WE BUILD GEAR BORN ON THE TRAIL.
Designed on the trail,
built for the trail,
forged on the trail.
WHO I AM
Masaki Miyazaki
Hiker & engineer
We test on long trails, including the 4,265 km PCT, plus many fields at home and abroad. That experience feeds into every gear design.
Structural and material mechanics — paired with what we learned in the field. Combining the two, we keep pursuing "strong and light."
We hike the Shinetsu Trail, traverse various Japanese mountains, and walk the Everest Base Camp trail, the Namib desert, and more.
Why we make it — gear forged on the trail
In 2022, I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) — roughly 4,265 km running north–south along the U.S. West Coast.
I field-tested 25 prototypes for the PCT, breaking, repairing, and refining them again and again — through the burning heat of the desert, through the snow of Washington State. Even after the long trail ended, I kept testing from the seas of Japan to peaks over 3,000 m, learning what worked and what was missing when the gear actually needed to perform.
MIYAGEN Trail Engineering shapes only what's been proven on the trail, not what looks good on a spec sheet. That's how we make things.
GEAR PHILOSOPHY — how we think about tools
Light and strong are usually a trade-off. Lighter means more fragile; stronger means heavier. We answer that dilemma with engineering.
Understand the material's properties, calculate the direction of forces, and put the right structure only where it's needed. Cut the unnecessary; don't compromise on the necessary. The result, we believe, is gear that holds up over years on the trail.
HOW WE DESIGN — our process
MIYAGEN gear starts from "failure" on the trail. We bring back the inconveniences and questions we noticed while walking and build a working prototype. We verify materials, calculate structures, and iterate. Then we take it to the trail again, and use it until it breaks.
The origin of "MIYAGEN" — Genjiro Miyazaki and the legacy he carries on
The name "MIYAGEN" comes from Miyagen Sake Shop. It traces back to the name of the first-generation founder, Genjuro Miyazaki.
Around 1930, Genjuro Miyazaki — at the time a farmer — set out in search of new work, loading goods onto a handcart and starting a trade by traveling town to town. In 1932 he founded what is today Miyagen Sake Shop.
When I was thinking about what to call my outdoor brand, I felt something connecting Genjuro — who began his trade by traveling — with myself, about to take on a long trail called the PCT. So I decided to carry the name forward.
In 2022, marking the 90th anniversary of the family business, I launched the outdoor brand "MIYAGEN Trail Engineering" and started over. With market share taken by the big chains, it's not easy for a small neighborhood sake shop to survive. Even so, I believe that continuing — even in a changed form — is what it means to protect Miyagen.
In March 2026, second-generation Yasukazu Miyazaki passed away at 95. His life was one of pushing the handcart from behind, of guarding the sake shop from the moment he was born until his last day. The character from his name lives on inside MIYAGEN's products.
Carrying forward the will of those who came before, we'll keep taking on challenges in the way only MIYAGEN can.
HISTORY
MIYAGEN is a small shop located in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. The business started when the first generation owner, Genjiro Miyazaki, loaded his goods onto a handcart and traveled around.
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Around 1930
Genjiro Miyazaki, a farmer in Shiga Prefecture, started a business while traveling and pulling a cart.
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1932
Miyagen Sake Shop was founded in Wakamiya-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, a castle town.
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1945
The store was destroyed by air raids.
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1945
Relocated to the vicinity of the station's level crossing.
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1968
Relocated to the current store.
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2022
Launched "MIYAGEN Trail Engineering" and started selling outdoor gear. Walked the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail / about 4,265 km), traversing the US west coast over six months. Field-tested 25 prototypes, and started building gear refined on the trail.
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2023
Heading to the PCT for the second time. Hiking through wildfire-affected areas and traversing "The Enchantment," a sacred site in Washington State. Further accumulating field experience and testing.
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2024
Pre-orders for the flagship backpack "CREST 40" have begun. It embodies engineering by employing a 3D CAD-generated three-dimensional pattern and a unique carbon X-shaped frame.
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2025
Diversification of the product lineup and field testing on a global scale. Testing of the next model, "CREST 30," was conducted in Hokkaido, Kyushu, the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal, and the Namib Desert in Namibia.
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2026
CREST 30 released. EC site fully renewed.
Thoughts on the logo
The M and N of MIYAGEN are connected to represent it.
The "Mi" in Miyagen
Switchbacks
Zigzagging paths for climbing mountains
The Earth's Strata
Layers of Time Carved by Nature
Lightweight and strong truss structures
a symbol of engineering
Springs that utilize the properties of the material
achieving both flexibility and strength.
ATELIER
The MIYAGEN atelier sits inside a corner of a sake shop in Okazaki, Aichi.
Industrial sewing machines, 3D printers, 3D CAD, a laser cutter — we use them for everything from material testing and prototyping to dispatch. Sewing tests on new fabrics, verification, load testing. The trial-and-error before a product is born all happens here.
We hold an open atelier from time to time. Tour the equipment, touch the materials, talk MYOG. Dates are announced on Instagram.
* Visits are by reservation only. If you'd like to come, please book through the page below.