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Camp&Go," a base for people to seek their own expression and find their next destination amidst people coming and going like at a campground.

2023.07.12

In the town of Kutchan in the Niseko area, which boasts some of the best powder snow in Hokkaido, there is a cafe where outdoor enthusiasts gather. Inspired by the coffee mecca of Seattle, where a community exists at each café, Yoshitaka Toge opened SPROUT in 2009.

In 2019, 10 years after the opening of SPROUT, a new base "Camp&Go" opened next door. Multiple stores and galleries are attached to the site, and each section is called a "site" like a campground. And the people who work there are nicknamed "campers".

Many people come and go, influence or be influenced, and step up their game as they travel to their next destination. We asked Mr. Togega about the background behind the creation of this place that serves as a catalyst for such a journey, as well as his thoughts on the future.

I wanted to live in an environment as close to Alaska as possible.

When he was 20 years old and a student in the Kanto area, he found Michio Hoshino's "Alaska Light and Wind" at a used bookstore, which led him to travel to Alaska. Through experiencing the natural splendor of the area, he gradually began to yearn for a life in the north. He wondered where he could find a place with an environment that was even slightly similar to Alaska, and he ended up in Hokkaido.

Mr. Togega when he was 20 years old visiting Alaska

I had visited Niseko when I was in junior high school because my relatives loved skiing. I never thought I would live there in the future, but the name "Niseko" was always in my mind. After returning to Japan from Alaska, I had job interviews with several companies, but I just didn't feel right. Then I read an outdoor magazine that introduced Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC) and was shocked to see people living and playing in Niseko! I was shocked to see people playing and living in Niseko! I was shocked to see people playing and living in Niseko!

NAC is an adventure center that offers rafting, ski tours, and other activities that allow you to enjoy all that Niseko has to offer. Despite his growing interest in Niseko, Mr. Togega worked for an outdoor manufacturer in the Kanto area after graduating from university, gaining experience as a kayak instructor and guide before finally making the move to Niseko at the age of 24.

While working for NAC, Tougega also discovered the joys of trail running while guiding kayaks in the summer and patrolling ski resorts in the winter. he got married in his second year, and after working for 5 years and retiring, he and his wife decided to move back to the US to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives.

シアトルのカフェコミュニティをニセコに―『SPROUT』誕生<h3 class="ptn_4"> Bringing the Seattle café community to Niseko.</h3> Destinations include Seattle, Portland, and Colorado. In particular, I had a strong impression of Seattle, where I stayed for only 3 days in Alaska when I was 20 years old, and wanted to see it again. <img src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/807677fa5cab6a08961ae9f1d4bd2715.jpg" alt="カフェ"/> It was around the year 2000, and Seattle's coffee culture had not yet penetrated Japan. I remember how impressed I was with the coffee and how delicious it was. What impressed Mr. Togega was not only the taste of the coffee. There are so many cafes, and each café has its own community. He was also surprised to find that each café has its own community, a culture that is completely different from that of Japan. For example, near a movie theater there is a café where movie lovers gather, and near a university there is a café where students talk about music. I had never seen such a scene when I went out for coffee in Japan, so that really impressed me."<img src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/611136b0be48da58e331fb0e4ddfd678.jpg" alt="カフェ"/> I wonder if a café could be created in Niseko where outdoor enthusiasts could gather and have a strategy meeting about their next activity. Inspired by Seattle's café culture, he returned to Japan and found a property in front of Kutchan Station that was just the right size. SPROUT was born on December 15, 2009. <img src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cade3240ff01c1198b922a337916296d.jpg" alt="カフェ"/> SPROUT at the time of opening Mr. Togega had never worked with coffee before, but since his wife had a relationship with Yokoi Coffee in Sapporo, he purchased beans from Mr. Yokoi, the representative of Yokoi Coffee, and learned all about coffee from scratch. For the first six years, I used Mr. Yokoi's beans and served them in my store. Over time, I became more and more interested in doing the roasting myself, so I gradually started roasting my own coffee while consulting with Mr. Yokoi. Backcountry skiing, trail running, and other activities that involve nature are very similar to roasting. Some mountains are steep and some are gentle. Some days the snow is fluffy, some days it is hard. I have to adjust my pace to "nature," which provides a different environment depending on whether I am skiing or running. I feel that coffee is similar in that I think about how to heat the coffee by watching the condition of the green beans, the temperature, and the humidity. I like the act of adjusting to nature.<img src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/084829e911c2d007f5c52e68846f1c60.jpg" alt="コーヒー豆"/>

Camp&Go," a base for people to seek their own expression and find their next destination amidst people coming and going like at a campground.

I wanted to live in an environment as close to Alaska as possible.

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