NIIGATA, Japan -- It’s an idyllic summer’s day and the landscape around the headquarters of Snow Peak appears to have been turned up to full technicolor.
The Japanese outdoor brand, which was founded by mountaineer Yukio Yamai in 1958, left its city home to move to this quiet corner of rural Niigata more than 10 years ago. Fans -- known as Snow Peakers -- visit the HQ shop in droves to stock up on stylish clothes and camping gear; 30,000 of them stay in the adjacent campsite every year.
