JAL launches motorhome rental service

Japanese actress and TV personality Akiko Matsumoto opened a motorhome rental franchise in Tokyo in March 2021. Her company 'Office AMS' offers 24-hour camper van rentals for 5000 yen on weekdays, which is below the market average. The business launched during the pandemic and remains minimally profitable.

A demo version for the motorhome life game Outbound has been released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The demo features exploration, motorhome customization, gardening, and cooperative play for up to four players. The full version is scheduled for release on April 23, 2026, for PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC.

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki) permit short naps but prohibit overnight stays. Approximately 50 out of 1,200 such stations have dedicated, paid RV parks where overnight parking is officially allowed. Japan has over 600 RV parks in total, including some located adjacent to 24-hour convenience stores.

A new motorhome priced from 8.5 million yen was spotted in a Tokyo public housing parking lot. Residents of such housing must meet low-income criteria, and parking spaces are typically limited to 1.8 meters wide and 5 meters long, which is smaller than many motorhomes.

The Carstay service and the Miyagahara Kogen roadside station in Nagano Prefecture have begun accepting paid reservations for 11 parking spaces for vehicle overnight stays. The booking period is from May 23 to October 31, 2026, with prices starting at 3,000 yen. This is an experiment to separately manage regular visitors and overnight vehicle users to address parking and littering issues.

The KIZUNA WORKS workshop opened on March 26, 2026, in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. It manufactures demountable shells for kei trucks, converting them into campers or mobile kitchens. The owner has years of frontline manufacturing experience in the kei car industry.