Van Life in Japan

We&#x27;ve lived in a sailboat in Japan for a while and wrote a little provisioning guide that might also be of interest for van folks in Japan.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;100r.co&#x2F;site&#x2F;provisioning_in_japan.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;100r.co&#x2F;site&#x2F;provisioning_in_japan.html</a>

I love this or at least the idea of it.<p>The only thing that really would bother me is, not sure how to put this, but the lack of privacy with regard to sleeping arrangements.<p>I guess some people are more comfortable being intimate with their partner in close proximity to their children but that&#x27;s not for me.<p>Anyway everything else looks like an amazing adventure so I wish them good luck.

While I&#x27;m happy for OP I&#x27;m afraid finding a &quot;paradise&quot; and telling the internet about it has the risk of ruining it. If 10k people read the article and 1% go to the same place and blog about it and bring even more people, then sooner or later it will be ruined and chances are localities will ban such adventures.<p>I&#x27;ve done something similar.. some years ago there was a casino I would go to where you would pay 10$ entry fee and have access to a buffet, for the whole day. They had great food too. So I told an uber driver this &quot;hack&quot; and less than 6 months later they started checking whether you were playing or not, you needed a special ticket to access the buffet. Now I have no idea if me not shutting up about it has caused it to be closed off but there&#x27;s certainly a chance.

What a great article because, unlike nonsense IG hippies, this seems like a normal person doing something they think is fun, but knows they can&#x27;t do it forever and that it isn&#x27;t for everyone. I heartily appreciate their attitude, lack of paid sponsorship (#ad), and realism (&quot;I have a kid. I am a freelance SWE. I would honestly not recommend living in a van with family if you can’t arrange your work schedule completely to what you want.&quot;)

Japanese people are usually very organized and neat, I can&#x27;t imagine they&#x27;d appreciate backpackers coming through like this.<p>Where I come from there are ever increasing number of people living in vans and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay hotel or property taxes and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have banned them which is worse for the few locals that used to do it on a short trip.

Used to live in Oita and totally agree that prefecture, Miyazaki, and I&#x27;d throw in Kagoshima, are all great for seaside (or otherwise) free camping. Used to putter around on my bicycle or in my tiny car to sleep at beaches, out-of-the-way parks, Michi No Eki: wherever I could find privacy and not bother anyone. Frequent onsen make cleanliness a breeze and a joy. Great times, those!

Site seems down due to database error at the moment.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;web.archive.org&#x2F;web&#x2F;20230207112109&#x2F;https:&#x2F;&#x2F;kumazen.com&#x2F;a-guide-for-van-life-in-japan&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;web.archive.org&#x2F;web&#x2F;20230207112109&#x2F;https:&#x2F;&#x2F;kumazen.c...</a>

Not sure if the OP is here but I’d recommend a cassette toilet, if you can find one in Japan. Having lived in a van it was the ideal setup for what you are describing. If there are plenty of public restrooms, you empty the cassette toilet there (they wheel in like suitcases) and you can give up the adult diapers :)

Every damn time I hear about van life, including the main image in the article........ &quot;I live in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!&quot;

Given Japan’s problem with depopulation, is this better than just renovating a free house? For context, in many prefectures there are houses that are either free or cost $15,000 or less.

Somewhat unrelated, but for folks who might enjoy living like a vagrant in Japan, it is also worth checking their extensive network of mountain huts [1].<p>They are a little pricey (JPY 8,000+ per night, meals included), fairly strict in terms of lights out, wake up time, etc, and can get pretty cozy when you&#x27;re sharing a room with upwards of 20 other people. But also some of the best, most memorable experiences of my life for being able to climb up to 3,000m elevation and just relax and take in the stunning views while offering the convenience of warm meals, toilets, bedding, and a often times a vending machine full of beer.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thejapanalps.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;cottage-hotel&#x2F;cottage-camping&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thejapanalps.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;cottage-hotel&#x2F;cottage-camping&#x2F;</a>

I wish there was a way to experience this as a foreign tourist

As someone who&#x27;s been doing van life for the past year, things like finding water, and places to camp are usually top of mind. Especially if you try to stay on the East Coast of the United States for a while. Might have to try Japan!

I wonder how do they handle address and municipal paperworks. Do you legally “stay” at a friend’s house&#x2F;apartment?

I wasn&#x27;t in Japan, but I did something similar in the US for about 6 months before the pandemic cut our (planned 12 month) trip short.<p>It was far from perfect, but it was super rewarding! Your experience will vary wildly based on what&#x27;s available in your van, but you can make just about anything work.

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.md&#x2F;pLCVD" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.md&#x2F;pLCVD</a>

&quot;An empty water bottle&#x2F;adult diaper can become a luxury in the middle of the night to avoid putting on your clothes&#x2F;shoes and exiting the van in the coldness&quot;<p>You lost me when adult diapers became a luxury.

Uhm, do you have sex in front of your kid?<p>Maybe I&#x27;m a spoiled westerner, but (save for that one time that my kid barged in because I forgot to lock the door,) I&#x27;ve never had sex in front of my kids.

&gt; Japan has a lot of bears, monkeys<p>Monkeys? Wtf? I had no idea. Given its geographic location I should have guessed that was the case but for some reason I am still a little bit shocked.

Lovely piece! Any thoughts on whether or not speaking Japanese would be a requirement? It would of course be the polite thing to do.

<p><pre><code> &gt; We usually don’t bathe every day and listen to our body’s needs. </code></pre> If I did this I&#x27;d need to shower every 4h :)

uh, super!<p>but this is the kind of link you want to be the only one reading :(