Urban camping in Japan

Camping on public land outside of a designated campground in Japan is legal unless prohibited by ordinance.

Japan is often perceived as a very expensive country; however, it is possible to travel in Japan on a very tight budget. An effective way to greatly reduce your travel expenses is urban camping. Coupled with hitchhiking, you can effectively reduce your travel costs to food and admission fees alone.

Benefits of urban camping in Japan specifically are the healthy food/charging stations available at many convenience stores, prepared meals in supermarkets, integrated transportation, public baths and laundromats to stay clean, and beautiful urban and rural environments.

You can also get permission to camp on private land, which can be time-consuming. Whether you camp on public or private land, you should strive to be as unobtrusive and respectful as possible.

Because you will be constantly carrying everything, it is to your advantage to bring lighter gear. Carry fewer clothes and non-essential items, as extra weight can be burdensome. In addition to your sleeping setup/water bottle/necessities, take a bar of soap and small towel with you for the public baths, as amenities are not always provided.

Laundromats are plentiful, but many are coin and bill operated, so bring cash if you plan to wash and dry your clothes. In fact, many Japanese restaurants and stores are cash-only as well, so it is wise to carry cash in case your card or money app is not accepted.

An offline map will help you save your best urban camping spots and other places of interest without worrying about data.

Japan is very safe and often Japanese people referred to as nojuku will sleep on benches outside. In major urban centers such as Tokyo there are many homeless people who sleep in public parks. The meaning of "nojuku (野宿)" is to sleep outdoors without a tent, and if you pitch a tent, it becomes "yaei (野営)". In Japan, homeless people are also called "nojuku sha (nojuku people)". Nojuku means to sleep outdoors without having a choice, such as because you missed the last train. But it's often the case that neither you nor homeless people are allowed to camp. Think of the fact that nojuku is not banned as a relief measure for those forced into homelessness, not as a relief measure for travel.

There are official campsites in some Japanese cities. If you want a safe and free camping experience without breaking any rules, use one of the few places with free campgrounds. Camping is explicitly allowed in few parks or other public places; ordinary parks are not designed for camping. Parks, mountains, vacant lots and any other land may be private property, so a permit to camp may be required. Use of facilities for unauthorized camping may result in fines according to the facility's terms of use. Moreover, in some areas it is illegal to camp even with the owner's permission, due to the Natural Parks Act (Shizen Kouen Hou 自然公園法) and other laws. Be aware of the bylaws and be sure to ask for permission.

Bonfires are not allowed outside of dedicated campsites. If you start a fire, you may be punished by law. Many places require a bonfire stand.

There is a historical notion that rivers(in the River Act, a river is defined as a Class A river and a Class B river) are free to be used (they are the land of the entire nation and therefore cannot be claimed by any particular owner). In fact, everyone is allowed to use the riverbank, which is a natural area, and you are responsible for any accidents that occur. No unauthorized bonfires are allowed there either. Most managed areas, such as river management facilities and parks, are either prohibited for camping or require a permit from the owner. Also, camping is not allowed in protected ecological areas, even on riverbanks. Since the beginning of 2000, there has been an increase in heavy rainfall and rising rivers, so take extra care when camping on riverbanks.

Some general tips to remember:

• The most important thing is not being invisible; it is not disturbing other people. That should be your main goal.
• Many times when you wake up, you will see people: a group doing morning exercise, an old man sweeping leaves beside your tent, a guy practicing karate, etc. Do not ignore these people; greet them with a friendly ohayo gozaimasu! ("Good morning!"), answer their questions, etc. Japanese people are very friendly and curious, and you will surely be asked many questions about where you come from, and maybe even offered coffee!
• Dispose of trash in bins and use toilets. Urban camping is only possible because of the kindness and tolerance of people; keep this in mind, always.
• The main train station of a Japanese town or city will almost always have a tourist office inside or nearby. There, you can get a free map; tourist offices are also very useful in general, people there are very helpful if you want to find an internet cafe, a laundromat, a public bath/onsen, etc.
• A method which also works in a lot of cases (especially if you don't have a map of the area) is to find a convenience store; inside, there are often atlases of the general area you are in. Maps are sometimes unavailable or sealed, but there are many convenience stores, so check around.
• At first urban camping may seem intimidating, but stick with it and you will learn that it is actually quite easy and fun once you've done it a few times! Everywhere you go, you will see potential camping spots, and you will have unlimited freedom in where you want to go.
• A very good book you can buy in Japan is Japan Compact Atlas (コンパクト日本地図帳, 2023ed.:ISBN:978-4398200983), it's very very small (A5 size, perfect for backpacking), contains maps of all of Japan, by prefecture, and 67 major cities. It is an invaluable resource if you plan on traveling a lot (absolutely necessary if you hitchhike). You can find it in many bookstores, it's ¥1320, a bargain considering area-specific atlases are around ¥3000 and are much bigger and more cumbersome. The only drawback is that it's in Japanese, but it's still very helpful. All the main train stations (which almost always have the name of the city itself) are in hiragana, a syllabary used in Japanese that you can actually learn to read quite easily (as opposed to kanji). A larger edition (A4 size) is also available (Global Mapple日本地図帳) at \2090.

Below are some more area-specific tips.

You'd probably want to camp in the parks because of the high cost of lodging in Tokyo, but most of the parks in Tokyo are outlawed by ordinances (条例 jōrei) of the prefecture or respective wards administering the parks, which prohibits camping. However, that doesn't mean you can't camp in Tokyo. Of course you can camp in camping grounds.

Most cities do not have the handy street corner maps like in Tokyo, so the first thing you should do when arriving in any city is get a map from the tourist office in the train station. Also, like in all cities, in the train stations there are maps of the immediate surroundings.

You can also do the convenience stores' atlases method, but it's usually not necessary, you will probably be fine with a paper map (from the tourist station) and the train stations' maps.

There are a few other ways to sleep in rural areas.

• Even though temples close for the night, it is usually possible to sleep in the parking lot of the temples (if it is a rural temple). If you arrive at a temple and there is someone there (a monk or someone tending the grounds), you can ask them if there is anywhere you can sleep. Sometimes, they will direct you to the parking lot and they will let you use the temple's facilities. If they tell you that you cannot sleep there, be respectful and don't sleep in the parking lot.
• Michi-no-eki (meaning "Road Station") are rest stops on the side of the road all over Japan. There are always toilets, vending machines, etc. You can almost always find rest huts there. Some michi-no-eki are open 24 hr so you can sometimes sleep inside. Sleeping in Michi-no-eki is not allowed in principle, but there are some places where it is possible so you need to check in advance.
• If there is really nothing available, you can usually sleep in empty, out-of-the-way parking lots. If you use it without permission, you may be fined under parking rules. Always ask permission.
• Note that fields are private property and by sleeping there you also destroy people's fields, which is not very nice. If you want to use private land, get permission from the landowner.

Here's a list of places where you can camp for free.

Caution. This may include places where the rules prohibit overnight stays and tent-pitching. In parks and other government-controlled areas, people are generally not allowed to camp outside of campgrounds. Please get permission from the management to camp to avoid trouble. A person writing may be introducing you to a place where you have broken the rules. Even if you are able to camp with permission on private property, etc., it is not a place to stay and should not be listed. It is an annoying and ungrateful act. Be sure to check that the terms and conditions of the location state that camping is available. You can also avoid problems if you allow other readers to review the terms of service.

Japanese-only site Outdoor Paradise lists more than 300 free campgrounds in Japan.

• 35.579426139.7851631 Jōnanjima Kaihin park campground (城南島海浜公園キャンプ場), 4-2-2 Jonanjima, Ota-ku, Tokyo, ☏ +81 3-3799-6402. Check-in: 11:00, check-out: 10:00. ¥4,000.  (updated Nov 2020)
• 35.582012139.7433352 Heiwajima park campground (平和島公園キャンプ場), 4-2-2 Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo, ☏ +81 3-3766-1607. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 09:00. ¥2,600.  (updated Nov 2020)
• 35.617557139.8327583 Wakasu park campground (若洲海浜公園キャンプ場), 3-2-1 Wakasu, Koto-ku, Tokyo, ☏ +81 3-5569-6701. Check-in: 11:00, check-out: 10:00. ¥600.  (updated Nov 2020)

• 35.453056139.6255564 Kamonyama Park (掃部山公園), Yokohama. Very good park, very quiet. Has public toilets but no rest huts. If you plan to visit Yokohama (Minatomirai area, Chinatown), it is worth staying there. Located at walking distance from Minatomirai Park. (Rule not confirmed.).  

• 34.710402135.5703785 Tsurumi ryokuchi campground (鶴見緑地キャンプ場), 2-163 Ryokuchikoen, Tsurumi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, ☏ +81 50-3816-6374. Check-in: 17:30, check-out: 09:30. Free.  (updated Nov 2020)

• 32.937131.0816 Aso Michi-no-eki (道の駅阿蘇). A Michi-no-eki (Road station). Not really quiet at night, but you can definitely sleep there if you want to climb Aso first thing the next morning. There are facilities, and a convenience store on the other side of the road. (Rule not confirmed.)  
• 32.948131.1237 Aso Shrine (阿蘇神社). The shrine dedicated to the mountain. You can sleep in the parking lot (there are public toilets), or you can find some remote spot on the grounds. (Rule not confirmed.)  

Obviously, when you camp everywhere you do not have always access to showers or washing machines, as you would if sleeping in a hostel.

For washing yourself, there are a few methods.

If the weather is warm, you can wash in public parks, using available water. The disabled toilets are spacious and convenient, but they are intended for the disabled, so please do not use them if you are not disabled.

If it's cold outside or you do not want to wash in public parks or toilets, you can go to onsen (hot springs) or sento (public baths). In practice there is no real difference between the two, so just ask for the cheapest (they are usually around ¥400).

In the big internet cafes (such as Manboo Cafe or Media Cafe Popeye) there are sometimes showers available. They are usually free (if you also use the computers) but there is sometimes a fee. By the way, do not hesitate to take advantage of almost all Internet Cafes' "unlimited free drinks" policy!

You can wash your clothes by hand or find laundromats, which can be found pretty much anywhere - more than 50,000 exist in total. Some of them are open 24 hours.

If a situation arises where you have to sleep in the park for a reason (last train, etc.), nojuku is allowed. If you want to sleep in nojuku, do not pitch a tent. Using a tent is not nojuku and may be a violation of the ordinance. The police are the only people who are likely to wake you up. They will care most about checking your identity to determine whether you are illegally living in the country. If they see you sleeping during the night, they will most likely wait until morning to tell you to leave. In Tokyo, if you sleep in the big homeless spots, you should pack up by 06:30. After this hour it is likely that the police will come to tell you to leave, but nothing worse will happen. Everywhere else, if policemen see you they may tell you to leave. Some parks also have security guards, who will also usually wait until morning to tell you to leave if you are not out soon enough in the morning. You may also be approached by the police in the same way, even if you are camping on private property or other property with permission. If so, be respectful.

Camping provides the greatest amount of freedom. Just make sure to follow the rules without fail.