"I want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend time in nature." Have you ever felt that way? This time, I will share my story of how I, a cafe owner in the city, became fascinated by camping and found my own camping style.
Busy Days, Seeking Solace
My name is Tsukui, the representative. This program is for those who want to go camping, as well as those who love camping, and we will be sharing various information. I run a cafe in Shimokitazawa with the concept of "a space to think about camping even in the city."
My encounter with camping was in 2020 or 2021, when I was incredibly busy working during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, I was, of course, working remotely, and from morning till night, I was at home, with online meetings continuously, to the point where I didn't even have time to go to the restroom. I was working inside the house all the time, and the only time I went out was late at night to go to a convenience store.
At that time, as a way to relieve stress, I used to enjoy going out for drinks, but due to social trends at the time, such as refraining from serving alcohol after 8 PM, it wasn't really an option. So, after work, I would buy a highball at the convenience store, drink it, and watch camping videos on YouTube to relieve work stress. That was the kind of life I was living, and vaguely, I always thought I wanted to go camping someday. That was truly the very first trigger.
Longing for Camping, but Full of Anxiety
From then on, there were many camping channels of my favorite YouTubers, but to name a few, at that time I loved Teru-san TV, a YouTuber who mainly focused on car camping, and Izu no Nushi Fishing, who is still active today. I watched those videos constantly, and I wanted to go, but I didn't know how, and I wanted to go alone. So, if I went alone, I worried that if I encountered something I didn't understand, I wouldn't have anyone to ask. These thoughts were swirling in my head, and I couldn't bring myself to take the plunge.
Taking the Plunge, Alone to Okutama
But one day, on a day off, I desperately thought that if I kept doing nothing like this, only stress would accumulate, so I first went to buy only camping equipment. And a cup for drinking beverages for the door. I chose and bought it myself. I was satisfied and came home feeling that way, and then on my next day off, I packed that camping equipment and coffee into my usual backpack and headed straight for Okutama.
Then, I found a good spot, ground coffee beans, boiled water in a kettle, and made drip coffee myself while looking at the mountains of Okutama. That's all I did before returning home. I suppose that was my very first camping experience. I believe so, so if I were to call it camping, that was my very first experience with camping.
Blissful Coffee in Nature
As expected, there might be a few green spaces or parks, but the atmosphere there is completely different – the smell of the mountains, the birds visible in the distance, bird calls I've never heard in the city. By experiencing drinking carefully brewed drip coffee while feeling those things, I felt a sense of something complicated within me unraveling, and that was the very first time I thought, "Camping is good."
Experience Camping in the City
I really want everyone to experience that moment, which is why, as I mentioned at the beginning, I run a cafe called "The Camping Lounge Waiter You" in Shimokitazawa. Among our coffee menu, we offer a "Camp Drip Coffee" option. We provide the exact same equipment as I described earlier, allowing customers to grind their own coffee beans and brew their own drip coffee. Furthermore, although we have seating throughout the cafe, almost all of our seats are camping chairs, so we hope that you can experience a little bit of camping closer to home, even in the urban setting of Shimokitazawa. That experience is what our coffee menu is all about.
So, I think there are many people who want to go camping, but for those who don't know where to start, I think it's a good idea to just give it a try.
This is the first episode, but from now on, I'd like to make this a program where we regularly discuss topics like how to start camping, what I think are good practices, my recent camping trips, and various other stories. Thank you in advance for your support. See you next time.
