- 10 minutes ago
Want to try the WIse Travel Money Card? Click the link for your first transfer fee FREE up to $1000 OR a FREE Travel Card - https://wise.com/invite/ecac/5638634/?utm_digital=youtubeapril26
Japan isn’t just neon lights and crowded streets.
For 14 days, we left the cities behind, rented an RV, and explored rural Japan — from Mount Fuji to the Japanese Alps, hidden towns, scenic lakes, and places most travellers never see.
This trip completely changed how we see Japan.
If you’ve ever thought about escaping the crowds and experiencing a slower, more authentic side of the country… this is for you.
Subscribe for weekly travel videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@LloydandMandy
We rented our RV from Tokyo-RV Campers - https://tokyo-rv.com
Our Favourite Travel Vlog Camera - Insta360GoUltra: https://www.insta360.com/sal/go-ultra?utm_term=INRSGS0QJR0
TRAVEL INSURANCE THAT WE USE AND RECOMMEND:
🏥 Reliable Travel Insurance: https://www.safetywing.com/a/lloydandmandy
💳 Wise travel money card - Click the link for your first transfer fee FREE up to $1000 OR a FREE Travel Card - https://wise.com/invite/dic/amandar1452
💻 Our VPN we use:https://surfshark.deals/LLOYDANDMANDY
🧳 Level8 Lugga
Japan isn’t just neon lights and crowded streets.
For 14 days, we left the cities behind, rented an RV, and explored rural Japan — from Mount Fuji to the Japanese Alps, hidden towns, scenic lakes, and places most travellers never see.
This trip completely changed how we see Japan.
If you’ve ever thought about escaping the crowds and experiencing a slower, more authentic side of the country… this is for you.
Subscribe for weekly travel videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@LloydandMandy
We rented our RV from Tokyo-RV Campers - https://tokyo-rv.com
Our Favourite Travel Vlog Camera - Insta360GoUltra: https://www.insta360.com/sal/go-ultra?utm_term=INRSGS0QJR0
TRAVEL INSURANCE THAT WE USE AND RECOMMEND:
🏥 Reliable Travel Insurance: https://www.safetywing.com/a/lloydandmandy
💳 Wise travel money card - Click the link for your first transfer fee FREE up to $1000 OR a FREE Travel Card - https://wise.com/invite/dic/amandar1452
💻 Our VPN we use:https://surfshark.deals/LLOYDANDMANDY
🧳 Level8 Lugga
Category
🏖
TravelTranscript
00:00Today's video is sponsored by WISE Travel Money.
00:03Use the link below in the description to sign up to WISE and claim your free WISE Travel Money card.
00:09Japan isn't just neon lights and bustling streets.
00:13For 14 days, we left the cities behind, hopped into an RV, and explored rural Japan.
00:19From Tokyo to the Japanese Alps, stopping at hidden gems, peaceful towns, and scenic lakes along the way.
00:27Our route started just outside Tokyo in Chichibu, then to Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko, Matsumoto, Hakuba, Nagano City, the
00:38Snow Monkeys, and back to Tokyo.
00:41And each stop was selected for a particular reason.
00:44Calm, beauty, and the freedom an RV gives you while on the road.
00:49Our first stop, Chichibu, was exactly what we needed to escape the city.
00:53We wandered along the riverside and through the town, enjoying quiet streets, small shops, and the peaceful scenery.
01:01We found our first ramen diner.
01:03It was cheap, delicious, and even had a robot serving the food.
01:08This is my first authentic Japanese ramen.
01:12How exciting. I got miso ramen.
01:14I think it's my favorite, but I'm going to try them all.
01:17Everything is done through this little computer here, or this little iPad, I suppose, and they have English translation.
01:26We were struggling with the menu for about 10 minutes before we realized.
01:29And you just push a button, and this robot comes and brings it out within like five minutes.
01:33And for all of our meals, plus a couple of years, it came to 21,000 yen, which is like
01:42less than 20 bucks Australia.
01:44Here we stayed at our first Michi Noecki.
01:47And like any first-timers, we were nervous.
01:50Until we realized this is totally normal and safe in Japan.
01:53It was the perfect way to start life on the road.
01:57Driving around Mount Fuji for the first time was something we'll never forget.
02:02That moment when the peak suddenly comes into view was absolutely unforgettable.
02:07The first time you see Mount Fuji, you're pretty much taken aback by just how incredibly large and beautiful it
02:14is.
02:15It's almost intimidating, to be honest.
02:18We stayed at a roadside station right by the lake in Kawaguchiko, which had an incredible view of Mount Fuji
02:24towering over us in the distance.
02:26There was a kid's playground, a local grocery store, and a ramen diner.
02:33Okay, this is Michi Noecki, Narasawa.
02:36It's a pretty incredible view, as you can see.
02:39The best view of Mount Fuji.
02:41Sunrise is meant to be absolutely incredible here.
02:43So we're going to be sleeping here for the night.
02:46It's absolutely free.
02:47There's bathrooms here.
02:48There's even restaurants and things.
02:50We're going to be spending a bit of time here and just seeing what they have to offer.
02:54Walking around the lake during the day, we were able to admire the flowers and local scenery.
02:59We stopped for ice cream and some more local ramen.
03:03Honestly, this whole experience made us feel like we were stepping into a real-life postcard.
03:08Early one morning, we hopped onto one of these swan boats that you see out on the lake, and we
03:13finished with a quick visit to the ice caves.
03:16Wow, it's very slippery.
03:18I can see why they don't let toddlers in here.
03:22You have to be over four years old, and I think 100 centimeters tall.
03:25It's pretty cool, though.
03:27Honestly, there's so much to explore here, and we'll cover it all in our full Mount Fuji guide.
03:34Matsumoto was next.
03:36Visiting Matsumoto Castle was a highlight.
03:39One of Japan's oldest castles.
03:41Built in the late 16th century, with its iconic black walls earning the nickname Crow Castle,
03:47walking through its halls, you can feel the history, imagine samurai defending it,
03:51and understand why it's such a beloved landmark.
03:53Okay, we just made it to Matsumoto Castle, which is one of, actually, it may be the oldest castle in
04:05Japan.
04:05It was built in the 1500s, and it's kind of like a fortress.
04:10It's one of the most highly regarded castles in Japan, and if you're coming to Nagano,
04:16you pretty much have to come to Matsumoto and visit Matsumoto Castle.
04:20It is free to walk around the outside, the exterior, which is beautiful in itself.
04:25It's one of the rare castles, actually, maybe the only one, that isn't built on a hill or anything.
04:33It's actually built on a moat, and it's right in the middle of the city here.
04:38As I said, you can walk around the exterior for free, take videos and photos,
04:42but if you want to go inside, it's about 800 yen for adults and 500 yen for children.
04:50However, you cannot take any photos or videos inside, and you kind of have to crawl around.
04:55There's, like, very low ceilings and lots of very steep stairwells.
05:01So, we may not be going inside because we have Lila with us, but we're going to check out the
05:05outside now.
05:06Afterward, we grabbed Soba at the famous restaurant next door,
05:10then explored the nearby walking street with quaint shops and traditional architecture.
05:15A quiet, historic site of Japan that's easy to miss in the bigger cities.
05:20Travelling around rural Japan in an RV was absolutely incredible,
05:25but one thing we didn't want to stress about was money, and that's why we chose WISE.
05:30With their travel money card, we could top up in seconds, pay like locals, and avoid those annoying bank fees.
05:37From grabbing our first ramen in Chichibu, to snacks by late Kawaguchi Co,
05:41to souvenirs near Matsumoto Castle, it just works everywhere.
05:45We were able to pay in restaurants or shops that don't usually accept cards,
05:50and it automatically gives us the middle exchange rate.
05:54WISE makes travelling smoother so we can focus on exploring,
05:58taking in the views, and enjoying Japan, not worrying about the cash.
06:02One thing to note about Japan is there are still some places that only accept cash,
06:07such as local restaurants and ramen diners.
06:10So you want to have a travel money card that allows you to withdraw money from any ATM
06:15with low exchange rates, and that's why we highly recommend WISE.
06:19You never pay more than the middle exchange rate, which is exactly what you see on Google.
06:24And unlike other travel money cards, there's no unwanted fees that just pop up out of nowhere.
06:29Everything is completely up front, and you only get what you pay for.
06:33So if you want to simplify your spending while travelling overseas,
06:37check out WISE by using the link below to get your first transfer fee free up to $1,000,
06:43or a free WISE travel money card.
06:50The moment we booked this trip, we knew we wanted to head to the Japanese Alps,
06:54and honestly, Hakuba Valley did not disappoint.
06:57After a solid five nights of sleeping at roadside stations,
07:01we decided to upgrade a little bit and spent some time in the RV park.
07:05It snowed, the mountains were freezing, but also stunningly beautiful at the same time.
07:10All right, we just checked into the RV park here in Hakuba.
07:17We've spent the last five nights on the road,
07:21sleeping at the roadside stations, or Michi no Eki.
07:24But we've been in Hakuba for a couple of days and decided,
07:27you know what, since we're going to be staying here for a while,
07:31at least a few days, we'd like to be a bit more comfortable.
07:35So we came to this RV park, it's just called RV park, Hakuba.
07:41And it's really cheap, there's no one here, there's one other van.
07:44It's 4,400 yen per night for a powered site, so we've got our hookup.
07:52So we've got our electric all hooked up,
07:54which means we can run the fridge and the heater all night,
07:58the lights and everything, we can charge all of our cameras and computers,
08:02because that's what we were really struggling with.
08:05Plus there's toilets and a hot shower, which has been awesome.
08:08We toughed it out for five days on the road,
08:12and actually wasn't too bad, but
08:14the showers and the not being able to charge all that stuff
08:18was starting to get to us a little bit.
08:20And plus, it's really cheap.
08:23Like, it's less than 40 bucks per night to stay here,
08:26and look at this view.
08:32So yeah, we're going to do a bit of exploring around Hakuba.
08:34So far, we've just been driving around, going to some cafes and restaurants,
08:38checking out all the neighbourhoods.
08:40It's a really cool vibe here.
08:41It's pretty much either Japanese or Aussies.
08:46It seems to be 50-50.
08:47A lot of Aussie ski bums here, which is what we thought it would be.
08:51Oh wow, it's amazing up here.
08:54We just caught the gondola up, and
08:57the view is incredible.
08:59It's like 360 degree views of Hakuba Valley.
09:03The weather's not bad.
09:05It's a little bit overcast, but it's not too cold.
09:06I'm actually pretty warm.
09:08And I'm about to hit my first run for the day,
09:14and first run for four years.
09:17Yeah, I think it's been four years since I've got on a snowboard.
09:20We'll see how we go.
09:21We snowboarded on Hapawani, took Lila to the park,
09:24explored the Hakuba River for some amazing footage,
09:28and were even able to try our first ever Okonomiyaki restaurant.
09:33Experiencing early spring in the Japanese Alps from an RV
09:36gave us a completely new perspective on rural Japan,
09:39and we cannot recommend it enough.
09:43Choosing rural Japan instead of big cities like Osaka or Kyoto was intentional.
09:49We wanted calm, space, and freedom.
09:52Traveling in an RV gave us flexibility,
09:54and every stop showed a side of Japan most people miss.
09:58The quiet roads, the small towns,
10:00the random mountain views, riverside walks,
10:03and the hidden gems that made this 14-day journey feel like a true escape.
10:08Okay, guys, so I'm going to give you a quick tour of the inside of the camper van.
10:14It's quite small, but actually quite roomy at the same time.
10:19It has enough room for one, two, three, four,
10:23probably up to six adults, honestly, even though that would be tight.
10:27A family of two adults plus two or three kids, honestly, is perfect.
10:32So there is this top bunk,
10:34and then you've got another bunk bed here,
10:38which is good for either a full-size adult or a kid, easily.
10:43And then the bottom bunk.
10:45And then we've got, as well as the double bed over the top of the driver's seat,
10:52two bottom bunks plus the dining room here.
10:55So you've got a two or three-seater on this side,
10:59and then another two-seater on this side.
11:05It's quite big, like you've got another one, two, three, four little closets.
11:14I'd highly recommend if you're going to rent a camper van from Tokyo RV Campers,
11:20this model is definitely the go.
11:22If you've got more than two people, if you've got kids especially,
11:26but even if there's just two of you,
11:28like it's very, very roomy and has everything you need and super easy to drive.
11:32From the mountains, we rolled into Nagano City.
11:35We visited the famous Zenko G Shrine,
11:38an incredible cultural experience,
11:40before heading to the Snow Monkey Park.
11:42Watching the monkeys relax in the hot springs was truly unforgettable.
11:46Okay, we probably got here a little late.
11:48It's about 10.30, and it is absolutely packed.
11:52We were told it gets busy around lunchtime.
11:54It might get busier than earlier in springtime.
11:58Because the weather's a bit better, but yeah, there's a lot of people here.
12:01There's a lot of monkeys.
12:03They're a little bit unpredictable.
12:04Sometimes you're just walking, and they jump over the railing and run past you.
12:09Like, you're supposed to keep a good distance, but it's honestly hard sometimes.
12:14They run at you.
12:14But they seem really accustomed to people.
12:17Like, they're not jumpy or anything.
12:19Like, I'm actually looking at a woman with her two daughters.
12:23I've seen some people crouching down and getting pretty close to them.
12:27Maybe too close.
12:28Yeah, I'm not really that keen, eh?
12:30But pretty good.
12:31Only 800 yen to enter.
12:34It's a nice walk out here, and there's a really good restaurant with ramen.
12:38We're going to go check out now for a bit of a brunch.
12:42While we didn't visit any of the onsens ourselves because of Lila and Lloyd has sleeve tattoos,
12:48the town itself is famous for them.
12:50It's something we'd recommend for anyone traveling without little ones or tattoos.
12:55If you have ever thought about exploring Japan beyond the cities, this trip shows what's possible.
13:01And if you want more detail, we will be sharing full travel guides for each stop, from Mount Fuji to
13:07Hakuba.
13:08Subscribe so you don't miss them.
13:27We'll see you next time.
Comments