The Ocean Facing Wada Campsite
For outdoor enthusiasts, camping is the ultimate escape from daily life and a chance to fully immerse in nature. While Fukui boasts an abundance of excellent campsites—many tucked away in secluded mountain areas—Wakasa Wada Campsite offers something far rarer: a front-row seat to the sea, sheltered beneath a pine grove along one of the most scenic beaches in the entire prefecture.
While summer draws the biggest crowds, autumn brings crisp, comfortable weather and fewer campers, giving you ample room to set up your camp site and relax at your own pace. It is the ideal season to take in sweeping ocean views, cook outdoors, and experience the coast in a peaceful, unhurried atmosphere.
Beyond its coastal appeal, the campsite is remarkably user-friendly for both newcomers and seasoned outdoor lovers. A well-designed layout offers easy access to rental gear, clean facilities, and ample parking, all while sitting within convenient reach of Takahama's supermarkets and restaurants.
The Camp Atmosphere
The Sea Side Plots put your right on the doorstep of the ocean
The Wakasa Wada Campsite spans a broad, extensive pine-covered grounds situated directly adjacent to Wada Beach. The layout provides diverse setup options across over 50 numbered plots alongside dedicated open lawn areas:
Sea Side Plots: Sit right along the shore, giving you front-row ocean views and immediate beach access.
Mountain Side Plots: Tucked back under the shade of mature pines—though still just a short 30-second walk to the water.
Specialized Zones & Hookups: Includes open zones for solo and family camping, powered sites with electrical hookups, a dog run, hot-water dishwashing stations, coin showers, and a covered BBQ pavilion.
Solo camping plot
One of the distinctive features of the camp are the towering pine trees that offer shelter and also make you feel you are truly in the wild.
One of the outdoor cooking pavilions in the center of the campsite
Where Forest Meets the Blue Flag Sea
What truly elevates the campsite is its position directly beside Wakasa Wada Beach. Renowned across Japan for its crystal-clear, shallow turquoise waters and sweeping white sand, it achieved international acclaim in 2016 by becoming one of Asia’s very first beaches to earn the prestigious Blue Flag certification—an elite designation awarded for exceptional water quality, environmental management, safety, and accessibility.
Ocean view from campsite
A brief five-minute stroll south from camp brings you directly to the vibrant main stretch of Wada Beach. Adding to its global prestige, this coastal gem has been chosen to host the lifesaving competition for the World Masters Games 2027 Kansai.
Setting Up Camp
On the day we arrived, although sunny, a coastal breeze was whipping across the beach, so we opted for one of the solo camp plots nestled further back in the pine grove. It turned out to be the perfect choice as we were still only a thirty-second walk from the water’s edge.
Pitching our tent was remarkably smooth—the sand pegs anchored into the ground easily, leaving us the whole afternoon to relax in our camp chairs and enjoy the ocean view.
One of the joys of camping is you can get creative in setting up the kind of camp you want. Here we are setting up a wood stove to keep us warm at night.
After our camp was complete, it was time to head to the ocean.
Late afternoon stroll on the beach
Before starting on dinner preparations, we headed down to the water for a late afternoon walk. Stepping out from the shade of the pine grove onto the soft sand, the view across the bay opened up completely.
Beautiful late afternoon sky with the majestic Mt. Aoba in the background
Where to Book: Online via the Nap (なっぷ) campsite portal, accessible through the official Wakasa Takahama Tourism website.
Booking Window: Reservations open 3 months in advance on the 1st of each month at midnight JST (e.g., August dates open May 1).
Selecting a Site: You can list your top three site number preferences in the request/comments box during online checkout.
Flexible Terms: No prepayment is required (pay upon check-in), and cancellations are free up to the day before your arrival (or on the day of in the event of official weather warnings).
Grocery Shopping
There are a few local supermarkets in Takahama stocked with fresh meat and seafood for BBQs. You can head to SunnyMart in the center of town for everyday essentials, or visit UMIKARA right on the harbor—a scenic market boasting a fantastic selection of fresh, local catch.
Getting To Wada Campsite
By Train: A comfortable 15-minute walk from JR Wakasa-Wada Station on the Obama Line, making it one of the rare beach campsites in Japan easily accessible via public transportation.
By Car: Accessible via the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway (Takahama IC). On-site parking is available (a standard ¥500 parking fee applies, though peak summer rates in July/August vary).