Two months, one campervan, one baby. We start warm in Kyushu in March, ride the sakura front north, and park somewhere quiet when Golden Week hits. Play with the sliders — every choice changes the price.
South to north, ~2,500–3,000 km over 8 weeks. Dots turn pink where we should catch peak blossom.
Stylized map — stop positions are geographically accurate, coastlines are not.
Warmest region in March. Yatai street food, onsen capital, volcano caldera roads.
First sakura. Dogo Onsen (3,000 years old), then remote gorges with almost no tourists.
Peak blossom in Kyoto (we park outside and train in), then old-town Takayama in the mountains.
Fuji with blossoms, then Japan's best sakura park in Aomori — blooming exactly as Golden Week starts, far from the crowds.
All prices per month, for the three of us. Slide things around — the totals update everywhere.
Long-term rental. The deal you found is ~¥19,950/day; budget vans start near ¥10,000.
Campers burn ~9 L/100 km, gas ~¥175/L. Free national roads keep tolls near zero.
Konbini breakfasts, ramen/teishoku lunches, dinners out — plus van-cooking nights and the occasional splurge.
A real bed, a long bath, laundry done, baby space to crawl. Business-hotel family rooms run ¥10–14k.
Day-use onsen and sento are the van-life shower: ¥800–1,500 per adult, baby free.
Fixed, roughly: laundry ¥8k, occasional paid campsite ¥6k, city parking ¥6k, diapers & baby supplies ¥12k.
What things actually cost, and how our sliders change the monthly bill. Prices are per person unless marked.
| Everyday | ¥ each | How often | ₪/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast — konbini onigiri, sandwich, coffee, or café morning set | ¥600 | daily × 2 | |
| Lunch — ramen, teishoku set, kaiten sushi, curry | ¥1,200 | daily × 2 | |
| Dinner out — izakaya, gyoza, donburi, family restaurant | ¥2,000 | nights × 2 | |
| Van cooking — supermarket groceries (total for all of us) | ¥1,600 | nights | |
| Splurges | |||
| Fancy meal — kaiseki, omakase sushi, quality wagyu yakiniku | ¥8,000 | × × 2 | |
| Extras | |||
| Coffee, snacks, vending machines, konbini ice cream | ~¥1,000/day total | ||
| Baby food & snacks | ~¥400/day | ||
| Food total per month | |||
Per month, at the current slider settings.