Before COVID-19, I used to visit Hong Kong about once a year, but this was my first visit in about six years. I took a bus from the airport to the city center.

I like this city because it's lively, but there are a lot of people smoking while walking, and as a city runner, I find it annoying to have the cigarette smoke invade me while jogging.

The purpose of this trip was to meet with suppliers and clients, and to go to the HK100 EXPO (Hong Kong's most famous 100km trail running race exhibition). On the day I arrived, I went to one of my clients, ACTION PANDA, which, as the impressive sign says, is literally a "store specializing in sports goods."

Rather than a street-front store, it is a shop located inside an industrial facility.

They even had a corner set up with a wide range of items. By coincidence, I saw a regular customer shopping that day wearing the CLOUD HOODY in sparrow brown. Of course, they probably didn't know I was there, but I was super happy. Lol.

A commemorative photo with Adrian (left) and Yorick (right), the buyer, in front of the store. We got so excited talking that we promised to go to the mountains together while we were in Hong Kong, and then we went to the next store.

This is TRAIL SPORT. Compared to Action Panda, they carry a lot more Japanese brands, and it gives the impression of being more of a fashion store than a running specialty store.

I took a commemorative photo with the staff. They were very surprised because I went here without an appointment, but it was really nice to be able to talk about various things. I also noticed a few things in Hong Kong. When crossing the road, they clearly write "LOOK LEFT" or "LOOK RIGHT" on the ground. This is surprisingly helpful. Sometimes cars drive in a different direction than in my country, and they drive on the right side of the road...

Also, at night, the crosswalks are lit up with red lights, which is very obvious and sends the message, "It's dangerous! Don't go!"

Hong Kong is a pro-Japanese country, so there are many Japanese companies and restaurants there.

Since I came all the way to Hong Kong, I wanted to enjoy Chinese food.

Try ordering some colored dim sum,

The most delicious thing on this tour was the almond soup. It tasted like warm almond tofu. It was so delicious that I ate two bowls.

Then I was taken to a local shop,

This is a very standard breakfast for Hong Kongers. Noodles and milk tea. And bread and rolled eggs. When in Rome, do as the Romans do! On my last night, I was strolling around the city by myself. I prefer walking down back streets rather than main roads. I saw a queue of locals, and although I passed them by at first, I was still curious, so I decided to join the queue.

The inside of the store has a really nice local feel. There are no tourists. Of course, there are no Japanese people.

The menu looks like this.

I ordered 016 Sliced ​​Pork with Marinated White Cabbages & Rice. I was excited to see what it would taste like.

There is a kitchen next to the restaurant, and the clay pot you can see in the foreground. Rice was cooked in this clay pot, and pork and takana were served on top. I thought this was Hong Kong cuisine, suitable for a last supper.

If you have a chance to go to Hong Kong, please do go there. It's really delicious. The store's appearance and the atmosphere inside were amazing.

We went to Lion Rock, where you can see the whole of Hong Kong,

There was a wild boar there too (lol). Then we moved to the HK100 EXPO. Answer's Koba-kun, TOMO-san,

I was inspired by seeing Takeya from New Hale there and seeing Japanese brands competing overseas.

Finally, I was able to meet Sam Tam, who is our Hong Kong distributor. He was a member of the HK100 executive committee and seemed busy throughout the event, but we managed to find some time to say hello and take a commemorative photo. (Left to right) Nishioka, Sam, ActionPand's CEO Adrian, and co-CEO Kin

All in all, it was a very fulfilling business trip to Hong Kong. I hope to continue creating products that resonate with people overseas.