LOG, a comprehensive platform for camping culture run by a charismatic garage-style outdoor brand, will be holding its first pop-up store at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1F Promotion area from Wednesday, March 8th to Tuesday, March 14th.

This event is rumored to feature not only popular original items but also collaborative items facilitated by Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . The key figures who worked hard to make this event happen gathered at "TARP to TARP," a cafe in Bashamichi, Yokohama, known as their "base" and a new "holy site" for outdoor activities.

Connected both online and offline, true camping enthusiasts.

The outdoor and camping scene, which has been experiencing an unprecedented boom in recent years as a leisure activity that allows people to avoid the "three Cs" (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings), is the focus of "LOG." With the philosophy of spreading and establishing "camping" not as a fleeting trend but as a part of Japanese culture, LOG operates as a "platform" where people, things, and events from various genres can meet and connect, transcending the boundaries between real and online.


Gathered at "TARP to TARP," a cafe in Bashamichi, Yokohama, founded by Tomoyuki Suyama, one of the founding members of LOG, were Suyama himself, along with Tsuyoshi Shigehiro, CEO and producer of LOG and head of the gear brand "neru design works," product manager Toru Oikawa, and web director Haruto Suzuki. They were joined by Yoichi Okada, a buyer at Isetan and a passionate supporter of LOG as a camping enthusiast himself, who has connections with the members. Atsuya Watanabe, also a buyer at Isetan and a "camping novice," spoke to them about what LOG is, what it aims to achieve, and what kind of pop-up event it will be.

Watanabe: So this is the much-talked-about "TARP to TARP." I'd heard about them from my senior colleague Okada, who took me camping with them. Today, I'd like to ask the key members of LOG about what kind of group LOG is, and the aim of holding this pop-up store.


Hello Shigehiro . I've been running an outdoor gear garage brand called "neru design works" since 2014, but I've had a strong desire to do more than just make and sell things. However, there's only so much I can do on my own, so I gathered some friends and Suyama-kun, whom I connected with on Instagram, and we decided to start a new company called LOG.

Suyama: The reason I started the store "TARP to TARP" was because I wondered if there was a place where people who share a common hobby like camping could meet and connect. I wanted a place where people could talk about camping to their heart's content offline.
When I think about what kind of place is best for people with similar hobbies, tastes, and sensibilities to meet and gather, I think it's probably a cafe.

Okada: That's true, a cafe is a good place to meet up. In fact, when I visited before I got to know everyone, the customers were all chatting about camping.

We wanted a place where everyone could easily gather, enjoy a cup of coffee at their leisure, and have a good conversation... So, we designed this center table to evoke the image of gathering around a campfire. We also installed a bioethanol fireplace so that everyone can enjoy watching the flames.

Watanabe: This place looks like it would be perfect for a stylish get-together.


Suyama : When you become an adult, it's really hard to make friends, isn't it? But with camping, people who simply share the same interests gather, so participants become friends very quickly. In fact, at this shop, there are a lot of people who met here and have become really good friends, even going camping together. In a way, it's going according to plan. (laughs)
Neru (Shigehiro) also came to visit several times, and as we talked here, we gradually hit it off and became more and more enthusiastic about starting LOG... If this had only been an online connection, I don't think we would have had such deep conversations, and LOG would never have come to fruition.

Outdoors as one of the essential elements of everyday life

While the world is experiencing a camping boom and has many fans, I'm doing something else: creating a cafe to be a place for people to meet and connect. But the idea of combining Neru's "things" and my "experiences" to offer something even more powerful was the starting point for launching LOG.
The initial concept was a large shopping mall featuring various manufacturers and brands. It evolved into an e-commerce site where people looking for truly desirable items could be matched with those who want to sell them, and into a platform where people, goods, and events related to camping would naturally come together. Naturally, Suzuki, who is strong in web development, and Oikawa, who is strong in product development, joined the team.

Shigehiro , everyone here gathered pretty quickly, didn't they? I didn't really feel like I was specifically looking for members.


Actually , there's one more member who can't show their face yet. (laughs)

Shigehiro: We felt that simply selling things wasn't interesting enough, and with Suyama creating a physical space and me creating and selling things, we realized that we definitely needed an online platform to expand that field.

Suyama: The reason we operate under the project name "LIFE OVER GROUND" and deliberately avoid using the word "outdoor" is because we wanted to emphasize that our activities encompass all aspects of life. I think that the outdoors isn't something special, but rather just one of the essential elements of everyday life.


Oikawa: To put it simply, the current popularity of camping is a boom, but there's an element of uncertainty about when it will end. In order for it to continue indefinitely, it has to become established as a lifestyle and culture.

Suyama: That's why we use the word "LIFE," and the underlying message is that by enjoying all aspects of life, and by including camping and the outdoors in that, the quality of life can be significantly improved.

Shigehiro Camp has a very high affinity with other hobbies and lifestyles, such as camping and cars, and camping and food. Through our LOG activities, we are always conscious of combining camping with other activities and hobbies and disseminating information about various things.

Why Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building is featuring LOG

Watanabe : I see. By the way, how did you meet everyone at LOG, Okada-san?


Okada: I started camping about 6 or 7 years ago, and I learned about LOG through a friend's introduction. At first, I was just a user, or rather, a customer. As I got more and more into it and researched, I became convinced that the brand Neru Design Works by Neru was the pinnacle of camping gear for me. He's someone I admire, so I was nervous talking to him until recently. (laughs)

Everyone laughs


When the Okada LOG team came to the Isetan office, I honestly almost cried. (laughs)

Everyone burst out laughing

Okada: After that, I participated in a TARP to TARP camping event organized by Tomo (Suyama), and what really struck me there was how stylish all the participants were. Also, maybe it's because we all shared a common hobby, but I was surprised at how quickly we became friends. (laughs)

With Suyama and others, it's rare to share meals and accommodations together. But we spend an overwhelming amount of time together, and as Okada said, it becomes irrelevant what we do for work, and we can be our true selves.

Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , which has been a popular source of Okada men's fashion, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. I want to offer a wider range of lifestyle options. I myself feel that there are many more possibilities in the relationship between fashion and lifestyle.

The promotion on the first floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building Atsuya Watanabe is in charge of, is a perfect example of this. Even customers whose base is fashion may, when you delve into their lifestyle, you might find that they also like art, houseplants, and camping.

Watanabe: If that's what camping is all about, then Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building should introduce LOG-san to them, right?

Okada : If we were to propose something from our company, we'd want to work with a brand that's appropriate for the customers of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . It's too simple to just say "stylish," but just like with fashion, they want to be particular about camping as a form of self-expression, and they have a high level of sensitivity and awareness. When it comes to brands and projects that we can introduce to such customers, LOG is the one.

Suyama , I'm so happy, thank you.

What are the highlights of the pop-up event, which will also feature collaborative items?

Ms. Watanabe and Ms. Okada, could you tell us about the aim and highlights of this pop-up event?


Even people who like Okada Camp and LOG probably don't have many opportunities to actually see and touch the products in person. I want them to be able to see them in Shinjuku, which is easily accessible.
We want people who are unfamiliar with "this world," those who have never camped before, and customers of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , whose primary purpose is fashion, to experience LOG. We want them to know that there's this kind of world in camping, and that there are even cooler things out there.

Watanabe's camping gear includes a lot of cool items that you'd want to use at home too, right?

Okada: There are many items that you can use on a daily basis, and many that you'll want to use. Some can also be used as disaster preparedness items in emergencies. I would definitely like customers who have never camped before to take a look.

By working with Suyama Isetan, we were able to collaborate with brands that would normally be difficult to connect with.


Suzuki: This is something that absolutely couldn't be done anywhere else. (laughs) This time, we've been able to collaborate with some fascinating lifestyle goods brands that have stores in Isetan Shinjuku. We also want to propose outdoor activities as an extension of that kind of lifestyle, so we think this is a valuable opportunity.

Watanabe: For details on the limited-edition collaboration items available only at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , please check the event article which will be published on the website at a later date... Finally, is there anything that the LOG members are looking forward to at this event?


Shigehiro: This time, our event will be held on the first floor of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , so I think a lot of people who don't know us will come. That's what I'm most looking forward to. I'm eager to find out how everyone will receive what we're trying to do, our way of thinking, and the products we're creating.

Suzuki: "I hope camping becomes something familiar and easy to do, like, 'It's a nice day today, let's go camping.' But simply providing products won't lead to establishing a camping culture. This time, I'm working with a lifestyle brand to create something, and I think it's a great opportunity to deliver a message to the general public. There are challenging aspects to it, as we might not see results immediately."



Suyama: The fact that we were able to collaborate with various brands for this pop-up is a definite achievement. This may be a small step, but seeing this initiative, other brands may think, "Maybe we can collaborate too."
I'm really hoping that people will start becoming more aware of camping and the outdoors, and that the idea of "gradually incorporating them into our lives" will spread. I can't wait to see the reactions and effects from all sides after the event.

I feel like Watanabe LOG's activities give us the "realization" that there are other ways to enjoy the outdoors, even if you don't go to the trouble of going to the mountains.

Okada: It's very important to link camping and the outdoors to people's lives and spread the understanding that they are something that can be enjoyed easily and casually. I reaffirmed that LOG is an extremely important brand and activity for a sustainable camping culture.

Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Okada explain things so enthusiastically during our collaboration meetings, it's almost as if they're LOG employees themselves. They might even be more precise than we are! (laughs)



Product information and sales information can be found here.
Making camping a lifestyle – LOG holds its first ever pop-up store! Introducing collaboration items Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building .

Text: Junya Hasegawa (america)
Photograph: Shimpei Suzuki