The more we looked into it, the more we realised hardly anyone seemed to know it was even an option. Whenever we mentioned it on social media people were genuinely surprised. Most assumed Japan meant trains, hotels and rushing between cities.
We'd owned a camper van back in the UK before we left to travel full time. Selling it before we started travelling was one of those sensible decisions that still hurt a bit, so the thought of getting back behind the wheel, even for a couple of weeks, was something we were ridiculously excited about.
When Travellers Autobarn offered us a van in exchange for creating content, we honestly couldn't believe it. The original agreement was for ten days. We signed the contract almost immediately.
Then ten days somehow turned into twenty one.
That completely changed our plans.
Instead of staying around central Japan, we looked at the map and thought, "Why don't we finally go to Hokkaido?"
So that's exactly what we did.
Twenty one days, nearly 5,000km and not one regret
Our road trip started in Tokyo before heading north through Nikko, Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita and Oma. From there we took the ferry over to Hokkaido before continuing to Hakodate, Lake Toya, Furano, Daisetsuzan National Park, Biei, Lake Saroma, Shiretoko, Rausu and Sapporo, with plenty of completely unplanned stops in between.
Eventually we crossed back to mainland Japan and spent another couple of days driving south towards Mount Fuji.
By the end of it we'd covered somewhere around 4,990km.
It sounds ridiculous written down.
It also never felt like too much.
The best bit wasn't ticking places off a list.
It was everything in between.
One minute we'd be driving through endless forests. Twenty minutes later we'd pull over because we'd spotted a waterfall that wasn't on our itinerary. Then we'd end up in a tiny town buying lunch from a local supermarket we'd never have visited otherwise.
Those little moments became some of our favourites.
We never really knew where we'd be sleeping each night either. We just knew we'd probably end up at a Michi-no-Eki somewhere along the direction we were heading.
That uncertainty suited us perfectly.
If we'd booked hotels every night, we'd have felt tied to a schedule. Instead we could stay longer somewhere we loved or leave early if somewhere didn't quite click.
Be the first to like this
No comments yet
That flexibility became addictive.
The van made travelling simple, even when it was hot
July in Japan is hot.
Really hot.
Add humidity and you're basically living inside what feels like a giant metal oven.
For the first few days around Tokyo we definitely questioned our decision.
Thankfully we'd planned to head north into Hokkaido where the temperatures were noticeably cooler, and once we arrived up there the van became a brilliant place to live again.
The layout worked far better than we'd expected.
There was loads of storage, which surprised us considering we'd packed enough clothes, camera gear and random bits to disappear for weeks. People kept messaging us asking how we managed to keep the van tidy.
Honestly?
Storage.
Everything had somewhere to go.
The downstairs bed was much bigger than we'd imagined, which made sleeping on warmer nights far more comfortable because we weren't all squashed together.
The upstairs sleeping area was surprisingly roomy too. More often than not, Jax and I would both end up sleeping up there while Oli took the downstairs.
There was a decent sized fridge, two gas hobs with gas supplied, plates, cups, cutlery, cooking equipment, pillows, sheets and sleeping bags and a sink with running water.
If that immediately puts you off, it's worth knowing Japan makes this far less of an issue than you'd think. Roadside stations are everywhere and they're brilliant. Clean toilets, vending machines, places to stretch your legs and often local food shops too.
We never once found ourselves panicking because we couldn't find a toilet.
Local roads completely changed the trip
One decision probably shaped our road trip more than anything else.
We avoided toll roads.
Partly because they can become expensive quite quickly.
Mostly because we wanted to actually see Japan.
Every time we compared routes, the toll road often wasn't dramatically quicker anyway.
So we'd stick to local roads.
It ended up being one of the best decisions we made.
Instead of flying past everything at motorway speeds we drove through farming villages, quiet mountain roads, flower fields, forests and places we'd never even heard of before arriving.
We'd stop at tiny greengrocers to buy fruit.
Collect stamps at Michi-no-Eki.
Watch farmers working in enormous rice fields.
Pull over because the mountain views suddenly appeared around a bend.
Some roads we'd drive for kilometres without another car anywhere near us.
The roads themselves were excellent too.
Apart from around Tokyo, Sapporo and Mount Fuji, traffic was surprisingly minimal. Most of the driving felt calm rather than stressful, which probably explains why covering almost 5,000km never felt like hard work.
Looking back now, we honestly couldn't tell you every motorway service station we'd have stopped at if we'd taken the faster routes.
We can remember the random roadside waterfall.
The little bakery.
The field full of sunflowers.
The tiny supermarket selling local melons.
That's the difference.
We'd do exactly the same trip again
The funny thing is, before arriving we thought the camper van would simply be transport.
It wasn't.
It became part of the trip.
Morning chatter with the side door open looking at a lake.
Cooking dinner while watching the weather roll across the mountains.
Driving for another half an hour because we spotted something interesting on the map.
Watching the sun disappear while still on the road because nobody was rushing us anywhere.
Those are the moments we keep talking about now.
We were lucky enough to work with Travellers Autobarn on this trip and we'd happily recommend them after genuinely living in one of their vans for three weeks. Collection was straightforward, the van never missed a beat and unlimited mileage gave us complete freedom to keep changing our minds.
If you're thinking about planning your own Japan road trip, have a look at their website. If you decide to book, you can also use our code JAXJAPAN5 to save 5%.
Would we change anything?
Maybe we'd spend even longer in Hokkaido.
Apart from that, probably not.
Nearly 5,000km sounds like a lot.
Looking back now, it still doesn't feel like enough.
A few practical things we'd recommend
Travel north if you're visiting in July or August. Hokkaido was noticeably cooler than Tokyo.
Stick to local roads where you can. They're slower on paper but far more interesting.
Don't worry too much about toilets. Japan's roadside stations make camper van travel really easy.
Build flexibility into your plans. Some of our favourite places weren't on our itinerary.
Unlimited mileage is genuinely worth having. We changed plans constantly.
If you're hiring from the UK, don't forget your International Driving Permit before you fly. You won't be able to rent a vehicle without it.
No comments yet