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Yuru Camp△ × Yamanashi · 3 days · Rental car

Three days by car, out of Kofu

Take the limited express from Shinjuku, collect the car in front of Kofu Station and hand it back there three days later. About 160–175 km in total, all on ordinary roads. Meals get proper time rather than being squeezed between drives.

Rental period
Day 1 about 10:30 to Day 3 about 15:00 (≈52.5 hours)
Total driving
About 160–175 km
Roads
National and prefectural roads; no expressway needed
Overnight
Kofu, then Shimobe-Onsen
On this page

The three days at a glance

  1. Day 1: Kofu → Orchard Cafe → Fuefukigawa Fruit Park → Hottarakashi Onsen → overnight in Kofu
  2. Day 2: Lake Shibire → Minobu Station front → school model site → overnight in Shimobe-Onsen
  3. Day 3: Koan and Lake Motosu → the Observation Park on foot → Kofu → Shinjuku

What to book before you go

  1. A licence or permit valid in Japan

    You can only get it before you leave home, and the rental counter needs the original.

  2. Limited express seats

    Every seat on the Kaiji is reserved. Book the 8:30 from Shinjuku to Kofu on Day 1 and the 16:11 from Kofu on Day 3.

  3. A rental car at Kofu Station

    Pick up at about 10:30 on Day 1 and return to the same office at about 15:00 on Day 3. Enter it as roughly 52 and a half hours when you book.

    Trip.com lets you compare several rental companies for the same times. Search for Kofu and enter your pick-up and return dates and times; which companies and cars appear depends on the date, time and availability.

    The link below is an affiliate link: if you book through it, AnimeTrail may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which rental companies we recommend.

    Compare rental cars on Trip.com

  4. Night 1: a hotel by Kofu Station

    You drive back into Kofu at about 17:00, so check parking when you book. Dormy Inn charges ¥1,100 a night.

    Compare in the lodging guide:

  5. Night 2: a ryokan at Shimobe-Onsen

    Shimobe-Onsen has no convenience store and its restaurants close early, so book a rate with dinner or check restaurant hours first.

    Compare in the lodging guide:

  6. A day-camp booking at Koan

    You need a camping or day-camping booking to enter the lakeside at Koan. Day camping ends at 17:00.

How to read the times in this plan

Fixed time
A published departure or arrival time. Missing it changes the rest of the day.
Target
A time to aim for. Adjust when you book.
Estimate
Walking or driving time from official guidance or map apps.
Stay
Time set aside at a place.
Buffer
Spare time in case of small delays.

Day 1

The club’s day out

You follow the club’s first camp trip from episodes 4 and 5: Yamanashishi Station, where the club meets up, the hill it walks up, Fuefukigawa Fruit Park, where it eats its sweets, and Hottarakashi Onsen on the way. It is also your travel day from Tokyo, but you reach Yamanashi City by early afternoon and the rest of the day is yours.

  1. Fixed timeTrain

    Shinjuku to Kofu on the Kaiji 7

    About 1 hour 44 minutes. ¥4,000 one way (¥2,420 fare + ¥1,580 express). Every seat is reserved, so book before the day. Times follow the September 2026 timetable; check the official timetable for your own travel date.

  2. Target

    Collect the car at Kofu Station south exit

    Paperwork, walk-around inspection and loading. Both major branches are one to two minutes from the south exit. Bring the originals of your licence document and passport; copies and phone photos are not accepted.

  3. EstimateDrive

    Drive to Machi-no-Eki Yamanashi

    About 14 km on Route 140. Straightforward driving to warm up on.

    Map

  4. StaySpot

    Orchard Cafe

    A seasonal fruit parfait at the roadside station — peach, grape or strawberry depending on the month. Closed on Wednesdays.

  5. EstimateDrive

    Drive up to Fuefukigawa Fruit Park

    About 4.5 km along the Fruit Line. The climb starts here.

    Map

  6. StaySpot

    Fuefukigawa Fruit Park

    The hillside park from the group camping episode. Free parking, and the basin opens up behind you as you walk.

  7. EstimateDrive

    Continue to Hottarakashi Onsen

    About 1.5 km, a short but steep climb on a narrow road. Watch for oncoming cars.

    Map

  8. Stay

    Lunch at the onsen

    The food stands do udon, ramen and the deep-fried soft-boiled egg the series is known for. The official site states that payment on site is cash only.

  9. StaySpot

    Hottarakashi Onsen

    Two separate baths look out over the whole Kofu basin. Adults ¥900. Towels are sold on site.

  10. EstimateDrive

    Back down to Kofu

    About 15 km. Allow for late-afternoon traffic near the station.

  11. TargetLodging

    Check in near Kofu Station

    A station hotel keeps dinner and tomorrow’s departure simple. Several have hot spring baths of their own.

  12. Stay

    Dinner in front of the station

    Hoto and Kofu tori-motsu-ni are both within a few minutes on foot. Go early at weekends.

Day 2

Rin and Nadeshiko’s Yamanashi

The everyday side of the series. Lake Shibire, where Rin and Nadeshiko camp in episodes 6 and 7, in the morning; Shonin-dori in front of Minobu Station, which the club walks down after school in episode 8, at lunchtime; and the club’s school near Kai-Tokiwa Station in the afternoon. You work south through the Kyonan valley and reach Shimobe-Onsen by mid-afternoon.

  1. Stay

    Breakfast, then check out

    Eat at the hotel and get on the road before the day warms up.

  2. EstimateDrive

    Drive to Lake Shibire (Suimeiso)

    About 28 km on Route 52 and the prefectural road, which becomes a long stretch of mountain bends.

    Map

  3. StaySpot

    Lake Shibire

    A circuit of the shore is about 1.2 km and takes around 25 minutes. The terrace at Suimeiso serves the chai the prefecture’s own tourism site connects to episode 6. Car parking ¥500. The whole lake is private land: the last 600 m from the second car park is too narrow for two cars to pass, so stop there and phone Suimeiso on 055-272-1030 to check for oncoming traffic before driving in.

  4. EstimateDrive

    Drive to Minobu Station

    About 28 km: back down the prefectural road and south along the Fuji River on Route 52.

    Map

  5. StaySpot

    Eishodo and Shonin-dori

    Buy Minobu manju, then eat them on a bench by the Fuji River. Closed on Wednesdays and sells out; ¥80 each as of the December 2025 price revision.

  6. Stay

    Lunch in front of Minobu Station

    The station-front places do shiitake rice sets and yuba soba. Parking is around the station forecourt.

  7. StayWalk

    Walk the shopping street

    Local displays, souvenirs and the visitor notebooks that shops keep for people making the same trip.

  8. EstimateDrive

    Drive to the former school site

    About 12 km north on Route 52 and Route 300 towards Kai-Tokiwa.

    Map

  9. StaySpot

    The school site and Tokiwa village

    The gate, the slope the characters walk up, and the village around it. The grounds are closed to visitors: look from outside and use the marked visitor parking.

  10. EstimateDrive

    Down to Shimobe-Onsen

    About 3.5 km on the prefectural road. Your bags are in the car, so nothing here is difficult.

    Map

  11. TargetLodging

    Check in at Shimobe-Onsen

    Time for the baths, the foot bath and a walk through the old spa town before dinner.

  12. Stay

    Dinner at the ryokan

    Most rooms here come with a kaiseki dinner; the dishes vary by season and room rate. Shimobe-Onsen has no convenience store and its restaurants shut early, so book a rate with dinner or check opening hours in advance.

Day 3

Back to where it started

Lake Motosu, where Rin and Nadeshiko meet in episode 1. You cross the same pass Rin rides up on her bike, and the shore where Rin and Nadeshiko meet is a short walk from where you park. A long unhurried morning by the water, then the drive back to Kofu and the train home.

  1. Stay

    Breakfast, then check out

    Settle up and load the car. The pass takes longer than the distance suggests.

  2. EstimateDrive

    Route 300 to Lake Motosu

    About 18 km — the climb Rin rides up on her loaded bike in episode 1, with blind hairpins in both directions. Stay off the centre line, use engine braking on the descent, and expect ice from December to March.

    Map

  3. StaySpot

    Koan and the lakeshore

    Where Rin and Nadeshiko meet in episode 1, and the Mt. Fuji view from the old ¥1,000 note. The shop opens at 08:00.

  4. Stay

    Curry noodles at Koan

    What the two of them eat on the night they meet, on the terrace by the water.

  5. EstimateWalk

    Walk up to the Lake Motosu Observation Park

    About 1 km uphill along Route 300. Leave the car at Koan and walk up.

  6. StaySpot

    Lake Motosu Observation Park

    Parking and toilets, and a few steps up to the lake and Mt. Fuji together.

  7. EstimateWalk

    Walk back down to Koan

    The same 1 km, downhill this time.

  8. EstimateDrive

    Drive back to Kofu

    About 36 km on Route 139 then Route 358, through the mountains and down into the basin.

  9. Target

    Refuel and return the car

    Fill the tank at a station near Kofu, keep the receipt and hand it in with the keys. Check the cabin for belongings before you sign off; allow the full half hour.

  10. Buffer

    Kofu Station building

    Shingen mochi, Koshu wine and a coffee, all inside the station.

  11. Fixed timeTrain

    Kofu to Shinjuku on the Kaiji 40

    Every seat is reserved. Arrives 17:54 on Saturdays and holidays. Confirm your own date before booking.

Optional: the climb to Nakanokura Pass

The view on the back of the old ¥1,000 note was taken from higher up than the shore. The Ministry of the Environment describes the walk from the lakeside car park to the Nakanokura Pass viewpoint as about 30 minutes each way; with time at the top, allow 80 to 90 minutes.

Before you set off

  • Pick up around 10:30 on Day 1 and return around 15:00 on Day 3 — roughly 52 and a half hours, which is what you enter when booking.
  • No expressway is required. That does not make the driving easy: Route 300 and the approach to Lake Shibire both need care.
  • The last 600 m to Suimeiso at Lake Shibire is single-lane. Stop at the second car park and phone ahead to check for oncoming traffic.
  • Hottarakashi Onsen takes cash only. Carry cash for the mountain part of the trip.

Licence, insurance and mountain driving are in the guide

Keep planning

Official links and check date

Official links for bookings, maps and current information; recheck the details for your travel date.

Checked: Train and bus times 6 Sep 2026; facilities and fares 6 Sep 2026; lodging 6 Sep 2026