Glamping in Chiba at Tent Ichinomiya

Now that the GoTo Travel is back in session, here’s a trip down memory lane detailing our family adventure glamping in Chiba at Tent Ichinomiya.

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Glamping may not be an authentic outdoors experience to some.

After all, glamping literally means “glamorous camping.” Imagine spacious tents/cabins, luxury bedding, and drool-inducing food flatlays.

But, I have never experienced camping. (Save for one starry night in northern Sweden sippin on wild berry tea patiently waiting for the Northern Lights to show spoiler alert: they didn’t)

I figured glamping would be a great alternative. And, an opportunity to go glamping in nearby Chiba Prefecture is a choice that combines luxury and convenience!

Ichinomiya Town

Our family glamping adventure began with a drive across Chiba Prefecture and along the east coast of the Boso Peninsula.

Ichinomiya is a seaside town best known for its surfing spots. In fact, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic surfing events took place in Ichinomiya!

Nearby Ichinomiya Square is a FREE parking/rest area with vending machines, shower stalls, and a large playground.

After a scenic drive (and several amusing scrambles for change as the toll booths in these parts aren’t equipped to read ETC cards), we arrived at Tent Ichinomiya Glamping Resort.

Tent Ichinomiya Glamping Resort

Tent Ichinomiya consists of a office/check-in lobby, and 6 A-frame cabins perched upon a deck overlooking the campgrounds.

Given the season (winter) and the time of the week (Monday), we were the only ones on the site, save for the groundskeeper.

While I appreciated the intimate setting, I imagine that the glamping experience would be closer to camping were there another family with us.

Nevertheless, my daughter certainly enjoyed the freedom to run around. Plus, I had many opportunities to work on my photography skills.

LOBBY

Information on Ichinomiya Town, rental bikes and even a telescope are available in the lobby.

The laundry room has a washing machine (500 yen per use), laundry pods, and bench for waiting/folding/separating laundry.

The second floor of the lobby is a sundeck that overlooks Ichinomiya Town and Ichinomiya Beach.

CAMPGROUND

There are three large sinks in the common area for washing dishes.

Remember to sort your trash! The left and right bins are for burnable waste and PET bottles. The middle bin is for cans, glass, and PET bottle caps.

CABIN

Each cabin is complete with luxury bedding, a telephone, an air conditioner unit, a mini-fridge, an electric kettle.

There’s more modern amenities, including wi-fi and bluetooth Bose speaker that was just excellent for chilling to my lounge playlist…or watching endless episodes of Paw Patrol.

Other cabin features include a washlet toilet and automated bath controls.

Tent Ichinomiya supplies botanical body and skincare products by the Japanese brand Marks and Web. (Not only did Tent Ichinomiya turn me into a fan of glamping, I’m also hooked on Marks and Web — finally shampoo and body wash my girl and I can share!)

One thing you’ll notice as soon as you walk into the cabin is how incredibly warm it is.

We thought the groundskeeper had turned on the heat in our room. However, he explained that the 2 skylights provide the room with plenty of sunlight.

There’s another skylight in the toilet, and when I stumbled in at 1 am to use the toilet, I was in awe of the starry view!

DINING

Our dinner was a BBQ set featuring produce and meats grown in Chiba Prefecture.

The highlight was yakiimo (grilled sweet potato), an autumn/winter treat that immediately warms you up to the core. It was creamier and tastier than any sweet potato that I’ve had in my 15+ years here.

(The trick is to wrap your potato in newspaper, then dampen it before wrapping in tightly in aluminum foil and placing it on the coals for about 1 hour.)

Breakfast, on the other hand, was light, (corn soup, bread rolls, eggs, ham, and bacon) which I appreciated after dining on grilled veggies, beef and pork the previous night.

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Teni W. 🎌 Tokyo🗼Japan(@wadateni)がシェアした投稿 – 2020年 1月月25日午前6時11分PST

NOTE: Strawberries are not included in the breakfast set at Tent Ichinomiya. Those are actually leftovers from my daughter’s afternoon snack that she ate on the way to Ichinomiya Town.

For campers, coffee is an integral part of the outdoor experience. Tent Ichinomya did not hold back on this crucial aspect.

We received a set of 3 coffee beans packages (from Kenya, Brazil, Guatemala) and a handheld coffee grinder set from the Japanese brand Rivers.

Never have I been a fan of coffee, much less black coffee, until this day. (And there’s a third thing I’m now stanning.)

Nothing beats an early morning basking in the sun’s rays, hands wrapped around a coffee mug for warmth while listening to the crashing waves of nearby Ichinomiya Beach.

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Teni W. 🎌 Tokyo🗼Japan(@wadateni)がシェアした投稿 – 2020年 2月月8日午前5時12分PST