Okutama camping:
Hikawa campsite for beginners
Introduction
Summer is the season when the mountain and sea incessantly invites me to spend a weekend with them. Every morning, as soon as I finish getting ready and doing my usual morning piano exercises, my mind often drifts to nature nearby Tokyo. This motivated me to make plans for the summer. Throughout this summer season of 2017, I'll be posting some of my travels and adventures. Hopefully, this will inspire you to go outdoors and quit whining about the summer heat. I will begin my first summer post about my recent camping trip to Okutama, a town close to the western boundary of Tokyo.
It was an overnight camping trip from June 24 to 25, 2017. We reached the campsite at 11 in the morning and left early the next day because of the rain forecast. It was not really summer yet and that time was considered part of the rainy season. Still, the weather was warm enough and my younger sisters (I treat them as such) was itching to get initiated to camping and to testing out their newly purchased tent. The first place which came to my mind, which is highly recommended for beginners and those who wish to have a quick escape from Tokyo at a very reasonable price is Hikawa Camp-jo, a site located very close to Okutama station.
Getting there
Since I don't own a driver's license yet, we decided to go there carrying all our camp stuff by train. Okutama station is accessible through the following lines: Chuo and Ome Line. An approximately 2-hr one-way ride costs around 1,080 Yen from Shinjuku station.
Upon arrival at Okutama station
You'll recognize that you are on the right train to Okutama station when you'll start noticing that the scenery of buildings are slowly being replaced by vegetation and mountain ranges. During my first time there, I immediately noticed that the train was traversing along a slope of a mountain and at its foot was the upstream end of Tamagawa River. The feeling of being on that train with that view is quite rare and indescribable. You'll also notice that a big number of passengers get off at Mitake station, another great area for hikes and relaxation which I'll post another time.
At Okutama station, there are no toilets. One has to walk a few meters outside of the station building. Beside the station, there is also a building where you can find maps and information about Okutama. Along the route from the station to the camp ground, there are also local shops, grocery stores, and bicycle rentals near the station.
Okutama station to Hikawa campsite
Traveling from the station to the campsite is a no-brainer. Confirming with Google maps, the site is located a little south from the station. Facing the road in front of the station, walk left, cross the bridge, and towards the left immediately after the bridge, there is a big sign that says 氷川キャンプ場 which literally means "Hikawa campsite". Greet the person guarding the car entrance before going through. Depending on your time of arrival, the queue at the reception can get crowded. Just be patient, there is always a spot for you to put up a tent. The receptionist can only talk in Japanese and probably simple English.
Reception
The staff can be very accommodating as long as you exercise patience with them. They will ask for your headcount and your preferred accommodation. They have lodging houses for rent in addition to staying in a tent. For those who want to stay in a lodge, it is better to reserve in advance through their website because they often get fully booked during the weekends. Check out the prices for the lodge through the link above. You will then have to pay 800 yen per person if you are staying in a tent. By the way, there are no reservations for tents so it is advisable to arrive earlier in the day. For us, we reached the place at around 11 and there was still enough space for 20 or more tents. Also, the campsite have a policy that you should arrive at the campsite before 4PM or else you will no longer be admitted. You can also rent or purchase many items you have forgotten at the reception area. Since we did not want to waste energy carrying firewood and a wide pan for cooking, we purchased a 600 yen firewood and rented an additional pan. A 600 yen worth of firewood was enough for us to cook our dinner and even spend half of it for a campfire beside the river. You will receive a small tag which you'll need to attach on one of your tents.
After fixing the reservation, we received a paper written in Japanese detailing how we are supposed to dispose of our garbage. Yes, we didn't have to take home our garbage. They can take care of it before leaving the area. We just needed to make sure we follow the instructions and segregate our garbage accordingly.
After the reception, we then went directly to the campsite which is located at the bottom of the slope a few meters away from the river.
At the campsite
The campsite has its own facilities like restrooms, sinks for washing your dishes, and roofed areas. It is very convenient! These facilities are all covered in the entrance fee. Just a few meters below the campsite, a calm length of the Tamagawa river flows. You'll immediately notice the guests comprised of families, teenagers, and couples playing by or swimming in the river. Feel free to immerse yourself in nature! The photos in this article are not enough to describe the beauty of mother nature.
Activities we did
We cooked together, set-up and drank beside the campfire, skipped some stones on the river, swam in the river, lit a few hanabi, and did a short hike towards a hanging bridge that is overlooking our campsite, and the town of Okutama. For me, the most memorable part was our conversations, singing, and laughing. At night, since it was a cloudy evening (thus we were not able to see the stars and it was still a little cold) and we were all exhausted from the day's enjoyable activities, we decided to watch a movie through my tablet inside one of our tents. I brought a portable BOSE speaker and we watched "What Dreams May Come" which starred Robin Williams. The next day, we briefly experienced my portable hammock.
One more thing was that you don't have to worry about keeping yourself clean. Aside from the sink, at the other side of the hanging bridge, there is also an onsen (hot bath). The campsite also has its own shower room for rent. It can get pricey. If my memory serves me well, it costs around 200yen to take a 3-minute shower.
Food
Since we arrived before lunch, we were all starving after setting up our tents. We made sure to situate our tents at an elevation safe enough from sudden flooding of the river. Using my portable burner, we prepared easy-to-cook food like eggs and corned beef. I also brought homemade bread and prepared hot chocolate. After lunch, we were reenergized and I left the ladies to play near the river. We also went to the nearby grocery store to buy, three bottles of 2L water, meat, cheese, sweet potatoes, and some fireworks for dinner. For dinner, we used the rented pan, firewood, and surrounding stones. One of my younger sisters, prepared a special potato-based dish. Inside the potatoes, she filled it with eggs, cheese, and other ingredients which I have forgotten. The potatoes were then wrapped in aluminum and burned underneath the large pan.
Since we left early the next day and I was on intermittent fasting, we didn't have to prepare breakfast and wrapped up our equipment after waking up at around 8. It took us an hour.
Words of advice
It is usually safe in Japan when it comes to our private things but just to make sure, we bring our valuables everytime we leave our tent. Everything else was perfect but one thing we failed to consider was that actually from May to June, Japanese black files or buyo are quite rampant at water areas, and their bites sting for more than a week. It bit all of us without us noticing until nighttime when the stings become itchy.
Summer is the season when the mountain and sea incessantly invites me to spend a weekend with them. Every morning, as soon as I finish getting ready and doing my usual morning piano exercises, my mind often drifts to nature nearby Tokyo. This motivated me to make plans for the summer. Throughout this summer season of 2017, I'll be posting some of my travels and adventures. Hopefully, this will inspire you to go outdoors and quit whining about the summer heat. I will begin my first summer post about my recent camping trip to Okutama, a town close to the western boundary of Tokyo.It was an overnight camping trip from June 24 to 25, 2017. We reached the campsite at 11 in the morning and left early the next day because of the rain forecast. It was not really summer yet and that time was considered part of the rainy season. Still, the weather was warm enough and my younger sisters (I treat them as such) was itching to get initiated to camping and to testing out their newly purchased tent. The first place which came to my mind, which is highly recommended for beginners and those who wish to have a quick escape from Tokyo at a very reasonable price is Hikawa Camp-jo, a site located very close to Okutama station.
Getting there
Since I don't own a driver's license yet, we decided to go there carrying all our camp stuff by train. Okutama station is accessible through the following lines: Chuo and Ome Line. An approximately 2-hr one-way ride costs around 1,080 Yen from Shinjuku station.
Upon arrival at Okutama station
You'll recognize that you are on the right train to Okutama station when you'll start noticing that the scenery of buildings are slowly being replaced by vegetation and mountain ranges. During my first time there, I immediately noticed that the train was traversing along a slope of a mountain and at its foot was the upstream end of Tamagawa River. The feeling of being on that train with that view is quite rare and indescribable. You'll also notice that a big number of passengers get off at Mitake station, another great area for hikes and relaxation which I'll post another time.
At Okutama station, there are no toilets. One has to walk a few meters outside of the station building. Beside the station, there is also a building where you can find maps and information about Okutama. Along the route from the station to the camp ground, there are also local shops, grocery stores, and bicycle rentals near the station.
Okutama station to Hikawa campsite
Traveling from the station to the campsite is a no-brainer. Confirming with Google maps, the site is located a little south from the station. Facing the road in front of the station, walk left, cross the bridge, and towards the left immediately after the bridge, there is a big sign that says 氷川キャンプ場 which literally means "Hikawa campsite". Greet the person guarding the car entrance before going through. Depending on your time of arrival, the queue at the reception can get crowded. Just be patient, there is always a spot for you to put up a tent. The receptionist can only talk in Japanese and probably simple English.Reception
The staff can be very accommodating as long as you exercise patience with them. They will ask for your headcount and your preferred accommodation. They have lodging houses for rent in addition to staying in a tent. For those who want to stay in a lodge, it is better to reserve in advance through their website because they often get fully booked during the weekends. Check out the prices for the lodge through the link above. You will then have to pay 800 yen per person if you are staying in a tent. By the way, there are no reservations for tents so it is advisable to arrive earlier in the day. For us, we reached the place at around 11 and there was still enough space for 20 or more tents. Also, the campsite have a policy that you should arrive at the campsite before 4PM or else you will no longer be admitted. You can also rent or purchase many items you have forgotten at the reception area. Since we did not want to waste energy carrying firewood and a wide pan for cooking, we purchased a 600 yen firewood and rented an additional pan. A 600 yen worth of firewood was enough for us to cook our dinner and even spend half of it for a campfire beside the river. You will receive a small tag which you'll need to attach on one of your tents.
After fixing the reservation, we received a paper written in Japanese detailing how we are supposed to dispose of our garbage. Yes, we didn't have to take home our garbage. They can take care of it before leaving the area. We just needed to make sure we follow the instructions and segregate our garbage accordingly.
After the reception, we then went directly to the campsite which is located at the bottom of the slope a few meters away from the river.
At the campsite
The campsite has its own facilities like restrooms, sinks for washing your dishes, and roofed areas. It is very convenient! These facilities are all covered in the entrance fee. Just a few meters below the campsite, a calm length of the Tamagawa river flows. You'll immediately notice the guests comprised of families, teenagers, and couples playing by or swimming in the river. Feel free to immerse yourself in nature! The photos in this article are not enough to describe the beauty of mother nature.
Activities we did
One more thing was that you don't have to worry about keeping yourself clean. Aside from the sink, at the other side of the hanging bridge, there is also an onsen (hot bath). The campsite also has its own shower room for rent. It can get pricey. If my memory serves me well, it costs around 200yen to take a 3-minute shower.
Food
Since we left early the next day and I was on intermittent fasting, we didn't have to prepare breakfast and wrapped up our equipment after waking up at around 8. It took us an hour.
Words of advice
It is usually safe in Japan when it comes to our private things but just to make sure, we bring our valuables everytime we leave our tent. Everything else was perfect but one thing we failed to consider was that actually from May to June, Japanese black files or buyo are quite rampant at water areas, and their bites sting for more than a week. It bit all of us without us noticing until nighttime when the stings become itchy.
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