Vanlife Japan: Campervan Road Trip to Osaka with Hidden Beach Stop

Vanlife Japan: Campervan Road Trip to Osaka with Hidden Beach Stop

Hey, good evening folks from uh Minami Park, Minoeki uh near Okayama. Uh so I left uh Iwakuni, our where we live in Yamaguchi Prefecture heading towards uh Osaka to pick up my wife coming back from a little mini vacation. But it’s a Wednesday. She returns on Friday. So what I’m going to do is uh just bounce around. I left uh after work and drove for about three hours and we’re going to go ahead and stay at this minoi where I said we I by myself and then tomorrow head on over towards uh Kada Beach and then probably spend the night around there and then head on over to the Osaka International Airport to go pick her up and head back home. Uh and again, I’m doing all this in our camper van as you can see. Uh it is end of June, so it’s getting a tad bit hot and humid. If you’re going to be doing the camper van, van life, whatever in Japan, be aware of that. It gets pretty hot and muggy. Uh I do have a portable air conditioner and a a port a portable battery bank, a Jackary 2000 plus in particular. One of the reasons why I wanted to leave the little uh couple days ahead is so I can kind of stress test the battery and the solar panels capability that I installed. See how long I can go solar only. However, soon I’ll be installing I believe it’ll be a 50 amp DC toDC Reneg uh charger uh so that I can have both going at the same time. And that will probably be tested for sure when we go to a trip to Okinawa uh end of August or end of August. We’re going to take the ferry from the Sea of Japan side, work our way up all the way to uh did I say Okinawa? Hokkaido. Totally different. Uh Hokkaido. So, we’re going to work our way up uh towards the Sea of Japan side. Uh get on the ferry almost 24 hours, make it all the way up there. And for reference, uh to include uh a little uh I guess cabin or room to sleep in. Uh it’s about $900 one way. And what we’re going to do is we’re going to bounce around Hokkaido for maybe almost two weeks. Finish it up. up going to the RV show there in Sapoto and then head on back home. But at that time is when I really want to test the capability of the solar panel, two solar panels, two 200 watt Reneg. And then by that time I plan on having the DC toDC uh charger and u I’ll be probably installing that myself here shortly and see how it works. see if we can go from pretty much off the grid throughout uh Hokkaido and uh and ultimately throughout Japan. But yeah, come along for this little trip, see how things go and hopefully you learn from some of our tips and tricks. Uh if you are new to our channel, uh we well I am a foreigner uh living and working in Japan. We live in the countryside. Uh about 3 years ago, we purchased an IKEA, a vacant house in the countryside and renovated it. And if you’re interested in that topic, please check out some of my other videos. Uh but now that all that is over with, we uh enjoy traveling in our camper van, which is a Toyota highest. But if you are interested in traveling throughout Japan, well, definitely on the cheap, this is a great option. Staying at a michino roadside station. Usually there’s ample parking like this one is a really big place. I think mainly because of the park that’s over there. You always have restrooms open 24/7. There are some places that you cannot. So please check. Normally if you just go on Google Maps, check the reviews or just check it. You you will find out if it’s open 24/7 or even the condition. But way over there, that store is the where the Meinoi itself is. I decided to kind of get away from uh most of these cars. Many of them will probably clear out throughout the night. Uh many of them will stay and it’s really cool uh seeing the different kind of camper vans that kind of uh set up here throughout the night and then not necessarily camper vans like ours. Uh RVs and little cars and people like in the Prius like that one like that will stay too. All right, let me go ahead and get set up for the night and uh get some rest. So again, please follow along, see what we come up with here for the next 3 days. I just turned on the air conditioner right now. As you can see, it’s uh 28 a tad bit warm in here. We use the is the Enor. If you’re interested in this particular model, you’ll find the information in the description. As you can see, the contraption that you have to make to make it go out the window. Another thing that I did was I mounted it to our console that we had custom made is basically a flat table now. And then on a little incline because the water needs to uh drain out almost 8:00 p.m. And the battery at 100% and extended battery over here is at 100% as well. 0% input because uh it’s dark and it’s using 284 watts. Uh supposedly this should last for 12.6 hours, but we shall see. and let’s see how long it lasts. And then uh tomorrow as we’re driving uh to Kada Beach, see how how long it’ll take to recharge. Obviously, that depends on the conditions of the the weather, the angle, and all that good stuff. I’m trying to stress test it with solar alone. All right, let’s see what happens. 7-Eleven mustard, spinach, pork, bacon, and shimei. I was about to say shrimp. Uh what was that? about 500 yen, so about $3.50. Great for microwaving. That’s another thing that I installed last year. One of the first things that we did was install this microwave. It’s around 4:30 a.m. Yeah, slept pretty good. And as you can see, a good amount of vehicles out here. Obviously, none of them are visiting the store nor the park yet. All these guys, all these people right here are resting. Probably try to sleep a little bit longer and then uh cook up some breakfast and uh head on down towards Kada Beach. All right, so overnight, you know, we used up about 40%. It’s 7:00 a.m. and bringing in 97 watts. And the goal is to be at 100% uh in the evening once again. All right. So, getting ready to hit the road towards uh Kada Beach. I’m going to avoid tolls. It’s going to be about 6 and 1/2 hours longer. Um, nice little ride with my companion, Mr. Tanuki. My daughter gave this to me, wellendowed Tanuki. If you know what I’m talking about, please comment below. But my daughter gave this to me as a gift. She said that it reminded her of me because at home we have a tanuki. All right, let’s go. [Music] Yeah. So, right now we’re driving through Himei. Here in Himei is really beautiful castle. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re driving through. And shortly we’ll be going through Coobe and then Osaka. and then hopefully towards Kada Beach. I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth mentioning again. One of the issues that many uh especially foreigners encounter when they’re traveling uh van life, RV, whatever throughout Japan is how to throw away your garbage. What to do with garbage. Normally, what we do is we try to throw it away every single time we stop. It’s always going to be cans, bottles, and at michinoi. Sometimes you will find what is called moer goui. Moi, which is burnable. Um, you just just have to look for the sign and but usually at rest stops along the highways, you will find them. Please keep it small. Be considerate. Yeah, this is definitely not a nice michinoi to spend the night in the cities or the more crowded towns. It’s uh it’s not as convenient. It’s preferably out in the countryside. As you can see, it’s quite tight right here. [Music] Well, I think I might have to just keep on going. It looks like we are entering Coobe. Look at that huge city over there. You have probably noticed that we have been following this police car for uh quite a while now and his lights are flashing. And I just wanted to point out that in Japan that does not mean uh that you’re being pulled over. It’s basically they just have their service lights on. If they’re pulling you over, they’ll let you know. Uh in the 8 years that I have lived here, I have been pulled over once and it was my fault. Uh, as a matter of fact, see this little crosswalk right here that’s in front of us right there. Uh, there was someone standing. Uh, I did not see her. There was a lady in a bicycle and I did not stop and I got pulled over and it was my fault. I wasn’t sure what the policeman was going to do because they came up behind me and he literally got out of his car, knocked on my window and asked me to pull over. So, just go with the flow, folks. But uh yeah, this uh flashing lights behind you does not necessarily mean that you’re being pulled over. So don’t worry. Right now I am in between Coobe and Osaka. And as you can see, it’s still uh pretty much a urban area. Uh the entire way it is about 400 p.m. Uh traffic is so so hit and miss, but uh yeah, definitely a whole lot different than driving through the countryside. [Music] We are now entering Osaka city. Huge city. [Music] This is what it looks like right now in Osaka. Look at this madness. And we have about an hour left to our proposed destination. Again, one of the benefits about being in a camper van RV is that you can just pretty much stay almost anywhere. As long as you can legally park, you can stay there. So, we finally exited Osaka City and now we are heading into Wakayyama. But we are about 10 minutes from the onsen along the ocean. Let’s go see. [Music] Well, after a long 6-h hour plus drive, uh, all avoiding tolls through Kov, Osaka, h the traffic, the city, but I arrived to Kada Beach in Wakayyama. And right here behind me, there is an onsen hotel. I’m going to see if I can use it for the night. And then I’ll be finding a spot to stay. I’m not quite sure where. There are several Michinois and stuff like that. I would love to stay somewhere right on the water, but uh I I I just need to find a good spot. All right, let’s go ahead and see if I can use the onen real quick. Well, unfortunately, I was not able to use this onen because they closed to outside customers at 3. See if I can make it. There’s a campground 2 minutes from here. Quite the narrow roads. [Music] [Music] Okay, so looks like the verdict is that we’re staying at this michinoi totopa. That’s okay. Let’s go ahead and drive around and assess the bathroom situation. The bathrooms are right there. Yeah. So, it looks like we’re staying here. I asked the gentleman that works in the store if it was okay because I was a little concerned because I don’t see many larger vehicles and then there was a sign uh large vehicles trailers refrain from staying. So, I just want to confirm he said it was okay. I’m just going to walk down here, check it out, and get some rest. So, that’s where all the people are at, all the vehicles that are parked. I was wondering. It’s 7:00 p.m. and it looks like everyone is leaving now. So, that should clear up the parking lot a little bit. [Music] Well, good morning folks. Yeah, I slept quite well in there last night. Despite having the 2000 Jackary Plus um battery in there and the two solar panels going 3 days will not be uh very easy. 2 days I was able to do it. I still have enough uh power left to cook up some breakfast here and most importantly some coffee. I still need to work on additional charging capabilities. So, I’m pretty sure I’ll be working on the DC/DC charger soon. parked over there right next to the vending machines mainly because the restrooms are right next to it. Uh this Minoi is pretty cool. The only thing that is a little dated and uh the doors to the restrooms are kind of wide open. So in the sink there quite a few bugs and stuff like that. So if that’s something that bothers you, uh just kind of keep that in mind. Especially right now during the summer. Yeah. I’m going to cook us some breakfast and maybe find the n onen here shortly and wash up a little bit and then head on over to the Kai International Airport in Osaka. [Music] I like these uh ham and cheese burritos from 7-Eleven because they they toast up really well. What we use was this little hot plate. I’m thinking about changing the coffee maker. Probably something a little bit smaller and something that keeps it uh hot. But this is pretty much our setup. Another thing that we do is try to reduce uh cleaning as much as possible. So, we kind of put plastic bags over our plates. Use these little containers right here. Put it in the bag. Uh try to make it as simple and quick as possible. Don’t deviate. Don’t think about cooking gourmet meals. That’s what the microwave is for. Just support the local economy and get something from a michinoi if possible. If not from any convenience store, usually the minois are better. That way you support the local economy. I am on my way to the onen drive to the little town here. All right, let’s go check out this place. Looks like I’ll be able to get some uh lunch after I enjoy the homes. And let’s go check this out. We have a sign for no tattoos. I do have one small one. I normally tried to get away with it if I had two. Well, that lasted all but 5 minutes. So, I was in the middle of uh showering because when you take when you use a nonsense, I said for the most part, well, I don’t know, maybe 50/50. Um, usually tattoos are not okay. And usually there’s a sign up front that’ll say if it’s not okay, such as this place. And uh yeah, I was showering away and the guy came up to me. I was like, “I’m sorry, you can’t have tattoos. You got to leave.” It’s like, “Okay, fine.” So I, you know, I again I I know I I push the boundaries. Um I’m not trying to be disrespectful to the Japanese culture. I understand that’s their thing. Um, but kind of like I I was kind of venting to my wife once, you know, I’m not a bad person. And the reason why there’s no tattoos because they’re associated with Yakuza, the the Japanese mafia. Normally those guys, they have a full body tattoos and stuff like that. You know, I have something about yay big on on my on my shoulder. You know, one of those uh young dumb army days. But again, you know, I’m not a bad person. And I’m not trying to do anything wrong. I’m just trying to take a shower and enjoy. Uh but yeah, he he respectfully asked me to leave and I left. And then as I was drying up, he approached me again and said, “You know, you’re only here for a couple minutes, so we’ll return your money.” I said, “Okay, thanks.” I also asked him is like, “In the in the future, can it be covered up?” He said, “No, not even if it’s covered up.” Because some places they will they’ll say, “Well, if you could cover it up.” So it’s kind of one of those things in Japan many times. It’s like if you can’t see it, no big deal. Anyway, so he escorted me all the way to the front and they returned my money and the two staff girls and him were all apologetic and bowing, you know, um for for having to tell me to leave. But anyways, it is what it is. Uh again, it’s a little frustrating, but again, I also understand uh if you have ever had this happen to you, uh please comment below. 8 years. First time it has ever happened. In the past, I used to cover it up. But, you know, after a while, I just kind of, you know, I got got tired of it. To the Japanese culture, Japanese people, I do respect your customs and traditions. So, yeah, I’m just going to kill some time until it’s time to make it to the airport around 5:00 p.m. Okay. So, I think I’m going to go ahead and uh end this video series here. Uh, what I’m going to do is spend a couple hours at Senna Long Park, which is right across the bay from the Osaka International Airport, which is right over there. And it’s actually pretty cool. They built the airport on the on the island, or they I think they build the island or uh reclaimed some land and built the air port there. Anyway, it’s pretty cool. Um, but I just I think I’m going to spend a couple hours right here. I’m going to go just walk around here. Check out this uh glamping area and this place where you can walk. And then there’s a Starbucks over here. Not that I’m a huge uh Starbucks supporter. I prefer to support local small local, but sometimes you you have to uh realize that they do have good air conditioning and uh reliable internet. So yeah, let’s go ahead and uh burn some time here. Again, folks, I hopefully you enjoy this type of content as we travel around Japan, living the countryside of Japan, renovated Nika, if that’s the type of stuff that you’re interested in. Uh uh hopefully you learned a few things what to do and what not to do. My apologies if I offended anyone with uh tried to sneak my way into a good old onen. Uh they but it is what it is. Um, all right. Let me go ahead and uh just going to walk around a little bit. Go hit Starbucks, kill a couple hours, and then go pick up my wife. All right. Have a great day. Bye. [Music] [Music] So, I found the campground glamping, but unfortunately it looks like it’s closed. Not sure if it’s ever been open for business or they’re waiting. I’m not sure. But man, what a waste. What a shame because look at these huge spots right by the right by the ocean and right across over there is where the airport is at. I was thinking this would be perfect if uh you know like this situation where I had to come and come to the airport. You just come and spend the night the day before or something like that. But maybe I’m going to market anyways. So, and then in the future, hopefully they do open up because I would really love to see this uh place available because uh that would be really nice to be able to stay here. And yeah, right across is where the malls at and then right down that way where Starbucks and the other restaurants are at. And a beautiful beach as well that people out there having a good time. So, yeah, definitely. Let’s uh keep an eye on this one. [Music] Okay, call me a wuss, but I’m looking at this thing and it looks quite dangerous. I mean, we did some obstacle courses and the army and all that, but I mean, I’m looking at these the monkey bars and everything over there. There’s like nothing down here to catch you other than the gravel. Wow. I’m pretty sure they have a netting when they open this up because right now it looks like it’s closed. Okay. I see some of the staff folks over there and they have all the the gear where you are tied down. So, it is open, but they do have all the safety gear and everything. So, you are hooked up. But for a minute, I was like, “Oh my goodness.” So, yeah. Folks, if you’re looking for an adventure, definitely check this out. You get this right over here next to everything else. You just got [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music]

Join us on a vanlife Japan adventure as we take a campervan road trip to Osaka with a stop at the beautiful, off-the-beaten-path Kada Beach in Wakayama. Traveling in a Toyota Hiace, we overnight at Michi-no-Eki roadside stations — a great way to explore Japan by camper van. Perfect for those interested in RV travel in Japan, vanlife tips, and discovering hidden gems in the Japanese countryside. This is real Japan, beyond the tourist spots!

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Other vides you might be interested in:

▶ We Bought and Renovated a Japanese Empty House “Akiya” in Rural Japan – Renovation Cost

▶ We Bought and Fully Renovated an Akiya in Rural Japan – Japanese House Renovation Compilation

▶ Work and Live in Japan Without a Visa or Language Barrier – Easy Tips!

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