It’s hard to believe that we have now spent over 365 days doing full time van life in Japan as we work towards visiting all 47 Japanese prefectures in our self-converted camper van.
Our camper van in Japan road trip has ended up taking longer than we first anticipated but we have enjoyed the slow pace of travel since it has allowed us to get off the beaten path and spend more time in places we have really liked.
One thing we have noticed while overlanding Japan is that there definitely seems to be more men than women doing campervan trips in Japan.
After having conversations with many females while travelling Japan, hygiene, safety and comfort seem to be the main reasons for hesitation towards female van life.
During our time doing Japanese van life, I (Ruth) have realised a few tips and tricks which make female van life in Japan more comfortable and enjoyable. In this blog post, I’ll share my top pieces of advice after living as a full time female vanlifer in Japan.
Tips For Female Van Life Success
1. Nails
Before travelling Japan by van, I used to always have my nails done or paint them myself. There are two problems with maintaining manicures while doing a van life trip.
The first issue is that since you are always travelling to new places, you cannot return to your favourite salon and it’s time consuming to look for salons which can provide exactly what you want for a reasonable price.
The second issue is that nail polish chips easily. I feel like van life is tougher on my body compared to living inside a house or apartment.
I spend a lot of time outdoors and using my hands for jobs like collecting water, making the bed, changing batteries and washing the dishes. After 2 weeks of doing van life, I gave up on doing my nails and I only carry a nail file with me now.
2. Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a type of powder that comes in an aerosol can similar to hairspray and it dries out your hair and makes it look fresh without having to wash it.
I have used dry shampoo since I was a teenager but realised how useful it was once I started my camper van trip in Japan and it’s now one of my favourite van life goods. I have tried most of the brands of dry shampoo in Japan and the best one in my opinion is from a brand called “Refresse”.
3. Don’t Pack A Hairdryer
I packed a hairdryer when we started our van life road trip in Japan and carried it with us for one year and didn’t use it once!
It’s likely that while car camping in Japan, you will take a shower at an onsen or sento and it’s pretty much guaranteed that there will be a hairdryer provided.
Some onsens and sentos charge ¥10 for a few minutes of dryer usage which is much better than having a hairdryer take up precious space inside your small van!
4. Use A Portable Battery For Hair Straighteners
Whenever I go to an onsen during our campervan road trip, I always dry my hair and straighten it and it’ll usually stay pretty straight until the next time I visit an onsen.
Of course this is not the case if it rains or the weather is hot and humid so I need to re-straighten my hair more often.
The best way to power hair straighteners or hair curlers is to use a portable battery like the EcoFlow River Pro or the EcoFlow Delta. We are big fans of the portable batteries from the brand EcoFlow since they can power many devices at the same time and can be fully recharged in around an hour.
5. Dealing With Periods
One concern many people have about female van life is dealing with their time of the month while living in a van. My favourite method for dealing with periods and one which I used for many years prior to starting van life was to use a menstruation cup.
However, this method is not the most convenient for van life as it requires a toilet with a sink in order to remove it and this is hard to come by if always using public toilets.
The best method for dealing with periods during van life is to use tampons. Tampons are quick, easy and clean compared to using sanitary pads or a menstruation cup.
6. Hats
For those of you who watch our van life in Japan YouTube videos, you will often see me wearing hats. Hats are actually a really good way to cover your hair since some days it might be greasy as it needs to be washed or frizzy if it’s really humid.
Hats can also make an outfit look more fashionable so I definitely recommend packing some hats if you are considering a camper van trip in Japan.
7. Park Overnight Near A Toilet & Sink
When we built our campervan conversion in Japan, we didn’t include a toilet since there are so many free public toilets all over the country.
We always park overnight near a toilet with a sink and this takes away the stress of needing the toilet in the middle of the night and not having anywhere to go.
The sink can also be used for brushing teeth and washing your face before going to sleep and when you wake up in the morning.
8. Skin Care Bag
During full time van life in Japan, I carry a skin care bag which I bring with me to the bathroom each morning and night. When I first started female van life, I ended up bringing items I didn’t use, but now I have realised what I use often and all the items in my skin care bag are used on a daily basis.
A safety tip for this bag is to make it look like it’s not a wash bag, as this might make people realise you are doing female van life.
My skin care bag includes:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Make-Up Wipes
- Face Wash
- Head band
- Face Towel
- Hair Brush
- Hair Comb
- Deodorant
- Perfume
- Dry Shampoo
- Night Moisturiser
- Daytime UV Moisturiser
9. Make-Up Bag
Even if you decide to do female van life, there is no need to stop wearing make-up if this is something you enjoy! I really like wearing makeup and I carry a small make-up bag with me on our campervan trip in Japan.
To reduce luggage, the key is to keep your make-up bag simple and try and stick to a similar makeup look each day. An easy way to change the look is to change the lipstick or eyeshadow colour.
My make-up bag includes:
- Foundation
- Foundation Sponge
- Blusher
- Eyelash Curler
- Mascara
- Eyebrow Pencil
- Eyeshadow
- Lipstick
- Lip Liner
- Tweezers
- Nail File
10. Onsen Basket
If doing van life in Japan, you should definitely pack an onsen basket which you can bring with you to onsen you visit on your campervan road trip.
Some onsens include shampoo and conditioner but I find that it’s usually poor quality and I don’t like the feel of it on my hair.
I bought some cheap refillable bottles from the 100-yen store and a soap holder and I bring these with me whenever I visit an onsen.
My onsen basket includes:
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap
- Razor
- Hair Tie
- Hair Comb
- Face Masks
- Heat Protection Spray (protects hair from the heat of the hair dryer or hair straighteners)
- Towel
Female Van Life In Japan
I hope this list of tips and advice was helpful for anyone who is considering female van life in Japan or in other countries in the world.
Moving into a van after living in a house or apartment can be a big change at first but I’ve found it easy to maintain my skin care routine, my make-up and hair and hygiene by following some of the mentioned tips! Van life has been such an amazing way to explore Japan and get off the beaten path! Happy female van life!
We have made many YouTube videos about van life in Japan, check them out below!
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