natural way by using them only in tops or hats.
Takano: I often wear caps, so I would like to see a variety of caps. If I have a chance to go outdoors or something, it might be fun to check out various fashions.
Celeina: Things like, “What color is the accent of the person in the tent next to me?” Mr.Yamada, you face nature in both your work and private life, so is there a word or thought that is important to you?
Yamada: There is a mountain term, “Leave No Trace”. It is natural, but you don’t throw away trash or leave any traces. That is what we place importance on.
Takano: That is important. It is a kind of respect for nature.
Celeina：What is important is the attitude that we are allowed to play in nature. That’s a good word. Now, “FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends connected by goo touch. You introduce your friends to us.
Yamada：Man Doope Suzuki is an illustrator.
Takano: In a word, what kind of person is he?
Yamada: An illustrator who is a good cook.
Celeina：Cooking and drawing.
Takano: He seems to be a man of many talents, thank you very much. Tomorrow we will welcome illustrator Man Doope Suzuki.
Celeina： “FIST BUMP”, today we welcome Shoichi Yamada of “people showroom”. Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
