Is Hiring a Campervan in Japan Right for You? Our Honest Thoughts After Three Weeks

"We haven't."

Most evenings we stayed at Michi-no-Eki, Japan's roadside stations.

If you've never come across them before, they're brilliant.

Some are tiny.

Some are huge.

Most have toilets that are open 24 hours, vending machines and somewhere safe to park overnight.

Some have restaurants, local produce markets or even hot springs.

They became a huge part of our trip.

There isn't a toilet inside the van, which is something worth thinking about before booking.

For us, it really wasn't an issue.

There are public toilets absolutely everywhere in Japan.

Roadside stations.

Convenience stores.

Service areas.

We were never caught short once and they were all super clean, we were so surprised.

That said, if the idea of needing to pop out of the van during the night doesn't appeal to you, then it's something to think about.

Campervan travel always comes with little compromises.

For us, the freedom massively outweighed them.

Slowing down completely changed the trip

One thing we decided before we even picked the van up was that we weren't using toll roads unless we really had to.

At first it was because we wanted to save money.

Then we realised the local roads were actually far more interesting.

Instead of flying past everything on a motorway, we drove through little towns we'd never have visited otherwise.

We stopped at random fruit stalls.

We passed tiny shrines.

We pulled over for mountain viewpoints.

Sometimes we'd even backtrack because we'd spotted something interesting after driving past it.

In a normal hire car you might still do that.

In a campervan it somehow feels different because you're not rushing to reach a hotel you've already paid for.

The journey becomes the day.

That slower pace also worked really well as a family.

Jax would have his map open, pointing out things he wanted to stop at, while Oli concentrated on driving.

Some days involved a lot of kilometres.

Oli actually drove every single one of them.

You can add extra drivers when you hire the van, but there's an additional fee and we'd decided to save the money.

Thankfully, Oli genuinely enjoys driving.

By the end of the trip he'd probably driven more than either of us realised.

Some of our best wildlife moments happened because we weren't in a hurry.

We'd simply pull over, switch the engine off and watch.

You don't really get those moments when you've got a train to catch.

We also realised how much we'd missed van life

Before we started travelling full time, we owned a campervan back in the UK.

We loved that lifestyle.

Then we sold it before heading off around Asia.

Living out of backpacks and apartments has been brilliant, but getting back into a van again reminded us just how much we'd missed it.

There's something really nice about everyone being together in one small space.

It sounds like it should feel cramped.

Somehow it doesn't.

You end up spending more time together because you're naturally sharing everything.

Breakfast becomes planning the day.

Lunch happens wherever you happen to have parked.

Evenings are spent looking at maps and deciding where tomorrow might take you and playing small games we remembered to pack.

It's simple.

We'd forgotten how much we enjoyed that.

Of course there are things you give up.

You're living in a much smaller space.

You have to keep everything tidy because clutter builds up quickly.

You're constantly filling water, emptying rubbish and thinking about where you'll stop next.

If you need luxury hotels every evening, this probably isn't your kind of holiday.

If you're happy trading some comfort for a huge amount of freedom, it's a brilliant way to see Japan.

For us, unlimited mileage was probably the biggest difference.

Knowing every extra kilometre was already included meant we never hesitated to explore somewhere unexpected.

It encouraged exactly the sort of travelling we enjoy.

If you're thinking about doing the same, we'd definitely recommend having a look at their campervans here. If you do decide to book, our code JAXJAPAN5 will save you 5% on your booking.

Campervan travel in Japan is probably for you if...

• You like flexible plans rather than fixed itineraries.
• You enjoy driving through places as much as arriving somewhere.
• You don't mind living in a smaller space for a few weeks.
• You'd rather wake up somewhere different each morning than stay in the same hotel.
• You like finding places you hadn't planned to visit.
• You're happy using roadside facilities instead of having everything onboard.
• You don't mind taking the slower, more scenic route instead of the fastest one.