Our motorhome is 5metres long, there’s a decent size fixed bed. ( relatively) ,dinette, a fridge, a sink but no toilet and no cooker.
Instead we have a camping stove so we can make a cup of tea and I can boil a couple of eggs and with the help of a camping toast maker I brought with us we can have toast with our boiled eggs. I brought the egg cups with us too as we have found that foreigners don’t eat boiled eggs, or if they do, they don’t use egg cups.
Instead we have a camping stove so we can make a cup of tea and I can boil a couple of eggs and with the help of a camping toast maker I brought with us we can have toast with our boiled eggs. I brought the egg cups with us too as we have found that foreigners don’t eat boiled eggs, or if they do, they don’t use egg cups.
Cosy for two
Our kitchen
So we have eaten out each day, nearly always at one of the road stations where we can overnight. These offer inexpensive Japanese meals but you order via a machine which gives you a ticket and then you have to wait for staff to call out your number. This can be challenging but usually someone will come out from the kitchen to help. I’m ok on numbers under 100 but bigger numbers too difficult.
These places don’t open for breakfast so breakfast is either a boiled egg or what we have found in the Lawson Station or Family Mart, so we have had yoghurts, sushi, croissants but no cereals.
Dry thick bread for toast
Not having a toilet means parking near the toilet facilities which are open 24hours and usually spotlessly clean. If you need a night time pee then you either nip out or make alternative arrangements which is what we have done over the years of doing this.
One problem in Japan is getting rid of your rubbish, you are meant to take your rubbish home with you which obviously doesn’t work for us so we’re constantly looking for somewhere that will take “combustibles”. Gettting rid of bottles cans and plastic bottles is easy as there are multiple containers for these but the rest can be a challenge. You may have to keep your rubbish in the van until an opportunity arises, but you have to create small parcels of rubbish because any designated receptacle will not be big.
Despite the difficulty in disposing of rubbish, everywhere is spotlessly clean and each morning at a road station someone comes out with a dustpan and brush searching for rubbish.
Despite the difficulty in disposing of rubbish, everywhere is spotlessly clean and each morning at a road station someone comes out with a dustpan and brush searching for rubbish.
As we have no bathroom we rely on public bathhouses or Onsen as they are called here. The prices vary but about £2.50 and you can stay as long as you like. Usually there are several pools of water with different temperatures, often there are a couple of pools in the open. Sometimes there’s a sauna and steam room.
There are certain customs to be observed, a thorough wash before you get into any pool -and I mean thorough, maybe 5 mins and then so the same when you get out.
There are certain customs to be observed, a thorough wash before you get into any pool -and I mean thorough, maybe 5 mins and then so the same when you get out.
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