A couple of people posted about camping in Japan across Reddit, not just r/JapanTravel or r/JapanTravelTips.
Camping is allowed in **designated** areas. Most, if not all, require reservations. Some are free. Some are not. It depends. National Parks have designated camp areas and anything outside those designated camp areas is **illegal**.
I noticed some would say hide in the wilderness and camp plus to keep a low profile. Um. No. Please don’t do that for the following reasons:
1. Some areas are actually near active volcanos which are dormant for a while. If there is any activity or eruption, you may be in the hot zone. And worse, no one knows you are there.
2. Some are riverbeds. They don’t look like riverbeds in the day because there’s a dam nearby. And if the dam releases the water at a certain time on a certain night when one decides to camp there…that’s not good.
3. Fire. Most camp sites don’t even allow you to start your own fire possibly since camping is undertaken during summer periods. What the Japanese fear is fire running through the forest and then their houses.
4. Risk of landslips during earthquake or rain. Most campsites are selected to reduce the risk of a free live burial from the Japanese mountains.
5. Someone’s private land and owners may shoo you off. Most are nice enough not to call the police if you pack up right away but that doesn’t mean you can try their patience.
Japan isn’t full of cute sanrio creatures. Wild boars, aggro monkeys and bears are not fun to deal with. Well, the leeches and mosquitoes will thank you for your blood donation. And the black flies will thank you for your flesh. The Asian giant hornets are the biggest a\*\*holes with the mamushi – those pit vipers can kill. They have a kill count every year. and they are very small. The mamushi are known for invading tents for warmth.
At least at campsites, there are some resident managers or occasional patrols may be undertaken for the unmanned ones. You would have some help at hand.
So please don’t go wild camping. Use the designated spots.
by sarpofun