Our ULTIMATE Japan road trip! 🇯🇵 (in the CUTEST mini campervan! 🚐)

Our ULTIMATE Japan road trip! 🇯🇵 (in the CUTEST mini campervan! 🚐)

For the next 6 days, this adorable little camper van is going to be our home on wheels as we road trip around part of Japan. From the stunning Alps to small villages, gorgeous waterfalls, the striking coastline, and so much more. We have been living and traveling in our self-converted Sprinter van all around North America for the last 6 years. And while Japan is known for its high-speed trains, which make accessing many parts of the country a breeze, one of our goals during our time here was to get a bit more off thebeaten path and explore at our own pace. And with tons of free places to park for the night, Japan is said to be a great country to try van life. So, join us as we navigate living in this tiny little camper driving on the opposite side of the road. All right, you’re on. You’re successfully moving. and explore parts of Japan that we may not have visited otherwise. [Music] Oh my gosh, it is so cute. I am so excited for this. It’s the cutest little RV. Let’s ride. Woo! It is so weird to be getting in on this side of the car and there not being a steering wheel right in front of me. If you haven’t noticed yet, you drive on the left side of the road. Not used to driving on that side. So, this is going to be uh this is going to be an inexperience. It’s going to take a little bit to get used to. I’ve done it before in Scotland, but that was so many years ago, 8 n 10 years ago, something like that. So, it’s been a while, but I think after about an hour or so, it’ll just be like second nature. Woo! This is so cool. The turn signal and the windshield wipers are on the other side. I keep hitting the windshield wiper cuz I want to make a a left turn. [Music] So, there are a couple important things to know about driving in Japan. Whether you rent a regular car or a camper van first, as Americans, we had to get an international driver’s permit, which we got at AAA for $20, and it lasts a whole year, and it works in multiple countries. We were able to use it in Slovenia last month, as well as here in Japan. Also, Japan is known for having a pretty pricey toll system. According to Google Maps, we’re going to have $34 in tolls just today. Our rental came with an etc card, which makes it super easy to go through the tolls, though, because we can just drive up and it’ll let us through and we don’t actually have to give any money. One thing we struggled with when planning this road trip was figuring out where to go. There are so many places we want to visit in Japan and we had to decide between exploring one area more in depth or going to multiple places. Since we don’t know when we’ll be back to Japan, we decided to see as much variety as possible. And first we’re heading three and a half hours from Tokyo to Hakuba to see the Japanese elves. [Music] The scenery has changed so much on the drive. It took us a while, of course, to get out of Tokyo. And then we went into some more farmland with some rolling hills. And now we’re getting up in the mountains with this thick jungle covering all the hills around us. And back home, we have signs on the highway that watch out for deer crossing the road. Here they have watch out for monkeys crossing. We’ve also driven through so many tunnels, at least 10 or 15 so far. And the one we’re in now, I don’t know, we’ve been in here probably at least 3 or 4 minutes, and there’s no end in sight. This is such a long tunnel. [Music] Every time I look at this, I just smile and giggle. It is so cute. It’s just so funny to look at. It’s also looks like it got smooshed together. I know. It’s also, if you look at the wheels, how small they are. It’s kind of terrifying thinking that we were just driving 60 m an hour going down the freeway. It’s so cute and small and chubby. That’s a good word to describe it. I named the van Kiki because it just felt like the perfect cute little name for it. [Music] This is the Happy One Premium van by JP Star and we rented it from Japan CRC and so far we would highly recommend them. This is the smallest camper that they offer and before picking it up I was a little nervous about how small it might feel because it’s only 12 ft long which is half the length of our van but it is shockingly pretty spacious in here. On the left side of the van is the kitchen. We have a small little fridge with a freezer which actually holds a good amount of stuff. We were able to fit about 2 days worth of food in here. On the counter, we have a sink which is hidden underneath this cover which makes it so you can actually utilize all of this counter space. And then included in the rental, we got a cooking kit which comes with pots and pans and plates and utensils and everything that we need. Plus a butane stove we can cook on. The kitchen also has two things that we have never had in a van before. First, we have a microwave. And then we also have a TV, but they told us that the TV doesn’t do YouTube or anything like that. So, I think it only shows Japanese channels, so I don’t think we’re going to be utilizing that. For climate control, we have four different methods. We have a fan on the ceiling, which is actually the same fan that we have in our van. We have an air conditioner, plus a heater that’s powered by the van’s fuel. And we have a bunch of windows that not only open, but have built-in bug screens, so we can keep the windows open at night, but not let any bugs in. And they have privacy screens, so if we want to keep the windows closed at night, no one can see in. We also have a decent amount of cabinet storage, which is one of the things I was most worried about because we didn’t want to have to live out of our suitcases. We wanted to be able to store things in cabinets. On this side, we’re storing most of our kitchen stuff. Down here, we have one of our suitcases plus another bag. And then up here, we’re able to store some of our toiletries. And then on the right side of the van is our lounge area, which is so big. We can both stretch out pretty well right here. And there’s actually a table that we can attach to the counter area. So, we can sit here and enjoy a meal. And this lounge area actually converts into one of our beds because we actually have two beds in this tiny little van. The first one is right here, and we’ll show you how you put that together later when it’s time for bed. And then the second one is up above the cab, which we aren’t planning to use as a bed. Instead, it’s kind of turned into our storage for all of our clothes and all of our other packs. And lastly, we have our power station. And this van has a house battery in the back, which is what powers the appliances and the lights. This panel right here tells us what percentage of battery we have left, which is super nice. This panel right here kind of runs a bunch of different things. We can turn on the fan, the lights, the water pump. We can get our electric awning to go out, which is pretty cool. And then right here, we have the switch to turn on the inverter, which is how we can use the microwave and the air conditioner, plus the outlets in the van. But that about does it for the inside of the van. And there’s one thing you may have noticed is missing from this van. something that we have in our van plus had in our van in Slovenia, and that is a bathroom. Unfortunately, this van does not have a toilet, which is probably the thing I’m most worried about because it’s a luxury I’ve gotten used to. Thankfully, we’ll be staying at places every night that have toilets we can use. The reason that van life is said to be so great in Japan is because they have a lot of free camping. The most common place to stay at are these Mitchinokis or roadside stations, which we’ll share more about later on. But tonight we’re staying at Suns Park, which is basically just a big parking area with some green space around, a view of the mountains, and 247hour toilets. [Music] So, we’re going to keep our meal super simple while in the van just because we’re going to be driving a lot and doing a lot. So, on our way here, we stopped by a Family Mart, which is one of the Kambinis, and picked up some items for the next couple days. And tonight for dinner, we’re going to have some spicy miso ramen with six types of vegetables that we’re elevating with some bacon. [Music] To make the bed, we got to slide this drawer out. And slide this drawer out. A I know tough to do with two people. Then these cushions slide out this way. Voila, you have a bed. So, the rental came with sleeping bags, but we bought this fitted sheet so we could lay on this in case we don’t want to actually be in the sleeping bag. We have something to lay on that’s not the cushions directly. And then we also bought some pillow cases to go on our camping pillows that we brought from home. [Music] All right. So, standing in the van, I uh have to crane my neck like this. I don’t quite fit in here. And I’ve hit my head on some cabinets and the ceiling and the van and sharp edges and all kinds of stuff a bunch of times already. So, let’s see if I fit in the bed. Oh, yeah. This is going to be plenty. Oh, wow. Yeah, this is nice. It’s narrow, but it’s not too narrow. We’re not like on top of each. Yeah, it’s not as wide as we normally have, but but yeah, it’s it feels good. It’s a little firm, but I like I like that. This is going to This is going to be good. [Music] Our first night in the van was a success. It’s always a bit of an adjustment getting used to a new space and a new bed, but overall it was pretty comfortable. Did toss and turn a little bit. Sometimes it was super quiet outside and other times there were a lot of cars driving by, but that’s just how it goes with parking lot sleeping. And we are very used to that. [Music] Hakuba is located in the northern Japanese Alps. And with 11 meters of snowfall per year, it is especially famous for winter sports, including being part of the 1998 Winter Olympics. But even in the warmer months, this area is a paradise for outdoor lovers with sweeping mountain views and tons of hiking opportunities. And today, our goal is to visit Hapo Pond, which requires a gondola, two lifts, and a hike to get to. [Music] [Music] [Music] It is pretty cloudy and foggy today, so I was a little nervous we’d get up here and it would be completely stocked in. And it might still be, but at least right now it appears that we are going above the clouds. [Music] This fall foliage is insane. We are here in early October and for most of Japan, the fall foliage doesn’t start until November or December. So, we didn’t think we’d get to see any. So, this was just the best surprise. I am on cloud nine right now. I cannot stop smiling. This might be the most vibrant fall foliage we’ve ever seen. It just looks like a pack of Skittles exploded on the mountain sides. Oh my gosh. I’m Even if Oh, even if we can’t see anything else, I’m so happy. Happy now. Yeah. Oh my gosh. [Music] It’s hard to put into words just how beautiful this hike was, but the best word we can come up with is wow. Even though the fog was covering many of the peaks, obscuring most of the views that we came here for, seeing the fog rolling in and out, rainbows appearing as the sun poked through the clouds, and the vibrant fall foliage blanketing the mountain sides was a magical and unexpected experience that quickly became a highlight of our entire 3-week trip to Japan. [Music] So, you can either turn around here at the pond or continue on to Mount Caramatsu, which is another 2,000 ft of climbing over 2 mi. And even though it looks foggy up there, we decided to go for it just because we want the challenge. However, to continue past the pond, you do need to fill out a mountain climbing form down at the gondola. [Music] A magical fall tunnel. Can’t stop freaking out. [Music] [Music] All right, we made it. Sort of kind of. Technically, the summit is somewhere back there, but as we expected, there are zero views from up here. So, we’re actually going to stop at the mountain hut that is up here. The Japanese Alps have a bunch of mountain huts that you can hike to and stay at. And doing a multi-day hut to hut trip was one of our bucket list items for Japan, but it just didn’t make sense with having the van. So, we’ll have to do that next time. But this hut is really neat and I imagine on a clear day it has phenomenal views. [Music] [Music] This chairlift ride is a tad creepy because we’re going downhill. So, kind of facing down a little bit and we cannot see where we’re going. [Music] Tonight we’re heading south to Matsumoto. But before we find a place to stay tonight, we have one very important task to take care of. Take a shower because we smell horrible. One thing we really didn’t think about before renting this camper is how we would shower. Since we’re not paying for many campsites, we won’t have campgrounds to shower at. But thankfully, we do have a couple options. The first one are Onsons, which are hot springs, and the second option are internet cafes, which is something we never would have thought of, but we found one on our route, so we’re going to go give it a shot. [Music] That was amazing. When we first walked in, we had no idea what we were doing. But basically how these places work is people go to them to read manga or play games or access computers and you book either a booth or a private room or in our case we just got the cheapest table that was kind of out in the open. And then with that purchase of your space, you get access to all the amenities that this place has to offer, including randomly showers. And the showers are awesome. They were very hot. The pressure was great. You get your own little like private shower room that has uh like a changing area. And then outside of that, there’s a area where you can get ready if you need to use that. There’s coin laundry in there. And then when you’re done, you have unlimited soft drinks included. And then to top that off, there’s unlimited soft serve ice cream, which of course we took part. Heck yeah. And then the best part, it was 420 yen, which equals about $2.75 US total for the both of us. We’re for sure coming back tomorrow to take another shower. That deal of the century. Yeah. Was better than Planet Fitness for sure. Oh, it was better than There’s actually a gym right next to it, so you could just like go work out there and then go hang out there and get your ice cream and shower. It was better than 90% of the Planet Fitness showers I’ve ever done. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was kind of nervous to go there cuz I did not know what to expect, but I’m sold. We’re We’re coming [Music] tonight. We’re staying at a Mitchino Noeki, also known as a roadside station. There are over a thousand of these across Japan, and they offer free parking, 24/7 toilets, restaurants, regional foods and items, plus tourist information. They do close pretty early and we got here late, but they are a great spot to stop while on a road trip or in our case sleep for free. [Music] [Music] This vending machine has hot coffees. I haven’t seen that before. We are getting a very early start this morning to head to Kamakochi, a popular area of the Japanese Alps that we have been so excited to visit. However, you’re not allowed to drive all the way there, so we’re hopping on a 30inut bus ride to get the rest of the way. [Music] We have only been here for a couple minutes and I already see 10 monkeys. And the monkeys, they are fearless. They walk right by you and they’re kind of intimidating. They kind of have these like intense faces on and they just like walk very confidently. [Applause] [Music] So, the view from this bridge is one of the main reasons we wanted to come to this area. You were tucked into an alpine valley with this crystal clearar blue river rushing through. And normally there is a wall of mountains right here, but instead we have a wall of fog, but here’s a photo of what it’s supposed to look like on a clear day. Obviously, it’s a bit of a bummer that this is what we have instead, but we’re here, so we’re going to make the most of it. And our plan is to hike to some of the nearby ponds. [Music] Besides monkeys, black bears also live in this area. And in fact, there’s about 10,000 black bears that live in Japan, plus some brown bears on the northern island of Hokkaido. And there are these bear bells located along the trail that you can ring that’ll warn the bears of your presence. And people do actually see bears in this area occasionally, with the most recent one being reported about a month ago. [Music] Even though we weren’t seeing the views that we came here for, there’s no better time spent than time out in nature, wandering past marshes, the river, and ponds with fall foliage sprinkled through the trees. was a very peaceful way to spend the morning. And just when we had started to give up on seeing any views, the clouds began to part and give us a glimpse of what we had been missing. [Music] I was trying so so hard to be positive, but when you’ve looked forward to seeing something for years and then you show up and it was like what it was this morning, it’s hard to not be a little sad. So, I am just beyond happy right now. I feel so lucky, not only with the weather, but also that we just timed it perfectly with at least some fall colors. So, we might not be here at peak, but man, it’s so beautiful with the blue water combined with all the fall foliage and just the jagged mountains and the greens on the hills. I love it here. I love it here. [Music] Oh my gosh, that is so good. I just love how readily available ice cream is here in Japan. And it is the best soft serve I have ever had. It just has a thicker and richer consistency and taste than any other soft serve. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Oh, it’s so milky. It’s also not overly sweet and the taste of the milk just really gets to shine. M. Oh, I can’t even explain how happy I am right now. It was so good. We had to go for round two. [Music] I could sit and stare at that view and eat ice cream all day long, but we have to head back to the bus so we can get back to the bus station. And then we’re off to Matsumoto to see the Matsumoto Castle. [Music] Built in the late 16th century, Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s most beautiful and best preserved original castles from feudal Japan. A period in Japanese history that ran from the 12th to 19th centuries where society was structured around a hierarchy of lords, warriors, and peasants with an emperor at the top with a real power being held by the shogun. And Matsumoto Castle is famous for its black exterior, which has given it the nickname Crow Castle, while the inside still boasts its original woodworking. All throughout, you can find a variety of defensive structures, including a moat, a hidden third floor that you cannot see from the outside, plus small holes used for watching and shooting enemies. And to experience the castle, you’re able to walk up all six of the floors of its main keep, with some staircases having a 61% grade. The stairs are so vertical, they are basically a ladder. And at the top, you’re treated to 360° views of the city, plus the mountains, which was well worth the climb. [Music] [Music] Matsumoto is known for a few different dishes. And for dinner tonight, we’re trying or Matsumoto style fried chicken. It is whole pieces of chicken marinated in a garlic and soy sauce mixture, coated in potato starch, and then fried. It looks so juicy. So crispy. Oh, I can hear the crunch. Really good crunch on. So, the crust on the outside is really crunchy, as I said, and as you heard, but it’s also kind of a little bit flaky, too, I guess, because of the potato starch in there. And I think they keep it on this little rack to keep it so it stays crunchy while you’re eating it. Yeah, the texture of it is different from any other fried chicken I’ve ever had before. It’s crunchy, but it’s not hard. It’s just it kind of melts in your mouth a little bit. That is absolutely perfect. I took an end piece at first, but these middle pieces, oh my gosh, look how thick they are. Incredible. [Music] Back. [Music] All right, we’ve showered, we’re fueled up, and now we have about a 2-hour drive to Mome where tomorrow’s adventure will begin. [Music] Today we’re going to be walking part of the Nakasindo Trail, a historic route that once connected what is now called Tokyo and Kyoto during the Edeto period, which ran from6003 to 1868. Along this route, there are 69 post towns which served as vital rest stops and commercial centers. And we’re going to be walking from Magome to Sumago, which is said to be one of the best sections of the trail. You can walk this section in either direction, but we decided to start in Mago. And wow, what a beautiful town. There are so many historic buildings with streams and waterways running along the streets, plus mountain views off in the distance. It is extremely picturesque. And to get to Sumago from here, it’s about an 8 km walk, but there are quite a few stops to make along the way. [Music] For our first stop, we’re at Okeak’s garden, which is the personal garden of Mr. Oi. It’s filled with wooden carvings, sculptures, trinkets, and art. Since 1998, he’s opened up his garden to visitors, and you can wander around freely. [Music] Along this route, you’ll find different restaurants, vending machines, toilets, and water fill-ups. And we just made it to this beautiful 250-year-old tea house, which is run by volunteers and has green tea, candies, and just a place to rest. It is free to visit, but they do accept donations. So, make sure to bring some cash to donate. [Music] [Applause] This is such a peaceful and nice rest stop. I could hang out here all day, especially with the fire going, the crackling, and the smell. Campfire is It’s possibly my favorite smell in the world. This is Do we have to leave? This is incredible. Yeah. One thing we’re collecting here in Japan are Ekki stamps, which are these rubber stamps that many of the attractions have, all with different designs, usually about the place you’re visiting. And we bought this little book, and then we’re stamping them in there and writing where it’s from, so we can look back and see all the places we’ve been to. [Music] Cool. [Music] This has quickly become one of my favorite things that we have done in Japan. I just love how it mixes history and nature and small town life all together. It is exactly the kind of experience that we hope to have here. [Music] And after about 3 hours, we made it to Sumago. This is considered to be one of the best preserved post towns in Japan. And keeping it as close to what it was in the past is a large priority for the town. With cars not being allowed on the streets during the day and no vending machines in sight, it truly feels like you’re stepping back in time. [Music] There are a couple different food items that this area is known for. And the first is oi yaki, which are these steamed buns with various fillings, either sweet or savory. We came to this little stand in town to get them. And they are hot and fresh. You can see him taking them out of the steaming wooden containers that they are in. We got two different ones to try. And this one has red bean paste, I believe, on the inside. It’s so It just feels perfect. It has this kind of almost slightly sticky, but not super sticky texture to it. It’s just really smooth and dense. Oh no. This is the savory one. This is the other one. So, this is actually the Noano one. I assumed the other one was because the other one was green on the outside, but this is a leafy Japanese vegetable. It’s kind of like spinach, but it has a bit more of a stem to it. So, you get a little bit of crunch from the stem, but then that kind of soft wiltedness of the spinach. And I don’t think it’s seasoned with anything, but it just naturally has a pretty strong flavor to it, but in a good way. And this bun is it’s a pillow. It is so pillowy. It is fluffy on the inside, but has this kind of chewiness to it as well. Now, this one is a red bean paste one. I know red bean paste is a big thing in Japan, but I’m still kind of warming up to it. It’s just a mental thing. Beans for a dessert or as a sweet treat. I’m still getting used to that. Piping hot. M. There is tons of the bean paste in there. And I like this one a lot. It’s just a hint of sweetness and a good kind of like hearty bite to it. And the bun is really good. It is really pillowy. The outside, it kind of has a little bit of a shine to it. It almost looks like a bagel. These are really good. Another food we heard we must try here is gohi mochi, which is a skewer with mashed rice that is grilled and then coated in a sauce with walnut and miso. And it it kind of smells like soy sauce to me. It has more of a savory smell, but I think it’s supposed to be a sweet treat. M. It has a very nutty flavor. It almost kind of reminds me of peanut sauce. It’s more savory than I expected, but it does have a hint of sweetness. I love it. It’s warm. It’s not as pounded and like a gummy like ball like a regular mochi is. It’s very chunky rice in there, but also chewy. Yeah. And still very chewy. These are really good. The sauce on the outside is incredible. To get back to Mago, you can rewalk the trail, but to save time, we decided to take the bus, which takes about 30 minutes. However, it does have a pretty limited schedule, so make sure to check it in advance. [Music] We have a long drive ahead of us for the rest of the day over to the IU Peninsula, and we are pretty excited about it because it just means that we get to see more of Japan. The sun sets pretty early here this time of year. So, most of our drives have been in the dark. So, I’m excited to actually get to see where we’re driving today. And driving in Japan has been pretty normal and straightforward. That is once I got used to driving on the left side of the road. But, I felt pretty comfortable with it after only about an hour. But, I will say the speed limits on all the roads are is pretty low. And it seems like everyone speeds at least a little bit. And if you don’t speed, then you’re going to get tailed pretty hard. But no one does it in a rude way and they don’t seem very aggressive. But other than that, it’s been a lot of fun to drive except on the major highways when you have to go 100 km an hour just because our vehicle is a short wheelbase and it’s tall and you get really pushed around by the wind and you feel every bump in this thing. You probably heard at least five just when I was recording this. Yeah, it seems like everyone needs and but other than that, the camper van is a ton of fun to drive, especially in the little towns and the little two-lane roads between the towns, and it’s just beautiful everywhere. A couple important things to know though, if you plan to drive in Japan, is one, the stop signs are unlike anywhere we have ever been. Instead of the hexagon shape, they are an upside down triangle. They’re red, but they kind of look like a yield sign, and they’re in Japanese. So thankfully we looked this up in advance and we knew what we were looking for. But the thing that really caught us off guard are the stop lights. Some of the stop lights are these double-decker. There’s a light on top that’ll be red and then a bottom one that’ll have green arrows. And the first time we saw it, we panicked because we were like, do we stop? Do we go? What do we do? So we just kind of followed what everyone else was doing. And then I quickly Googled it and we figured it out since. But at first that was like a oh my gosh moment. [Music] For the final two days of this part of our Japan road trip, we’re going to explore the Izu Peninsula. Here you can find lush mountains, dramatic coastal views, beautiful beaches, onens, and waterfalls, which we plan to check out a few of today. And for our first one, we’re off to Joran Falls. So, this waterfall is said to be one of the top 100 waterfalls in all of Japan. We haven’t seen the other 99, but this one would be tough to beat. The waterfall on its own is impressive because it’s so tall and there is tons of water coming out. But then if you take in the whole scene, the beautiful blue water at the bottom, the basalt rock on the side, and then all the ferns hanging down, it’s a gorgeous setting. Right next to Jordan Falls, you can see tons of wasabi growing, which has been cultivated on the IU Peninsula for more than 400 years. The area’s mountain climate, clean spring water, and traditional farming methods make it an ideal spot to grow wasabi. So, of course, we couldn’t come to this area and not try a couple wasabi food items. And first up, ice cream. [Music] So, you can get ice cream that the wasabi is blended in, but we decided to get the one where they just put a big dollop on there. And before we came here, we just expected like they already had the wasabi ready to go and made, but she actually had the plant and she was like grating it and like mashing it and then just put it on the ice cream just like this and just smelling it. It is so pungent and it smells so spicy. This is not a combo that I ever in my life expected to try. So, this is going to be an experience. I’ve had wasabi with sushi in the US, but from the brief research I’ve done, it seems like the wasabi in the US isn’t actually wasabi is horseradish mixed with green food coloring and other things, but this is legit wasabi, the actual plant, 100% pure. So, first time ever trying wasabi. So, you’re supposed to get a little mix of wasabi and mix it with the ice cream, not a full-on spoon of wasabi. Okay, I’m a little nervous for this. That’s a little spicy. Oh man, that’s really good. Sweet and spicy and just very aromatic. Such an interesting combo, but I like it a lot. It’s really good. How much should you take? Should I do like a little? Like that? Like that? Is that too much? That’s probably That’s good. Well, I taste the flavor of the wasabi. The wasabi is really good. Starting to feel feel the burn in the back of the throat. It’s not too bad, though. It’s kind of almost like a not tingling sensation, but it has it it just has a different feel, the spiciness. I like the flavor of the actual wasabi, though. It’s a spice that really gets into your nose. Yeah, I took more that time. I do feel it. I didn’t expect to actually like the wasabi that much, and I really like it. And yes, if you’re wondering at home, it’s a little after 8:30, and this is our first thing to eat today. Ice cream. When traveling, there are no rules. Yeah, make up your own rules. Who cares? It’s dairy. Yeah. Yeah. This is a plant. This healthy It’s vegetables. [Music] This thing is so cool. Never seen anything like this. It’s a double-decker loop bridge. How cool. [Music] For our next waterfalls, we’re hiking to the Kawazu Seven Falls, which are a series of seven waterfalls that range in size. And first, we’re heading to one of the tallest waterfalls because there’s something pretty special there. [Music] So, at this waterfall, there is a public onen with a handful of different hotring pools that you can soak in overlooking the waterfall and the river. I think we say this every time we go to a hotring, but this is probably the coolest hotr we have ever been to. That’s so nice. Oh, what an experience. So normally at onins you are supposed to soak naked even in the public ones with other people but since this is a mixed onen they do require you to wear swimsuits which definitely makes it a lot easier to share this experience with you. [Music] That was an amazing hot spring experience. And for the cherry on top, as we left, the woman working here gave us lollipops. We have found the people here in Japan to be some of the kindest people we have met on all of our travels. [Music] [Music] [Music] If you love waterfalls, the IU Peninsula definitely needs to be on your list in Japan. Just the two areas we’ve checked out today have been a waterfall paradise. And there’s still so many more in this area that we’re not even getting to. [Music] To continue our wasabi eating experience, we came to a soba shop right by the waterfalls to try a couple different dishes. First, we have toorro soba, which is a cold soba dish. And it comes with this soup here that on top, this white stuff, is grated mountain yam. And that kind of gives it a little bit of a different texture. Looks like a little goopy and slimy. And then the soba noodles, which are buckwheat noodles, is mixed with grated wasabi, which gives it that green color. And then it comes with a little nub of wasabi that you grate yourself. And this is wasabi don, which is a big bowl of rice with bonito flakes, which is a grated smoked fish, and then a little dollop of fresh wasabi. I watched a video. This is just supposed to Oh, wow. This is harder than I thought. Go in a circle. Wow. Cool. I’m grating my own wasabi. Okay, so I think how this works is you get a little bit of wasabi, get some noodles. Not sure how that’s supposed to stay on. I think you lost your very interesting consistency. Oh my gosh, that’s a ton of noodles. Very interesting flavor. My first impression of this dish is when they set it down, it smelled like barbecue. It is so smoky smelling. They have a really strong smoky flavor. And I really like the flakes because they add just a different texture from the rice. And then I also added soy sauce to it. So it kind of gives it that salty rich flavor. And then the wasabi is like a little pow. [Music] As you may have noticed, it has been pretty rainy today, but we finally got a break in the rain. So we’re going to go check out the coast. And on the way, we stopped at 7-Eleven, which we’ve been going to basically every day. And we’re trying to try as many things as possible there. And today, I got their smoothie. And when you buy it, you just buy a cup of frozen fruit and then you put it in this machine and it blends it up and it is really good. This is one of my new favorite things there. [Music] This coastline is insane. It is so rugged and rocky and dramatic. You have these mountains that just drop off directly into the deep blue ocean and all of these sea stacks scattered about. It kind of reminds me a little bit of the California coast or the Oregon coast, especially on a moody day like today. [Music] All right, the time has finally come. I am going to drive our camper van. I have never driven on the left side of the road before, but the last few days I’ve just been watching Adam and just kind of getting a good feel for it, and I’m finally feeling ready to give it a shot. Stop. It feels like the brake and the gas should also be reversed, but they’re not. All right, here we go. Watch out, Japan. All right, you’re on. You’re successfully moving. I’m doing it. How does it feel? It feels weird. It does. I feel like I’m just really having to think hard about what I’m doing so I don’t go in the wrong lane. It feels weird being on this side of the car and not driving. And it just feels weird not driving at all cuz I never I don’t ever not drive. Yeah, Adam always drives because I’m always the one filming. I do love driving though. I just want to make sure I don’t go too much on the left side. I don’t even know what the speed is. I’m like probably going way too slow. Okay, let’s pick it up. It’s just It’s just so much to think about being on the left side trying to pay attention to the GPS and making sure I’m going the speed limit and not going too slow. We’re doing it. We’re doing it. Doing great. [Applause] [Music] You did it. I did it. Woo! Way to go. Great job. [Music] [Music] This morning, we made a quick stop at this sea cave, which is really cool on its own, but what makes it even better is that when it’s viewed from above, it’s in the shape of a heart, which is really fitting because today is our 11-year wedding anniversary. A [Music] We have been going non-stop since we got to Japan a week and a half ago and we have a very busy final week and a half here. So today we have decided to just take it easy. We just grabbed lunch from a super cool spot called Fermenco, which makes some delicious sourdough pizzas and has an amazing view overlooking the ocean. And for the rest of the day, our plan is just to hang out and relax at the beach. [Music] We love variety when we travel, and it is pretty amazing the wide variety of scenery that we’ve been able to experience over the last 6 days. And I am just so happy that we chose to road trip while here in Japan. We could have taken public transportation to many of these spots, but it would have been more limiting and more logistically challenging. and road tripping. And this adorable camper van has just been so much fun. It’s made it so easy to get around and it’s so nice to have all of our stuff with us at all times. And despite its small size, it is shockingly pretty comfortable and spacious. I just love I just love this little van so much. Thankfully, our time in the camper van isn’t quite over yet. We still have one more adventure planned in the camper van, but we’re going to be taking a little bit of a break from life on the road to stay in a traditional Japanese inn called a rioon for the next couple days. [Music]

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We found the world’s CUTEST campervan 🏆 in JAPAN! 🇯🇵

For almost 2 weeks it was the ultimate little home on wheels as we road tripped around part of the country. 😍 And for the first part of our road trip we headed to the epic Northern Japanese Alps, the charming Nakasendo Trail, and the Izu Peninsula for waterfalls and dramatic coastal views. It was the BEST 6 days getting a bit off the beaten path!

📅 This video was filmed in early to mid October 2025
🚐 We rented this campervan from Japan CRC: https://japan-crc.com/en/

📍Locations in this video
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/3/edit?mid=1EBoTK54i0NcwXOrf9Vk8sM_KM0FmYEY&usp=sharing

⌚Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:59 Picking up our mini campervan!
02:12 Important things to know about driving in Japan
02:45 Our plan for our road trip
03:09 Driving to Hakuba
04:40 Tour of our mini campervan
07:45 Why van life is popular in Japan
08:41 Does Adam fit in the bed?
10:18 Our journey to Happo Pond in Hakuba
12:54 Happo Pond and Mt. Karamatsu
16:05 How do we shower?
16:46 Our thoughts on our FIRST Manga Cafe shower
18:47 Early wake up call to get to Kamikochi
19:20 Exploring Kamikochi
21:30 The skies cleared!!!
23:25 Matsumoto Castle
24:48 Trying Matsumoto fried chicken (Sanzoku-yaki)
26:16 Nakasendo Trail from Magome to Tsumago
33:37 Our thoughts on driving in Japan
35:41 Joren Falls on the Izu Peninsula
37:01 Trying wasabi ice cream!
39:36 The craziest bridge!!
40:05 Kawazu Seven Falls (+ the BEST onsen!)
42:19 Trying more wasabi dishes
44:32 The EPIC Japanese coast!
45:21 Kathryn’s FIRST time driving on the left side of the road
47:06 Ryugu Sea Cave
47:39 The perfect beach day in Japan
48:45 Thoughts on van life so far (+ what’s next?)
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👋🏼 About us
Hi y’all! We’re Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in our self-converted sprinter van! You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we’re a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature.

We help travelers spend less time (and stress!) planning their trip and more time enjoying it! Our detailed travel guides, YouTube videos, and travel resources share the must-visit local eats, popular and off the beaten path sights, and tons of tips to make planning your next adventure a whole lot easier.

Note: We’ve linked a handful of items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure–if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!