Campervan, RV & Vanlife News

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles announced UK prices and specifications for the updated California on 4 November 2026 and opened orders the same day. First deliveries are due in early 2027.

A camper van overnight stay took place at the Umanose viewpoint on Mount Jatoge in Achi, Nagano Prefecture, an area known for some of Japan's darkest skies. The trip was made on 6 October. The trailhead car park is free, holds about 10 vehicles and has no toilets or water, at an altitude of around 1,600 m. The access road has steep gradients and narrow sections. Despite a clear forecast, cloud cover at 2am blocked the stars. The camper observed sunrise and a sea of clouds the next morning.

An owner has described two years of overnight stays in a Nissan Caravan Grand Premium GX without a dedicated bed kit. The five-seat van has a 2,400 cc diesel engine and was bought for about 5.5 million yen. The load area measures 3,050 mm from the front seats to the rear door, 1,275 mm in height and 1,370 mm in width. The owner uses a 10 cm mattress and minimal equipment: window shades, an insect net, a fan and a 500 W Jackery portable power station. Average fuel consumption is about 11.5 km/l.

A female camper van traveller stayed at Hillbilly Camping in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, by Lake Hinuma. The campsite is known for being hard to book due to its location on the shore of a rare brackish lake and about 90 minutes from Tokyo. The site has 8 pitches with electric hook-ups where vehicles can be parked next to tents, plus showers, toilets and a dressing room. Group use is limited to 3 guests, and one basket of firewood is provided per pitch on arrival.

A modified camper based on the Toyota HiAce Super Long by Nuts RV has been shown. The vehicle features Fabless air suspension and Ohlins shock absorbers, which significantly lower the body. It runs 19×10.5J front and 19×11.5J rear wheels with a minus 3 offset and 30 mm rear spacers. Braking is upgraded with a 415 Cobra kit and yellow calipers. The interior includes a Nardi steering wheel, Recaro seats and an Alpine audio system.

The Nagoya Camping Car Fair has opened in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, with around 170 motorhomes and caravans from Japanese and foreign manufacturers on display. An electric motorhome is shown at the event for the first time; it uses the vehicle's traction battery to power household appliances such as air conditioning and a television while parked. A representative of the Japan RV Association said this removes the need for a separate leisure battery. The fair runs until 8 November.

Hyakuninhama Auto Campsite in Erimo, Hokkaido, ends its season on 30 November. The site trialled winter operation last season but will remain closed this winter. A new season is scheduled to open around 20 March 2027. Irregular winter events are under consideration, with details to be announced on the official Instagram. The campsite offers electric hook-up pitches, free pitches and bungalows, with showers and a bathing facility within walking distance.

A family of four travelled around the Kansai region in a Toyota HiAce camper van over three days, spending two nights sleeping in the vehicle. The first night was at the Nishinomiya-Nashio service area car park on the Chugoku Expressway, the second at the Senri-Chuo Park car park. The itinerary included KidZania Koshien, the Expo Oyu hot spring and the Cup Noodles Museum in Ikeda, where the children made their own noodle cup combinations. The author says the camper van's mobility made the trip possible.

DRIMO has published a guide to three motorhome stopovers in eastern Hokkaido that offer access to hot spring baths. The list covers Toge-no-Yu Bihoro in Bihoro, Oketo Katsuyama Onsen Yu:yu in Oketo and Akan Tancho-no-Sato in the Akan area of Kushiro. All three sites are next to hot spring facilities or allow bathers to use them. The article was published on 6 November 2026 as part of a partnership with DRIMO.

Toy Factory will show the models presented at the Nagoya camping car fair at its Gifu flagship store: LAIKA KOSMO, Porta Genova, the Ducato range and the Kia PV5. Visits require a booking.

A husband in a family of four wants to buy a used camper van for 3 million yen to reduce travel expenses. The family spends about 150,000 yen on a two-night trip. According to the calculation, more than 20 trips would recoup the purchase, but maintenance costs also apply.

From 30 October, Lawson began offering paid motorhome stopovers at store car parks in Oita, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. In Oita the service is available at four stores in Hiji, Kusu, Saiki and Nakatsu. This is the first rollout of the Lawson RV Park service in the Kyushu region. A pilot project started in July 2025 at a Lawson car park in Chiba Prefecture, after which the service expanded to Saitama, Shizuoka and Aichi.

The manager of Kakamigahara Civic Sports Park in Gifu Prefecture confirmed by phone on 15 October 2026 that a one-night stay in a car is acceptable. A reporter stayed overnight from 20 to 21 October in a Mazda CX-5 XD Exclusive Mode on the rear car park, which is free and close to convenience stores. The manager asked visitors to avoid long idling, long rest periods, multiple consecutive nights and pitching tents. The park is not a dedicated overnight facility, and formal parking hours and rules have not been published.

Kazu Creation has released a partition curtain kit under the Atrash brand for sleeping in cars. ABS mounts fit into the gap in the trim at the top of the B-pillar without drilling. The manufacturer says fitting the mounts takes about 5 minutes. The kit covers the Toyota HiAce 200 Series from 2004, Nissan Caravan E26 from 2012, Toyota Noah/Voxy 80 and 90 Series, Nissan Serena C26/C27, Toyota Alphard 30 Series and Suzuki Every DA17. The curtain uses 99% light-blocking fabric to screen the cabin from outside view.

From 13 November Lawson will open motorhome stopovers at store car parks in Tokyo, Kanagawa, four Shikoku prefectures and Miyagi for the first time. The network will reach 75 stores.

A family of four spends about ¥150,000 on a two-night trip. A used motorhome costing ¥3m would pay for itself after around 15 trips, but running costs also need to be counted.

Japanese converter Anex has added the Kanure Comfort to its Kanure range. The camper van is based on the Nissan NV200 Vanette and offers a 2,000 mm bed, a covered sink and a pop-top version that sleeps four.

The Japan RV Association has added 23 new RV Park motorhome stopovers, 13 of them at Lawson convenience store car parks. By the end of October 2026 there were 735 such sites nationwide.

The owner of a Retreat Anniversary camper van based on a narrow-body, standard-roof Toyota HiAce has drawn up an interior refit plan with the help of AI. The aim is to keep the wooden finish and solve two problems: no walk-through from the cab to the living area, and a passage and bed blocked by a portable toilet and gear. The plan includes a walk-through aisle, a new kitchen unit 34 cm high, 90 cm wide and 40 cm deep with a built-in sink and microwave, and upgraded electrics: power from a portable station, a solar panel and a fan. The AI-generated images needed repeated corrections, and the owner spent about a week refining the layout.

The YouTube channel Dentan has shown a Daihatsu Atrai camper van converted into a Japanese-style room. An igusa rush mat was laid in the cabin; the material naturally regulates humidity and keeps the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. For more comfort, the owner suggests thick tatami mats or modular tatami, along with a bamboo table and wooden accessories. He reads and eats dessert in the evening and cooks pork soup on a gas burner in the morning. The video presents an accessible way to create a Japanese atmosphere in a compact camper van without major modifications.