Outdoor products originally designed for taking on a trip to the wilderness have become a common sight in the big city. During the past few years, the fashion-driven young -- clad in colorful outdoor jackets and sporting brand-name day-packs and hiking boots -- have given the concrete jungle a new look.
This trend helped domestic retailers of outdoor merchandise bring in around 1.867 trillion yen last year, according to Yano Economic Research Institute. Apparel composes the largest share of the outdoor goods market, at around 25 percent to 30 percent, according to Yano, and this is a niche that foreign manufacturers have increasingly come to occupy.
The North Face, an outdoor clothing and equipment maker based in San Leandro, Calif., is one success story. In 1978 it signed an exclusive contract with a Japanese importer. Since that time, sales have expanded to 10 times the initial level, according to Naoki Kimura, a company representative.