I've wanted to share my journey for a while with someone. This community does not seem very active, so I figured, maybe some frequent posts can bring some life back and more discussions going. I plan to post every few days until I am caught up with the present day (as of this posting, I am 20 camps in).
I have never been camping before in my life before this year. Pretty much from the start of the year tho I felt this pull to disconnect from technology, slow things down and my mind settled on camping. It combo's with my love of driving my bike. I don't really talk to much people, so the whole journey was me trying things and sometimes get silly. I slowly gathered all the gear for the first trip. Me being inexperienced I settled on a pop-up tent. It's so insanely easy to set up and set down! I carry it on my back as it folds down to a circle shape. Then I got a large bag to put on my bike, a self-inflating mattress, a chair, pillow, peg hammer and sleeping bag. Back then I thought "no way I can ever carry more, this bag is full" - oh how silly past me was (things will quickly escalate in a few posts). After a test drive confirming everything fits I finally decided on a first trip. You'd think the first time I would choose something close, where I could bounce if necessary. No, that's not me. I wanted to go hard. The plan was to take the ferry from Tokyo to Tokushima, then make 2 or 3 stops along the way as I drive back to Tokyo.
This picture is from the first stop after the ferry. It's a campsite called Fukiagehama (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xdmmoFyXmHKB42cG6) on Awaji Island. This was back in July - peak summer in Japan. I got some food from the Konbini on the way, so this is definitely not hardcore camping lol. Watching the sunset, reading a book, drinking some strong zeros, the experience was amazing. Until night came and it was time to sleep. There was almost no wind on this site as it's well shielded, so the humidity was crushing, I was very sweaty and it was hard to fall asleep, thankfully I packed some Melatonin and the alcohol also helped.
Amenities on the campsite were okay, although showers and toilet were a bit unmaintained. It was a good experience, but did not hook me or make me excited yet about camping (that happens tomorrow). Woke up at 5 am the next day with the sunrise, set everything down and made my way to my next destination...
Bonus pics, wide shot and ferry ride:
