Photo Trip Report: Japan in a Van

[buksida]

This long TR is being posted from the road so updates will be patchy as photo editing is time-consuming so bear with me!

The first thing most people say when you tell them you’re going to Japan is, “Wow, its expensive,” and they’re not wrong. Visiting Japan costs a pretty penny in normal times but with rampant inflation and price gouging across the globe, prices have been amplified. In addition to that, everyone wants to go there now after several years of lockdown so tourism is heaving and places are fully booked, adding to escalating costs. On the upside, the yen is weak against the baht and greenback so money will go a little further at the moment.

Another problem is that despite being a high-tech hub, Japanese websites mostly appear to have been made in the 1990s, have no English, and simply don’t function properly so booking things in advance to secure tickets and availability was not really possible. Agoda was doing its usual price pumping and ‘last room’ scaring but we had little choice so had to swallow the big hotel bills since we couldn’t book them directly.

Hotels in Japan are very expensive (an average 800 baht a night room in Thailand is closer to 3,500 in Japan and half the size) so we decided to rent a motorhome for the first week to give us more freedom of movement and avoid the ridiculous check-in and out times (more on this later).

Regardless of the initial planning hurdles, it was a trip I’d been wanting to undertake for years so what the hell. Our first week would be spent in the RV around Fuji, Nagano, and the Japanese Alps.

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To follow: Day one Tokyo to Fuji

[Big Boy]

I've been waiting for this report - thank you.

A fairly new revelation for me in Thailand, but were you able to go the Google Maps route for booking hotels in Japan? It is saving me around 25% here every time I've used it. I've booked a few hotels recently. I'm just wondering if it is Thailand or worldwide.

[pharvey]

I've been waiting for this report - thank you.

X2

[Nereus]

Interesting fact about Japan with reference to that posted map, especially compared to basically flat Thailand.
It is a very mountainous country, still covered with 67% of natural forests, as shown in green.
All of those white stripes are rivers of vary sizes. Many years since I was there, so I am also keen to see the report.

[buksida]

A fairly new revelation for me in Thailand, but were you able to go the Google Maps route for booking hotels in Japan? It is saving me around 25% here every time I've used it. I've booked a few hotels recently. I'm just wondering if it is Thailand or worldwide.

Not really since Google Maps just redirected us to Agoda or Booking.com or whatever agent with their limited availability and high prices. Availability was the main issue since many city hotels de-staffed during lockdown closures and haven't fully rehired, plus the fact that it was insanely busy (more tourist hordes than I've ever seen in Thailand).

Interesting fact about Japan with reference to that posted map, especially compared to basically flat Thailand.
It is a very mountainous country, still covered with 67% of natural forests, as shown in green.

Yes, most of the country is mountains and 95% of the population lives in the urban sprawl on the small flat areas!

[Big Boy]

Not really since Google Maps just redirected us to Agoda or Booking.com or whatever agent with their limited availability and high prices. Availability was the main issue since many city hotels de-staffed during lockdown closures and haven't fully rehired, plus the fact that it was insanely busy (more tourist hordes than I've ever seen in Thailand).

Yes, it simply re-directs you, but when you compare, the actual redirected cost (in Thailand at least) is only 75% of the booking agent's page. Page looks identical in every way, except the cost.

[buksida]

Day One
We knew the first day would be tough. A 6-hour night flight from Bangkok to Narita, Tokyo, with sleep on the crowded Zipair 787 impossible. We’d been advised to prepare in advance and complete all of the Japan immigration formalities online on their Visit Japan app. But being armed with a deck of QR codes to fast-track us did not make an iota of difference to the hour of queueing at immigration and multiple checks. Thais get 14 days on arrival, Brits get three months.

Fortunately, getting into Tokyo from the airport to the RV company where we were to collect our motorhome for the next week was easy once we’d bought a couple of pre-paid Pasmo travel cards and jumped on the 09.07 train which left the airport at 09.07 on the dot.

Just over an hour later, we exited at Mita station and walked a few hundred yards to their offices to fill in some paperwork and meet the RV. It was in at the deep end next to familiarize myself with the vehicle and navigate and drive out of central Tokyo to our first camping site at Mount Fuji, around two and a half hours away.

Driving in Japan is generally pretty easy as speed limits are low and everyone obeys them and has respect for other motorists – the complete opposite to Thailand. The problem on this journey was Google Maps which, in its automated wisdom, decided to take us on and off the toll expressways to avoid traffic. While it did shave around 16 minutes off the whole journey, the problem was that it didn’t account for the costs … motorways in Japan are expensive so by the time we reached our destination we’d paid four tolls totaling almost 6,000 yen (around 1,500 baht.)

The distances are also deceptive due to the low-speed limits (80kph on the highway and 50kph on main roads) and a very slow, underpowered RV so the journey took closer to four hours.

Nevertheless, seeing Mt. Fuji come into view for the first time is something I won't forget. We stopped at a local supermarket on the way to get some supplies and were delighted to discover that food and groceries in Japan are generally similarly priced to Thailand (if not a little cheaper) and wine and spirits are around a third of the price as there is virtually no tax on them.

After loading up, we motored on to the campsite, which was already very crowded, paid our 12,000 yen (3,000 baht for two nights – campsites in Japan are not cheap), and found a spot to take in the spectacular view and crack a cold beer after what has been a very long 24 hours.

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To follow, around Fuji

[Motyduke]

Not really since Google Maps just redirected us to Agoda or Booking.com or whatever agent with their limited availability and high prices. Availability was the main issue since many city hotels de-staffed during lockdown closures and haven't fully rehired, plus the fact that it was insanely busy (more tourist hordes than I've ever seen in Thailand).

Yes, it simply re-directs you, but when you compare, the actual redirected cost (in Thailand at least) is only 75% of the booking agent's page. Page looks identical in every way, except the cost.

i tried that in thailand but it is the same cost. Just did 4 examples at different locations. The price is the same if i follow the redirection from Google Maps or if i go directly on the booking platform.

[Motyduke]

the pictures are beautiful !!!

[Dannie Boy]

What sort of temperatures were you experiencing?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[buksida]

What sort of temperatures were you experiencing?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It was cold and dropped to around 6-7 degrees at night - more on that in the next installment. It also got dark earlier than here, at about 5pm.

[caller]

Great pics, as expected! Do you know what height you were, at the camping area?

[buksida]

Great pics, as expected! Do you know what height you were, at the camping area?

It was around 900 meters, but we would be going much higher later in the trip.

[Big Boy]

i tried that in thailand but it is the same cost. Just did 4 examples at different locations. The price is the same if i follow the redirection from Google Maps or if i go directly on the booking platform.

I don't want to steal buksi's thread (very sorry buksi, was just trying to save you some cash), so I will post more on the Agoda thread in a few days.

I have to book 2 or 3 hotels very soon, so I will post examples regarding whether it is the same or cheaper via Google Maps. I have already made substantial savings.

Back to Japan in a Van please

[migrant]

paid our 12,000 yen (3,000 baht for two nights – campsites in Japan are not cheap)

Around US prices at organized campsites.

Great pics!!