This pretty well sums up the Japanese RV industry
[COLOR=]Small is chic in Japan’s RV industry
By Greg GerberEditor, RV Daily Report
Japanese Class B motorhomeTAMPA, Fla. — At 145,900 square miles, the entire country of Japan is roughly the size of California (163,700 square miles). Yet, although 37.8 million people live in California, there are 127.8 million people crammed into Japan. Despite its small size, Japan has an established RV industry that is vastly different from that of the United States.
Keiki Inomata, director of overseas information for the Japan RV Association, addressed a crowd of 240 RV industry professionals from around the world Friday at the Second Annual World RV Conference held in Tampa, Fla. The event was orchestrated by the RV Industry Association and took place at the Marriott Waterside Resort Jan. 17 to 19.
The Japan RV Association, which was established in 1994 and currently has 115 members, is divided into eight regions to promote the RV industry in that country.
The first was RV made in Japan was built in 1958 and the three-wheel unit was exported to Europe and the United States. The Volkswagon Westalia was introduced in 1962 as the country’s first imported RV. Japan conducted its first RV show in 1970, followed by the first rally in 1971 and the publication of the first RV-related magazine in 1972.
The Japanese people have embraced the RV lifestyle for years to the point nearly 80,000 people attended a show in Tokyo last year. But, recently, officials have become concerned about the increasingly poor manners of RV owners, said Inomata. In fact, the agency developed a seminar in 2007 to address the problem of RV owners creating too much noise and leaving garbage when they travel. Several members of the Japanese delegation to the show questioned other presenters as to how they promoted better manners in their own countries.
The demographics of the Japanese RV industry closely resemble those in America. About 7 percent of RV owners are in their 30s, 36 percent are in their 40s, 27 percent in their 50s, 34 percent in their 60s and 5 percent over age 70. The most popular RVs sells for 4 million to 5 million yen, or the equivalent of about $47,650. More expensive RVs are gaining in popularity, Inomata explained.
Japanese Prius conversion RVMost RV owners use their RVs for short stays with 42 percent spending just two nights in their units and 29 percent using them for three nights. About 14 percent may use them for 3 to 6 nights and only 9 percent will use them for a week or longer.
When using RVs, a huge majority — 85 percent — will spend at least one night in a roadside station, the equivalent of a U.S. rest area. About 74 percent will stay at commercial service areas or parking areas that feature hot springs, pet parks, shopping areas restaurants and even carnival rides. Only 48 percent of RVs will stay at a campground on their travels.
There are fewer developed campgrounds in Japan, which may be explained by the fact their are only 75,600 RVs in operation throughout the country, and the industry produced just 3,815 new units in 2011.
The most popular unit sold in Japan is a Class B van conversion featuring a poptop. A standard Class A motorhome measures just 19.5 feet in length, 7 feet wide and 9 feet tall.A new hybrid product created in Japan is built on a Toyota Prius that enjoys fuel efficiency of 18 kilometers per liter of gas (about 44 miles per gallon). Even though it measures 16 feet from bumper to bumper and 5.5 feet in width, it has seating AND sleeping capacity for five people.
The country also produces unique mini-sized RVs that are about 6 feet high and wide, and are no more than 11 feet long. Yet, they are configured with manual slideouts and a popup roof. Those units have been gaining popularity in recent years.
In 2011, the most current year for which statistics are available, the Japanese RV industry produced the following:
1,444 Class B motorhomes
1,044 Class C motorhomes
1,221 mini-RVs
51 camping trailers
39 minibus conversions
16 other models
The industry has been in a state of flux since 2008 when 4,284 RVs were produced. In 2009, that number fell to 3,785 only to jump back to 4,028 in 2010, and fall back to 3,815 in 2011. Only 211 RVs were imported to Japan last year, and that included:
12 Class A motorhomes
15 Class B motorhomes
64 Class C motorhomes
122 Camping Trailers
5 Mini-RVs
Wide-body, American-style RVs are not allowed to be driven on Japanese Roads, said Inomata.
Pets remain popular traveling companions in Japanese RVs with one-third of RV owners saying they always travel with pets, and 7 percent do so upon occasion.
The biggest obstacles to the Japanese RV industry are:
Camping facilities don’t meet the needs of RV owners, Inomata explained. If the campgrounds don’t have the amenities RVers demand, they feel they might as well stay at rest areas or in parking lots. Inomata said that many campgrounds charge fees that RVers are not willing to pay.
Urban type RV parks are really nothing more than paved parking lots. But, more are being developed every year and there are 996 such stations in operation.
Younger generations are losing interest in travel by car or RV, often due to the expense of buying and maintaining the units, said Inomata. Plus, the demographics show that Japan is an aging country with the population of children declining steadily for the past 10 years.
When Japan experienced the deadly tsunami March 11, 2011, many roads and parks were damaged, which further impacts development of the RV industry, especially in the eastern part of the country.
