As 2024 wound down, we were fortunate enough to spend nearly a month in Japan sourcing product, meeting friends, and camping as we toured the northern half of the country. Starting in Tokyo, we flew up to Hokkaido and 'road-tripped' south back to Tokyo over a couple weeks, stopping and staying at every Snow Peak Campfield along the way. But how did we get all our gear over there? Let's unpack exactly how we camped in Japan.
- Camping gear I brought with me from America to Japan
- Camping gear I purchased used in Japan
- Camping gear I purchased new in Japan
What is Camping Like in Japan?
But first, it helps to have a primer on what to expect if you want to camp during your time traveling Japan. While there are a lot of similarities, there's also a lot of differences in Japanese camping compared to American camping.
Length of the trip
Because of expectations around work schedules, the notion of 'ducking out early' on a Friday afternoon to head to camp is not very common. This means most camping in Japan is done from Saturday morning through Sunday evening. Due to the shorter time and single night, it's common for campers to hang around longer into the afternoon on Sunday. Holiday weekends where few people work on Monday will see two-night camping trips. But outside of that, expect campgrounds to be relatively empty Sunday-Friday night.
Site Reservations
Many campgrounds in Japan offer specific site reservations using a numbering system, just like most developed campgrounds in America. The amenities will vary, with some offering things like power or fenced in areas so dogs can roam free.
However, there are also Free Sites, which generally aren't a thing in America. If making a reservation for a Free Site, you are only reserving the ability to camp. There are no pre-determined spaces or expectations for distance from your neighbors. Everyone will go to an area and set up where they feel like doing so.
Because of this, during busier times expect little privacy. But on a weeknight it is easy to find a spot far away from neighboring campers.
First Come First Serve
While most American campsites will reserve some portion of their space for those showing up day-of, the practice is not as prevelant in Japan. Larger campgrounds, or those with more amenities may not offer the service at all, or limit it to free sites. Smaller and local campgrounds are likely to have first come campsites available.
Amenities at Camp
Depending on what you're looking for, the gear you bring can vary widely. Some campgrounds will offer rentals of everything, offering packages that require you to only bring clothing. Food, tents and shelters, fire pits, etc - be sure to look at what the campground offers so you know what to bring or buy on your trip.
Camping gear I brought with me from America to Japan
In order to keep my pack light, I scrutinized based on two main criteria. What was I likely to buy in Japan because I wanted it, and what was I likely to buy in Japan because it was too large to bring with.
Doing this meant I could focus on only the essentials, things that were compact and would easily fit not only into my backpack, but make it through security without any issue. While that may not seem like a big deal, make sure to read guidelines for your country about what can be packed. For example, the American TSA requires that any camp stove be cleaned of residue and any portable battery be under 27,000mAh.
With this in mind, I packed the below pieces:
- Backpacking Air Mattress (ultra-light and compact)
- Backpacking Pillow
- Snow Peak Geoshield Backpacking Stove
- Snow Peak 450ml Single Wall Titanium Mug
- Snow Peak Recycled Titanium Aurora Water Bottle
- Snow Peak Titanium Spork
- Snow Peak Wabuki Chopsticks
- Anker 25,000 mAh Portable Battery
- Goal Zero Micro Lighthouse Lantern
Most of this is pretty straight forward. Titanium and backpacking gear for weight savings, small equipment for space savings. But why the single wall mug instead of the more insulated double wall? Simply put, it serves dual purpose. I can use it to heat water and to drink from. Because I was unsure of what my cooking setup would end up like, I knew I would at the very least be able to have some warm coffee as I did on my first morning in Hokkaido.
Camping Gear I Purchased New in Japan
What may have been the most exciting aspect of camping in Japan for a gear nerd like myself was getting to pick up pieces that either had not yet released in the US at the time of travel, or wouldn't be coming to the US. Ahead of time, I had earmarked a few pieces I knew I wanted such as the Snow Peak Collapsible 2U IGT Frame.
This also was expected to be the most straightforward part of the process. I would head to a store, throw some pieces in a cart, and be ready to spend some time outdoors. What I didn't expect was how in-demand many of these pieces would be, which meant I spent a good portion of the first week picking up items here and there.
Thankfully, while my first Campfield visit was for night three, my first time camping would not be until night seven. This meant I had plenty of time to grab things, but to highlight that first week-long journey, I'be broken out what was purchased by location:
Snow Peak Landstation Tokyo
- Snow Peak x Anker Gigapower Lantern TL (see thoughts on our Instagram)
Snow Peak Campfield Tokachi Poroshiri in Hokkaido
Snow Peak Factory Store Sapporo
- Snow Peak x Anker Gigapower 15000 mAh Battery (see thoughts on our Instagram)
Snow Peak Campfield Rikuzentaka
- Snow Peak Sleeping Bag SS Single
- Snow Peak Renewed IGT Bamboo Wide Insert
- Snow Peak Wapper Cooker
- Snow Peak IGT Ground Height Leg Set
- Snow Peak Lounge Cushion
At this point, I'd gathered the basics. I could sleep warmly, got some new pieces I was excited to test, and kept things relatively compact to the point where this would all fit into a rolling piece of luggage (more on that shortly).
This can be seen in the pieces I picked up. The Snow Peak Collapsible 2U IGT Frame was not only new and not yet available in the US, it also folded down and the bag would store the Snow Peak IGT Ground Height Leg Set if I packed it tight. The Snow Peak Wapper Cooker gave me 3 cooking surfaces in one, and the Snow Peak x Anker Gigapower 15000 mAh Battery & Lantern would not only give me light but also offer additional juice for me in case I was unable to get to a plug.
Camping Gear I Purchased Used in Japan
Depending on your point of view around digging for the right thing at the right price, this may either be the highlight or lowlight of gathering equipment. Which begs the question,
Why Buy Used Camping Gear in Japan?
For me, it predominantly came down to being price-concious. As an example, the cheapest tent offered by Snow Peak Japan is the Snow Peak Hexa Ease 1. However, it is cheapest because it is being discontinued - meaning availability in-store is unpredictable. It is also a tent I already own in my personal setup and while a single-person tent, would still be cumbersome to take home.
As a comparison, the tent I ended up purchasing was approximately $100 USD with the October 2024 exchange rate. This was a price that I was comfortable treating like a rental fee, meaning I knew ahead of time I would be leaving the tent in Japan. That's right, this was around $100 I knew I would not get back. Why?
On this trip, I would go on to camp a total of 7 nights. This meant I was spending around $15 per night to use this tent. Much cheaper than renting a tent at each location, or renting one for a 15 day period in Tokyo. Had I really wanted to, I could have checked it and taken it home, however that would have been an additional $100 in fees.
If you have a friend who is a resident of Japan, they would be able to sell it for you, though you would recoup little of your investment.
Additionally, it was fun to hunt along the way. There were a lot of fantastic deals to be had, and if I was camping for longer stints or had more people in my group I likely would have picked them up. As an example, the Snow Peak Living Shell is commonly found at second-hand stores for around $400 USD as of October 2024.
We made a short video of some other finds, and how to find them which you can watch below:
What did I end up Buying?
It ended up being a relatively small amount of pieces that I needed to augment what I had purchased new. In the end, it was:
- Early Snow Peak Amenity Dome Tent - $100
- Generic Camp Chair - $6
- Captain Stag Take Lunch Plate - $5
What Would I Do Different?
This was my first time camping this way in Japan, and while I will absolutely do it again in the future, there are a few things I would do differently.
Scrutinize New Gear
In all honesty, I probably went a little deep on 'new' equipment. For example, the Snow Peak Wapper Cooker could have easily been replaced with a used cookset, and the Snow Peak Lounge Cushion wasn't needed once I picked up the Generic Camp Chair.
Scrutinize What I Bring from America to Japan
Similarly, I purchased the Snow Peak IGT Ground Height Leg Set because of their size, but having already owned 4 and knowing I wanted to build an IGT setup I could have easily gotten them into my backpack. The same goes for the sleeping bag. Bringing one from home, or buying a used one in Japan likely would have both been fine options.
Final Thoughts
While this worked well for me, it can vary greatly based on how long you're staying in Japan, how much you're traveling within the country, and how many nights you're camping. This method certainly would have been wasteful had I only camped a single night. On the flip side, I likely would have picked up a few more things if I camped more.
In the end, camping in Japan for travelers is very doable with a little bit of planning. So, grab your camp stove, find a campsite and spend a night outdoors on your next visit!
