Our past few articles have been spurred by individual clubs, but here we wanted to take a look at what happens when Mitsubishi calls everyone together across the island of Japan. Founded nearly 30 years ago in 1991, Star Camp has been held each summer under the shadow of Mt. Fuji.
Open to all Mitsubishi owners and fans, the event brings out those who are fans of camping and the outdoors first and foremost. While the event is dominated by 4wd vehicles, with the newer Delica being one of the most common on the grounds, photos will show that even Kei cars make appearances.
We've known about this event for a few years, and despite how many people attend and how much stuff is given out, finding items from this event for sale is rather difficult. Lately we've been incredibly lucky to get our hands on a 1996 Staff T-Shirt, a 1994 raincoat, and two 2018 Dinex mugs
With how long the event has been taking place, there have been some interesting changes and collaborations along the way. For example, in 1996 Mitsubishi showcased its "Star Cars" in the Star Wars font, even crediting Lucasfilm as you can see on the jacket below.
Unfortunately we don't have much other info on this collaboration. But if it was like most years, we can assume that mascots and music were simply catering towards those from a galaxy far far away.
With each Star Camp, staples and family-friendly activities return and evolve. Popular events include the Delica D:5 offroading course and 'hill-climb'. While concerts have always been preseent, starting in 2019 Mitsubishi chose to power the stage using a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV as a power supply.
It's not the kind of camping we at 4x4ward usually do. There's no finding a random trail, or intentionally getting lost. Meals are much more planned and the style of camp is uniquely Japanese with its large open field and wide assortment of accessories brought along by each group. Yet there's something endearing about it, that Mitsubishi still reaches out to fans and enthusiast who want to gather and see what the company is doing.
If we could do two things, we'd 1) love to visit one year, and 2) bring this to the US. Mitsubishi Motors, if you're listening, Star Camp USA needs to happen and 4x4ward is happy to help put it on.
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