Solo biker’s camping by yourself on a motorcycle is the very definition of manly romance, isn’t it? What you should pay attention to is whether or not “free touring camping” is available. To help you with this, we would like to introduce Ipponmatsu Park Campground (Showa-no-mori) in Umi-cho, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Please take a look at the recommendations and points to note.
- Ipponmatsu Park Campground (Showa no Mori) Basic Information
- Ipponmatsu Park Campground (Showa no Mori) Recommendations
- Be careful when using this service.
- summary
Ipponmatsu Park Campground (Showa no Mori) Basic Information
Location
3-3, Oaza-Umi, Umi-cho, Kasuya-gun, Fukuoka, Japan
Parking Fee
Free within 3 hours after entry
From 3 hours to less than 6 hours: 500 yen
Every 6 hours thereafter: 500 yen
*No upper limit on fees
*No charge for motorcycles and bicycles
Even if you camp with a car, it is cheaper as it costs about 1,500-2,000 yen per night, but what is surprising is that motorcycles and bicycles are free.
As we will show later, the facilities are clean and well equipped, and are really recommended for touring campers, bicyclists, and walk campers.
Access
Approximately 40 minutes from Hakata Station by car
Approximately 40 minutes from Dazaifu IC by car
Approximately 60 minutes on foot from JR Umi Station
Approximately 20 minutes on foot from Nishitetsu Bus Shoji-dake bus stop
Short walk from AI On-demand Bus “Ruruto-Umi” meeting post 135 Ipponmatsu Park entrance *advance reservation required
Easy access to and from Fukuoka City.
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Ipponmatsu Park Campground (Showa no Mori) Recommendations
(1) You can go as soon as you think of it, without reservations.
No reservations or phone calls are required, so you can go camping as soon as you think of it.
While campgrounds that require reservations must be scheduled in advance, reservations are not required, so you can enjoy camping without any problems even if you suddenly find yourself on a consecutive holiday.
Another major advantage of not requiring reservations is that there are no cancellation fees. Even if the weather is uncertain or urgent business comes up, you can simply cancel your camping trip and no fees will be incurred.
(2) Separate sites for beginners and advanced campers
Ipponmatsu Campground has two types of sites: “Ipponmatsu side” and “Nekoishi side. The “Ipponmatsu side” is for beginners and intermediate campers, and the “Nekoishi side” is for intermediate to advanced campers.
The atmosphere of the two sites and their users are completely different, so choose the one that suits you best.
Features of the Ipponmatsu side (suitable for beginners to intermediate level users)
Clean restrooms
There are other campgrounds run by municipalities, but I can honestly say that I have never seen such clean restrooms. The toilets are not the closed type, so there are bugs, but there are enough and they even have washlets, which is good enough.
There are many duo campers and family campers.
You can pitch your tent anywhere in the facility, but the spaces are separated by a staircase. Each of them is larger than the one on the Nekoishi side, so there are many duo campers and family campers.
The road to the site is clean and easy to get to.
The road from the entrance of the facility to the parking lot nearest the Ipponmatsu side site is clean and well maintained, making it very easy to get to.(The road is narrow, so be careful if you are not used to driving.)
Characteristics of the Nekoishi side (sites for intermediate to advanced campers)
Many solo campers
Like the Ipponmatsu side, the space is divided by a staircase. However, the space is not large enough for a large tent or tarp, so most of the campers are solo campers.
The sites are quiet because of the large number of solo campers.
The sites are quite quiet. The site is quite quiet, and there is very little noise from solo campers, making it a great place to relax and enjoy the nature.
The road to the site is quite bumpy.
The road to the parking lot is very uneven, with many areas of gravel and sand.(This may be because the time I used the parking lot was after it had rained.)
There was a depression of about 10 cm in some places, so I do not recommend going there with a low vehicle.
Toilets are simple toilets and water is habitually available.
The only restrooms are simple toilets located in the parking lot. They are not dirty, but it is quite a distance to a clean toilet, so if you do not like simple toilets, this is not recommended.
Also, there is a water station, but it is quite habitual. Frankly speaking, it is difficult to use.
(iii) 24 hours in and out.
There is no check-in time. So you are never pressed for time.
It does not matter if you come in the morning, at noon, or in the evening after work.You can come after work on Friday and stay two nights, even if you have weekends off.
Check-out is also free, so you can enjoy camping until you are satisfied. Even if you are usually pressed for time when camping, you can enjoy a campfire in the morning.
I personally recommend that you start setting up around 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. and do the campfire preparations, etc. Then, leave the park around 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., buy food, and return. In this way, you can get free parking for the 3 hours from the start of setting up, and can afford to spend as little as 1,500 yen per night.
(4) Necessary facilities are available.
For a public facility, it is well equipped. The toilets, especially on the Ipponmatsu side, are some of the cleanest I have ever seen in a campground. There is also a water station, so even beginners can use it safely.(On the Nekoishi side, there are only simple toilets and habitual watering holes.)
There is also a water sales space called “Kawahara no Shizuku” near the entrance of the park. The hours of use are from 8:00 to 18:00, and bedrock groundwater is sold for 10 yen per liter and 100 yen per 20 liters.
If you bring a water jug, etc., you do not need to bring drinking water, which is quite helpful for touring and walking campers.
There are vending machines in the facility.
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Be careful when using this service.
(1) No caretaker present
There is a management building, but basically there is no caretaker. Since it is not possible to have them respond to any problems, please be careful not to get involved in any trouble, etc.
Also, as is typical of campgrounds without a caretaker, there are many users who do not behave properly. I have used the campground several times in the past, and fortunately I have not encountered such nuisance campers, but if you are worried, I recommend that you aim for weekdays when there are fewer campers.
(2) Open fires and fireworks are prohibited.
Open fires are prohibited, so bring a fire sheet and a fire pit.
Fireworks are also prohibited, so be careful not to bring them in.
(3) There is no garbage collection or ash dumping area.
Be sure to take your garbage home with you. There is no ash dumping area, so if you plan to make fires in the morning, bring a fire extinguisher or fire extinguisher bag. If you only make campfires at night, you can just throw the remaining ashes into a garbage bag.
(4) Be aware that there are many day campers on Saturdays and Sundays.
Because parking is free for 3 hours, there are quite a lot of day campers on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also people having BBQs in groups. For those who want to relax, weekdays are recommended. Also, the Nekoishi side is relatively quiet on weekends, so solo campers are recommended to use the Nekoishi side.
(5) Bungalows are not available.
There are many bungalows on the site. However, as of November 2024, they are no longer accepting applications for use. The reason is due to the aging of the facility.
(6) Vending machines are far from the site.
There is a vending machine next to the administration building in the facility, but it is a bit far from the site. Walking there and back will take quite a while, so please prepare what you need in advance before you go.
summary
There are some things to keep in mind, but this campground is easy to use for beginners and advanced campers alike. And best of all, it is free to use except for the parking fee. If you are touring camping or walking camping, you can use it completely free of charge, so please take advantage of it.
Anyway, if you are looking for a best tent for solo bike camp, please check this!
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