This series is a project in which Hagiwara, who runs with the duo (Nishioka & Yoshida) who created the milestone items, listens to them and delves deeper into their stories (as he runs with them on #WednesdayBudouzakaRen).

・Everyone is a head

Hagiwara (hereafter: Hagi): Perhaps today we'll be talking about that after all?!

Nishioka (hereafter Nishi): That's right! Sorry to have kept you waiting. By the time this article is posted, word will have already spread everywhere, but Jerry Ukai* will be holding a solo exhibition at milestone TERADACHO from Saturday, April 27th to Sunday, May 19th.

* Jerry Ukai

Born in 1971 in Shizuoka Prefecture. Currently active as an art director and illustrator, he has worked on numerous CD jackets, logos for fashion and outdoor brands, advertisements, and catalogs. He has also recently become active as a writer. He is also actively involved in art as a member of Ultra Heavy. This will be his first solo exhibition in Osaka.

All: Applause (claps)

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): Today (the recording date) is April 1st, isn't it?

Nishi: It's not an April Fool's joke (laughs). I'm honestly so happy! That's because we're all Jerry's heads (hip-hop term for fans). We've seen and own many of his works, and we never imagined he'd come to our town, Teradacho. It's also a great opportunity for people from all over the country to get to know Teradacho.

Hagi: How did that happen?

Nishi: I've said this many times here, but milestone is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. As part of the special content for this, I asked them to hold a solo exhibition.

Actually, I've been sending him love calls since last year, but he's a very busy guy so our schedules never matched up. I had the opportunity to talk to him at OMM BIKE and the Takeda no Mori Trail Running Race, and I'm really moved that it's finally happening. I wanted to create a special product, so I asked him to do it.

Yoshi: Jerry Marquez, who is synonymous with Jerry, appears in the film.

Nishi: They've collaborated with a lot of different places, and it's actually a milestone edition. It looks like it's running.

Yoshi: I'm using walking sticks and can jog.

Nishi: He's also carrying a backpack, and best of all, he's wearing a headlamp. He even has milestone's slogan, "LIGHTING YOUR WAY," written on it.

Yoshi: It's a small thing, but I can feel the love in the fact that Jerry Marquez is wearing a milestone cap instead of the hat he usually wears.

Nishi: To get more specific, Jerry said that Jerry Marquez usually looks a little more upwards. This would cause the angle of the light to look odd, so he made him look forward. It seems like this is the first time they've done this.

Yoshi: That's a sign of love. You're wearing the MS-i1 "Endurance Model" headlamp.

Yoshi: I have a T-shirt with Jerry's fictional gear list printed on it, and the MS-i1 is on it too.

Nishi: I think it was originally a trail master, so they've updated it.

It makes me happy to know that he cares about our products. Jerry will be in the gallery on the first and last days of the exhibition.

N: From our interactions, it seems like he's holed up in his studio making all sorts of things, and the title of his solo exhibition is "Did you find a friend?"

Yoshi: Have you found any friends? I guess.

Nishi: What do you mean?

Yoshi: Let's ask Jerry to teach us that directly (laughs). It was great to be able to have a session with him when we were creating the artwork for Jerry Marquez. We had a live video chat, where we discussed requests like how to place the logo, and whether we wanted Jerry's signature or the milestone logo. I think he sensed what I wanted while looking at my face. He asked me if it would be scary if he flew a bat, and I said, "No, I want it to be included," and it turned out like this.

Nishi: It really captures the atmosphere of night.

Yoshi: Actually, at first, Yama wasn't included, and I wanted him to be included, but I didn't ask for it (laughs). I thought maybe I was asking for too much.

When the bats came in, the mountains came in too!

Nishi: It was our first session, so we started off modestly. We picked up on each other's nuances as we talked. The moment this came up, we were like, "We're here!" and we were like, "We're here!"

Yoshi: At first, "LIGHTING YOUR WAY" was in two lines. Nishioka-san suggested we make it semicircular, and I thought, "Wow, we've made a breakthrough!" (laughs)

Nishi: Surprisingly, Jerry was quick to respond, saying "OK, OK." I didn't want to be too reserved and then end up thinking later, "I should have done it this way," so I made sure to say it. That rally was fun.

Nishi: We've made T-shirts as merchandise for this event. The body is a milestone original T-shirt, and it comes in two colors: green and gray. Please check it out at specialty stores nationwide that carry milestone apparel. Specialty stores will not stock both colors, so it will only be one of the two colors. There are five sizes available, from XS to XL.

Yoshi: We also have caps. They come in two colors: Yamame Blue and Iwana Gray. The shape is the MSC-014, 016 type. The body is made of the same crisp fabric as the MSC-010, 013, 017. The underside of the brim has "LIGHTING YOUR WAY" written on it, and this time it's chain stitched for a really nice finish. *This cap will be released in late July.

Yoshi: Furthermore, only in-store and online stores,

We will be selling Tyvek tote bags. *Online sales will be updated at a later date.

Nishi: The more you use a Tyvek tote, the softer the fabric becomes.

Yoshi: There's no seam tape, but the fabric is waterproof, so you can use it to store dirty shoes or a change of clothes. I hope people will use it roughly.

Nishi: It's a double A-side of "LIGHTING YOUR WAY" and Jerry Marquez. If you put a headlamp inside, it becomes more like a lantern, or rather, a paper lantern in terms of size.

・Tell me! Jerry

Nishi: Well, it's almost time. Today I've made an appointment with Jerry, and we'll be connecting via video chat to hear his story.

Hagi: Oh my! Tell me! It's Jerry.

Nishi: Let's connect then.

(Video chat connection begins)

Nishi: Good evening, Jerry. Can you hear me? Thank you for your time today.

Jerry Ukai (hereafter referred to as J): Good evening, I can hear you.

Nishi: Thank you for joining us today. I'll start right away by asking, do you remember when you first found out about Milestone?

Jay: Hmm, I think it was "Off the Grid." They called out to me.

Nishi: Yes, yes. It was 2017, right? I remember.

Jay: Back then, trail running wasn't as strong.

Nishi: I didn't do it at all (laughs).

Jay: I don't do car camping, so I think I found out about it later than most people. After I found out about milestone, I decided to go camping with my family, and I think the first thing I bought was a headlamp, not for mountain climbing, from a nearby store. It was a reasonably priced one for car camping. Then I bought the best one, I think.

Nishi: It was our former flagship model, the Trailmaster. I was so surprised when I got an order from Ukai on our online store! (laughs)

Jay: It was about five years ago.

Nishi: It was also written on the packing list for the T-shirts.

Hagi: What was the Trail Master for?

J: Five years ago, I was working at a secret base owned by Kobayashi-san of a brand called Mountain Research in Kawakami Village, Nagano Prefecture. He's famous and sometimes appears in magazines.

Nishi: There are North Face tents.

photo: GOOUT https://web.goout.jp/pickup/40380/

Jay: That's right. On the deck. Everyone in the reporting team went by car, but I was the only one who said I would walk. It would normally take four nights and five days to walk from Tokyo, or even three nights and four days for the fastest people, but I wanted to get there in one night and two days.

Nishi: Oh!

Jay: I have a lot of friends who do trail running. It's about 80 kilometers long, with a cumulative elevation change of about 9,000 meters. They run 100 miles (160 kilometers) in races, right? I thought maybe I could do it if I just walked quickly and on flat ground. I calculated that I could do it if I just kept walking without sleep for a night. Since it was December, I'd need my headlamp from 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon, and it wouldn't get light until 7 or 8:00 in the morning. I knew I needed a battery that would last a dozen hours, so I looked for something that would last that long. I narrowed it down to about two, and since it was made by milestone, I decided to go with that.

Nishi: Wow! I'm so happy! I had no idea that happened. So, did you make it safely?

Jay: I made it, but I was pretty exhausted (laughs). If my only snacks were gels, I would be okay calorie-wise, but I just didn't feel energized. I had to eat carbohydrates properly.

The climb was quite tough from the morning of the second day. It was winter, so no mountain huts were open.

Nishi: You'll want to eat solid food.

Jay: In a trail running race, there are aid stations and people encouraging you. There are other runners running with you. But I was all alone until the end.

Nishi: That must be mentally tough. Did you ever have any doubts?

Jay: It was a road I had walked before, but it was pitch black the whole time.

Nishi: So you hired a trail master there.

Jay: That's good, I'll turn the light on to warmer color. It'll feel a little warmer. I feel lonely at night, so I'll use that light.

Nishi: I never thought I'd hear such an anecdote. I'm really happy. I heard this is your first solo exhibition in Osaka.

J: There had been requests for years for us to do it in Osaka, but I didn't know any galleries that had it. I figured the opportunity would come eventually, so I didn't venture out and explore it myself. Then I got the offer this time, so I thought it was finally here.

Who is your friend?

N: So that's what you did. Could you tell us the intention behind the title of your current exhibition, "Did you find a friend?"

Jay: There's nothing particularly deep about it, but since we're doing it at Milestone, I thought I'd make the theme something to do with headlamps. They're tools for illuminating dark places, but I thought it would be interesting if they illuminated "friends" rather than objects. "Friends" don't have to be friends you know well. It's lonely when you're walking alone in the mountains or forest, so I think ghosts would be good too (laughs). I'd like to find someone to watch over me.

*Taken from Jerry's Instagram.

Nishi: I see.

J: In the Star Wars movies, Luke Skywalker's master, Yoda, is a character who can cheer on and help from another place even when he's not there. I think it's great to have a presence like that. I hope that those who are searching with their headlamp can find someone in their heart who will be their ally. I hope that I can find that kind of person.

Nishi: So there was a deep story behind it after all.

J: Mountain climbing and trail running are different from soccer and baseball in that they involve fighting a lonely battle. Of course, there's a lot of support available, but when it's time to give it your all, you need that extra bit of encouragement inside you, and I think you can think of that as a "friend" as well.

N: Your other self is also a "friend." What kind of exhibition will this time be?

Jay: It's watercolor painting as usual, and when it works it's quick, but it takes time to get going. I think it'll be a while before I can paint smoothly. I'm still painting, but some of the pieces are the biggest I've ever done.

Nishi: I'm looking forward to it. How many points do you think it will get?

Jay: I'm not quite sure yet. The really interesting thing about painting, or perhaps the difficult thing about it, is that you can't say which is better - a painting you can make in a day or one that takes a week - and it's hard to say which takes longer. Sometimes, the ones I draw quickly in an hour or two, like a doodle, just as practice, are the ones that really hit me the hardest, for some reason. You can't really tell while you're painting until you finish it and then line them up to see what they'll look like if you were to exhibit them.

Nishi: So that's how it is. So there are various sizes?

Jay: That's right.

N: Do you have any plans for the future? Like racing?

J: Don't expect too much from a race (laughs). I'm planning on doing Togakushi (Mountain Trail) though. Other than that I haven't decided on anything else. Basically I'll just focus on health so I can continue to paint, fish, and do some gentle mountain climbing.

Yoshi: You also participated in the Takeda no Mori Trail Running Race last December. What is the appeal of trail running for you, Jerry?

Jay: I guess the biggest reason is that I love being in the mountains and forests. I originally loved walking in the mountains, and I had a ton of friends who were trail runners. I'd done it a few times in the past. I was a big fan of the athlete Krupicka*, and I'd known Kei Kuwahara of Run Boys! Run Girls! even before I started the shop. But I didn't think I could run such long distances. Then I learned about fastpacking. I liked hiking with a light load, so I decided I wasn't a trail runner, but a fastpacker, and I enjoyed running only where I could.

*Krupicka: Anton Krupicka (an American ultra-runner with long hair, a long beard, and a minimalist, shirtless style, who has won numerous trail running races)

J: As you get older, if you don't challenge yourself, your physical strength will just keep declining. That's what I talk about with Jackie * , who is the same age as me, when we go fishing or in the car to the mountains. Just going there is exhausting.

He used to be very serious about trail running, so he was struggling with the gap between how he was back then when he was able to move well and how he is now. So he thought he'd give it a try. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone who was doing trail running was energetic. Everyone in the world was depressed and in a gloomy mood, but they were all smiling (laughs). They were in T-shirts and shorts even though it was winter.

* Jackie: Jackie Boy Slim (Founder of Jindaiji Mountain Works, a tarp and hammock manufacturer)

Yoshi: It was tough (laughs).

Jay: I want to share that energy with trail running.

Yoshi: When you run in the mountains, do you run with Kei and Jackie?

Jay: Yes. I might go alone. But I haven't been able to practice at all this year. Maybe it'll start soon, as the weather is getting warmer.

・The path to mastery

Hagi: Aside from trail running, you also enjoy snowy mountains, fishing, and many other activities. Is there anything you would like to master in the future?

Jay: I don't have any desire to become a master, and if anything, I think I'll be going to dangerous places less and less. When I was in my 30s and 40s, I used to want to try those places, but I don't think about it much anymore. When I think about how I can do as many things as I want to do in my 60s and 70s without having to hold back, I realize that I can do fishing. Mountain climbing is tough, like the snowy mountains I went to recently, but I think mountains around 2,000 meters high are fun even in your 60s. I think it would be nice to go on a three-day, two-night traverse every once in a while. I also want to try gardening. When I see the gardens my favorite gardeners create, I think they're great, and even though I know it might be impossible, I'd like to give it a try.

Nishi: That sounds fun too.

Jay: My fishing seniors are moving into a world that isn't about the size or number of fish they catch.

Even when I catch a fish, I don't take pictures, I don't put it in a net, I remove the hook without touching the fish's body and let it go without causing any damage. In the end, I don't take pictures to brag to others. But once that kind of thing goes away, I feel good just waving my fishing rod in the river, playing with the fish.

When it comes to mountains, I think walking along the ridges of the Northern Alps is amazing, but when I'm walking in the lower mountains and see cool-looking old men and women walking alone in the countryside, I wonder if they used to go to the Northern Alps a lot too. I envy people who, as they get older, their mindset improves and they can become so satisfied even in mountains like this. I think I'd like to become an expert in something in that regard.

Yoshi: That's true. I don't know yet, but I feel like I can understand.

Jay: I'm in my 50s. It's frustrating when there are more and more things I can't do. So I have no choice but to improve in those areas. I guess that's one of the joys of being old.

Yoshi: I guess you have to try a lot of different things to reach a level of insight.

Jay: I'm not that much of a surfer, but I'd love to be like that. When you go to Hawaii, you see old, fat guys, and people who just take their surfboards to the beach and go home without catching a wave, but that's fine. It's not about catching a big wave.

Nishi: They're adults, aren't they?

Hagi: We're still struggling (laughs).

Jay: You need both. Try to do it while you can, because you'll regret it later.

Nishi: It was really great to hear from you today. Thank you very much. Finally, can I take a screenshot of this interview?

J: Of course.

J: I might as well put on a headlamp.

Everyone: Jerry's service-mindedness is evident in the smiles he brings to the table.

Jay: Well, see you later.

(Video chat disconnected)

N: We've had a great time hearing all kinds of stories. I first came across Jerry's work at Off the Grid in 2017, which we mentioned earlier. The organizer made this poster. I got a BCC email saying they'd send it to me if anyone wanted to put it up in their shop. Of course, I didn't have a shop at the time, but I fell in love with this artwork and said, "Yes, sure! I'll put it up!" and they sent it to me, and here it is, framed.

Yoshi: As a result, I opened a shop and still treasure it and display it today (laughs).

Nishi: 2017 was my third time setting up a booth, and the next one, in 2018, was the first week of April, so it overlapped with the Trail Open Air Demo. The Tracemaster, which I developed with Doi, went on sale in August that year, and at the end of April, Doi was going to wear it at the UTMF, so I was really focused on trail running. At the time, I was a one-man operation, so I set up a booth at the Trail Open Air Demo, but this was before I had even started running.

Yoshi: Both events have a lot of energy that you don't see in Kansai.

Nishi: They're completely different events, but both are fantastic. They'll be over by the time this article is posted, so I'd like to encourage listeners outside the Kanto region to come to these events next year. They'll feature some of Japan's most prestigious trail running brands. "Off the Grid" also features up-and-coming garage brands from Asia.

Yoshi: This year we only had the Trail Open Air Demo, but next year we'd like to have an Off the Grid booth as well. I'd probably get to meet Jerry too.

Nishi: This time, we were able to connect with Jerry as a milestone. The 10th anniversary project is very moving, and I think it's important to keep doing it, so I'm glad we did it.

Yoshi: Nishioka-san has made the most friends in the last 10 years.

Nishi: That's true.

Yoshi: Nishioka-san said he was a head, but I'm just as much of a head. I have many T-shirts designed by Jerry-san in various styles. I never dreamed I'd be able to work with Jerry-san like this, so it's a dream come true.

Nishi: We will be open for two weekends in April, on April 27th (Sat) and 28th (Sun). In May, we will be open on the 5th (Sun), 6th (Mon), and 19th (Sun). We will have some items that are only available in the store, so we hope you will come and visit us. We look forward to seeing you. *Please check milestone TERADACHO's Instagram for opening dates.

This month, we welcomed special guest Jerry Ukai, who told us about his solo exhibition and mountain activities. After hearing about it, I'm even more excited to see what kind of paintings I'll be able to see. I'm curious about the word "friend" in the title, "Did you find a friend?", but I'm also curious about the word "find." I'm not very good with English, so when I looked it up, I found that it also means to meet or discover. Climbing a mountain is a journey, and trail running can also be likened to life and travel. What will you find in it? It could be a "person," or perhaps even an important "event."

Now, it's Golden Week, and it's time to go on a trip (including looking at paintings).

Text and composition: Hagiwara Ken