JRVA Director Mr. Takahashi: “Many campervan users are indoor people” Mr. Nobuyuki Takahashi, JRVA Director and Vice President in charge of the Promotion Committee, responded to our request. According to Mr. Takahashi, campers have long been used by people who like to travel, but since the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection, they are now attracting attention as a “style of travel that avoids being dense. He also believes that the increasing difficulty of going on overseas trips is also contributing to the increased activity of domestic travel using campervans. The number of users of campervans is increasing due to these trends. One would think that this situation is the same as that of outdoor recreation such as camping, which has also increased in popularity due to the Corona disaster, but Mr. Takahashi had some surprising words to say. Takahashi says, “People often associate leisure activities using campervans with outdoor leisure activities, but in fact, this is not the case in many cases. It would be fair to say that many campervan users are indoor people,” he says. He continues, “Bonfires, barbecues, and fun things at campgrounds are fun, so if you like outdoor leisure, some people go out for that purpose, but campervan users often don’t have that as their goal. However, many campers do not want to do so. They want to travel with the same flexibility in destination and accommodation as campers, but they also want to bring the comfort of their own room and enjoy a home-like atmosphere outside. That’s why they buy a campervan,” he says. Another feature of campervans is that many people who choose to stay in a campervan also have pets. Although the number of facilities where people can stay with their pets is increasing, they are still limited. The more accustomed travelers become, the more they find it inconvenient to choose a place to stay with their pets. The more experienced travelers seem to find this inconvenient. JRVA is promoting “RV parks,” which are dedicated spaces for overnight stays, throughout Japan in order to support travel by campervans. According to Takahashi, RV parks can help revitalize communities by attracting tourists to areas that lack tourist accommodations. In fact, Takahashi says that he has been visiting municipalities across Japan to help establish RV parks, which will make it more convenient for people to travel by camper (overnight stay) in the future. As mentioned by Mr. Takahashi of JRVA, it seems that the typical pattern when purchasing a campervan is to choose one from the perspective of a comfortable room for one’s trip. Looking around the Tokyo Camper Show from this perspective, we noticed that there were many vehicles that met our needs. Below are some of the campervans that caught our eye from the standpoint of comfort.
Exhibited Vehicles by Interior Comfort First of all, campers based on Toyota’s Hiace. Since the Hiace camper is mainstream, many attractive models have been produced, but let us introduce the “Narrow Galaxy” model exhibited by OMC. The base model is a Hiace Van GL package, standard body, high roof special edition, with a choice of gasoline or diesel engines. For more detailed information, including equipment, please refer to OMC’s website, but this model had two features. The pictures below show these features, but the car not only looked comfortable, it also had an atmosphere of “a unique travel experience that is different from staying overnight in a car. The Toyota Town Ace and Light Ace, which are popular because they are smaller than the Hiace and larger than mini cars, and Nissan’s NV200 were also exhibited, but this year’s trend was to register them as 8 license plates instead of 4. This year’s trend was to use 8-plate registration instead of 4-plate. Many of these mid-size one-box cars are said to be switching from light campers. The increased dynamic performance certainly improves comfort when moving around. However, if shelves and sinks are installed on both sides of the cabin space, the bed space is not as spacious, so the sleeping environment may not be much different from that of a light camper. Therefore, the rear seat space has been modified to make it suitable for overnight stays. The photo shows the “Resort Duo Luxio Pro” exhibited by Stage 21, in which the water supply equipment and shelves are installed on the tail opening side. This allows the interior width to be used effectively as a bed space, and the vehicle can now meet the requirements for registration as a camping vehicle with an 8 license plate. In addition, the number 8 registration allows the camper to accommodate four passengers, eliminating inconvenience in everyday use. In addition, the user benefits from the increased advantages over small cargo number 4 vehicles in terms of vehicle inspections and other factors. Among the popular light campers, Daihatsu’s Atley and Heizet trucks, which have recently undergone a full model change, were on display in increasing numbers. The latest Atlet and Hijet trucks feature Daihatsu’s “Smart Assist” preventive safety technology, which provides safety and driving stability, and the two-pedal models, including the trucks, have a CVT for a smooth driving feel. The Atley is also available with a turbo engine, allowing it to handle highway driving with ease, something that many light campers have had difficulty with. The number of light camper users is said to be on the rise, and the introduction of the Atley and Hijet has broadened the range of vehicle choices and is expected to stimulate the market even further.
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