8 days · ~1,232 km · one loop
Tokyo
to Tokyo
Eight days, one loop, starting and ending right where you land. You fly in, fly out, and the van does the rest.
- Day by day route
- Every night's parking named
- An onsen every night
- Real drive times
Seven onsen nights. Zero hotel bookings. 22 page PDF, instant download.
- 22Pages
- 8Days mapped
- 7Onsen nights
- 0Hotel bookings
The route
Eight days, one loop
A full circle out of Tokyo and back, starting and ending right where you land. About 1,232km of it, and no day asks for more than three and a half hours behind the wheel.
| Day | Route | Drive | Sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narita → Nikkō | 183km · 2h13 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Uprrj Rhpkj |
| 2 | Nikkō → Kusatsu Onsen | 152km · 2h59 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Rbzhazb Vuzlu |
| 3 | Rbzhazb → Thybprl Wvuk → Thazbtvav | 141km · 2h14 | Qjfhth Whyr whyrpun sva |
| 4 | Thazbtvav → Ahrhfhth → Zopyhrhdh-nj | 132km · 2h36 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Zopyhrhdh-nj |
| 5 | Zopyhrhdh-nj → Thnvtl, Rpzv Chsslf | 149km · 2h34 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Zopgbtv |
| 6 | Thnvtl → Uhybzhdh, Mbqp Mpcl Shrlz | 204km · 2h36 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Uhybzhdh |
| 7 | Mbqp Mpcl Shrlz full circuit | ~92km · 2h10 | Tpjop-uv-Lrp Mbqpfvzopkh |
| 8 | Mbqpfvzopkh → Narita, van return | 179km · 2h15 | Van returned |
The first two days are here in full. Every night's parking, and everything from day three on, is in the guide.
Driven in September 2024. Every night's parking in here is somewhere the van actually slept.
The difference
What it saves you
The things that quietly turn a good day on the road into a long one, already handled before you land.
- Money you didn't plan to spend Onsen prices confirmed on site, tolls flagged leg by leg, and the free route marked on the days it is the better drive anyway.
- A night parked somewhere with no toilet Every stop is a named michi-no-eki with free 24 hour parking, usually with restrooms, chosen before you set off rather than at 9pm.
- A night without a shower A real onsen every single night, with the detour there and back already counted into that day's drive time.
- Arriving somewhere with nothing open The nearest konbini to every stop, named, with walking time, and an honest flag on the two nights there isn't one.
- Getting turned away at the door Baths that refuse visible tattoos are marked per stop, so you find out before you have driven up the mountain.
- A day that eats itself in the car No day on this loop asks for more than about three and a half hours behind the wheel, and the long legs have a real food stop built in.
A peek inside
Four pages from the guide
- P. 2–4Before you goThe van and the rental, the licence and the IDP you have to get before you fly, and the fine print.
- P. 5The routeThe whole loop on one page. Every leg, its distance and its drive time.
- P. 6–17The eight daysEach day in full: the legs, the drive times, whether it has tolls or a toll-free road worth taking instead. Where the van sleeps, the onsen that night, and the nearest konbini.
- P. 18–21The toolkitOnsen etiquette and every night at a glance. The konbini guide, the Daiso run, and eating well from a supermarket.
Read a bit of it
- Cash
- 7-Eleven ATMs are the most reliable for foreign-issued cards, open 24/7.
- A real meal
- A bento box (¥400–700). Say “atatamete kudasai” (温めてください) or just nod, staff know what tourists mean.
- Cup noodles
- Every store has a free hot water dispenser by the register.
Three rows from the konbini guide, page 19. The page has eight.
Before you buy
Who this is for
Get it if
- You want to drive it yourself
- You would rather not book a single hotel
- You have about eight days, in and out of the same airport
- You would rather be handed a route than build one
Skip it if
- You are not going to drive in Japan
- You want city time more than mountains and road
- You are travelling by train and bus
- You enjoy planning it all yourself
What do I actually get?
One 22 page PDF, downloadable the moment you pay. It works on a phone, a tablet, or printed. There is no app and no login.
Do I need a special licence?
A valid licence from home plus an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention). Get the IDP before you fly, most countries can't issue one once you've landed. The guide covers this on page 3.
Can I drive this in fewer than 8 days?
Yes. It's built as a loop out of Narita and back, so you can drop a stop and rejoin it without breaking the route. It also stretches the other way: add a few days in Tokyo at either end and it becomes a longer trip.
Is it sponsored by the van company?
No. We rented from Samurai Campers and say so because it's what we did. There's no partnership, no affiliate link, and nothing in this guide is paid placement.
Refunds?
It's a digital file, so there are no refunds once it's been downloaded. If something in it is wrong or a place has closed, message us on Instagram and we'll fix the guide and send you the new version.
One loop, fully planned
Tokyo to Tokyo
Eight days of route, parking, onsen and konbini, already worked out. Fly in, pick up the van, drive.
Get the guide $49 $14Instant download · 22 page PDF · Secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy
