We stayed at a number of pet friendly campsites on our 2 week roadtrip in a campervan around Hokkaido. Some were basic, some had amazing facilities. Some were expensive but some were free! Let’s see what we thought were the best pet friendly campsites we stayed at in Hokkaido. The list below is ranked with the best first and the worst at the bottom of the list.
Shumaranai Campsite
Lake Shumaranai campsite was our favourite campsite of our trip. It was super cheap at ¥2,000 per night but was such an amazing location next to the lake with amazing sunrises. It also had really clean toilets, showers, coin laundry and a decent shop as well as onsite restaurant serving draught beer and food. We really couldn’t fault this campsite at all. You could also pay extra ¥1,000 for electricity which was always a godsend.
There were options to do a boat trip around the lake which we took advantage of at ¥2,000 and we got one all to ourselves, which was so great. You could choose to camp right down on the lakeside as well as plenty of space for set up on the grassy areas. We chose to set up a bit back from the lake so we were a bit higher and had a better vantage point of the lake from higher up.
Kushirocho Campsite
We only paid ¥3,180 for 2 nights here so it was super cheap. That also included electricity so even better! The electric port was a bit far away from the van. So we paid an extra ¥200 to hire a longer cable from them. Definitely worth it for AC overnight! We were given site 12 which was great as it was close to the toilets as well as the washing areas. Also, it was on the end so we wouldn’t be disturbed by others. All of the facilities were really clean with toilets, showers and coin laundry. They also had a restaurant and shop on site to buy any goods you may need.
The location was also very good as it was right on the edge of the marshlands so was a lovely view. On the evening there was a fantastic sunset also. It was just a short drive from Toro station. From here you can catch the JR Norokko special sightseeing train through the marshlands.
We enjoyed it here so was only the second place where we stayed at for more than one night.
Hobetsu Campsite
We came across Hobetsu campsite just on passing. We’d had a couple of long days of driving and just wanted a bit of a relax. With it being peak Obon holidays most campsites were full so our priority was just finding somewhere to stay. We popped in on the off chance of a space but weren’t hopeful as it looked super busy.
However, the friendly staff were great. She told us they don’t normally have spaces for campervans but we could pull up at the side of the car park next to a piece of grass and stay there. Plus it was only ¥1,000, the cheapest yet. Whilst it wasn’t a specific space for a van and had no power it did exactly what we needed it to do. And for ¥1,000 we couldn’t complain. At least we could still have a BBQ and chill out.
Even though it was in a car park we still had a nice view over the grass area. Running through the campsite was a lovely river where all the kids were happily playing. The campsite itself is actually pretty large and there were some serious campers here with amazing set ups. Toilets were very clean, it had an on site shop that sold everything you needed, albeit a bit expensive (eg 6 cans of beer were ¥2,100) so best to bring your own. But as we hadn’t expected to stop so soon we still bought some food and drinks here.
Even though we didn’t get any power, we were able to fill up the water tanks at no extra cost so that was great too. Whilst not really set up for campervans, this is a great site for setting up a tent and super good price too!
Marine View Iwanai
We came across Marine View Iwanai after we tried a few campsites in Niseko and Hirafu which were all full. But it wasn’t far to Marine View so you are still only a short drive to the main areas of Niseko if needed. Thankfully Marine View had availability and a spot with power. This was however, the most expensive campsite we stayed at ¥7,500 per night. With that though, we got power and the spot was really nice. We were on the lower level of the campsite so didn’t have as good a view as some of the other higher spots. If you can, I recommend to go for the spots higher up as they had great views. Toilets were clean and not so far away. There were kitchen areas to wash your utensils out too. There was a lot of grassy areas to walk and gallop. Showers were available in the main building but we didn’t use them. A shop is also available to buy any items you may have forgotten.
Asobabu Shiraoi
Asobabu was one of the most expensive sites we stayed at ¥6,500 per night with no power. The toilets and showers were really clean and the nicest on the whole trip. However, they were really far away from the auto site. The weather was poor on the night we stayed so we didn’t get to do it justice. There was supposedly a nice river you could go down to and some nice areas to walk around but because of the weather we didn’t get to enjoy them. My full review can be found here.
Shizen Yamabe Park Furano
We were really struggling to find a place to stay in Furano & Biei area and everywhere we tried was either full or no pets allowed. When we had almost given up, at the final campsite the guy told us about Shizen Yamabe park which was a free campsite. We wearily drove another 30 minutes until we got there. It was indeed a free campsite which was perfect! For a campervan we had to park in the car park but that was fine for us, we just wanted somewhere to set up a BBQ. It was pretty busy and there were only a couple of parking spaces left so we got there just in time.
There was a lot of grass space for people to set up tents and they had small cooking facilities too. There were flushing toilets which all reviews said were a bit smelly and they weren’t wrong. But hey, it was free so what can you expect?! There were signs at the entrance of recent bear sightings which made us a bit nervous, especially when BBQ’ing but thankfully we didn’t see any.
I wouldn’t personally come back here, I’d prefer to go to a michi no eki but when we were weary and wanted a BBQ it did perfectly fine.
Sunayu Campsite
After a lot of searching for a campsite around the Lake Masshu area, we came across Sunayu. Originally when we arrived we parked in the large car park across from the lake. But when we went to the toilet there were signs everywhere saying no sleeping in your car overnight. When we went across to the campsite area there was no option for campervans. So we went to the check in booth and asked where we could stay. The guy in the booth pointed to us to the car park for the campers who had paid for camping and said we could go there but didn’t charge us.
Upon entering that car park it said car park was for campers only. So we didn’t really feel too comfortable staying there and we weren’t able to do a BBQ either. Whilst we didn’t get any ticket or fine for staying overnight we were a bit on edge that we were going to despite being told we could go there. It would have been much better had they just charged us for staying there or in the big car park. There was one other campervan that did stay overnight in the big car park and didn’t seem to get a ticket either. But the signs really put us off. I think this campsite is made more for actual camping in tents than for a campervan.
Otaru Boyo Auto Campsite
We were really struggling to find a campsite and it was getting late. Everywhere we tried was fully booked until we came across Otaru Boyo. It was an extremely basic campsite which was just one big field at the bottom of a ski jump. There were only 2 other campers there the whole night which seemed strange given everywhere else was totally full (it was Obon holidays).
It cost ¥4,700 which was a bit of a rip off to be honest. It did have access to toilets which were fine enough but not great and a kitchen inside to wash dishes. But that was it. Compared to some of the other places we stayed I don’t feel this really offered anything for the price. You could buy small items such as charcoal and firelighters. Although there was nothing in terms of food other than vending machine drinks. A bit unique at the bottom of a ski jump but I wouldn’t be rushing back here. It did the job for 1 night but a Michi no Eki probably would have been a better option.
Kima Nep Campsite
Kima Nep campsite was located right on the edge of Lake Saroma. It’s renowned for amazing sunsets. Unfortunately, the night we stayed was after a typhoon so it wasn’t quite as good as it could have been. The campsite itself is free which is great and there is quite a large grassy area with plenty of space to pitch up a tent. There is adecent sized car park for campervans overlooking the lake. However, after we set up our BBQ we were strictly told by the manager we couldn’t do one. Which kind of defeats the purpose of a campsite. He told us we could do one in the designated BBQ area which was a row of sinks and really not what camping is about. It was strange though as those camping on the grass seemed to be doing BBQ’s. Which was worse than doing on the concrete. But hey, we don’t make the rules and abided by them!
Whilst it was free and did have access to showers, we would have just stayed at a michi no eki had we known we wouldn’t have been allowed to do a BBQ.
Woof woof, Wylie x
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