Retro-Styled Camper Based on Mazda Scrum Truck Unveiled in Japan

The author, who has 15 years of experience sleeping in cars, chose the 'Yadocarry' camper based on a light truck because its removable living module can be transferred to a new truck. The interior height is about 180 cm, the bed width is 90 cm, and power is supplied by a portable battery of around 2000 Wh, which can be charged while driving or via solar panels.

The Japan RV Association has certified a new RV park, 'RV Park Unnan Michi-no-Eki Sakura no Sato Kisuki Green Park', in Unnan, Shimane Prefecture. Located near the roadside station 'Sakura no Sato Kisuki' and the Hii River embankment, a famous cherry blossom spot, the park offers 4 parking spaces at 3,500 yen per night. Facilities include 24-hour toilets, free electricity, water, and trash disposal. It serves as a convenient base for visiting Izumo Taisha shrine and Matsue city.

In Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, the unmanned trailer hotel CUBE6, operated by the day-use hot spring facility Shiosai-no-Yu, has opened. Each of the six rooms features Simmons mattresses, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and amenities. Guests receive free entry to the hot spring and sauna, which overlook the Pacific Ocean. Rates are 8,000 yen per person and 13,000 yen for two per night.

Japanese company Annex has launched series production of the compact Liberty 52 REi camper on a Toyota Camroad chassis. At 5.23 meters in length, the motorhome accommodates up to eight passengers and five berths, including a U-shaped lounge and a pull-out bed above the cab. It features a kitchen with an 85-liter refrigerator, solar panels up to 590 W, and battery options up to 9.6 kWh. Prices in Japan start at 16 million yen.

On the morning of Thursday, August 6, a motorhome overturned on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, after possibly suffering a tire blowout. The vehicle, carrying four people, hit the central median and flipped over. An 85-year-old woman was injured and taken to the hospital; her condition is not life-threatening. Police are investigating the exact cause, including the possibility that the left rear tire burst during the journey.

A camper van crashed into a barrier and overturned on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Susono, Shizuoka. A woman in her 80s was injured; a tire blowout is suspected.