Information for a completely off the beaten path camping grounds, with cabins, in Ohtawara City, Tochigi. The campsite is known as both Yukemuri Fureai no Oka Camping Ground and / or Yuuyuu Cabins and Campsite and the hot spring is Yasuragi no Yu. It is a really quiet campsite ideal for a group of families as it doesn’t seem to be that well known. Thus, in our experience, it was relatively easy to book for a few families to camp together. Disclaimer: our visit was almost three years ago, in the summer of 2018. I wrote about the campsite and the hot spring separately on City-cost at the time, but this is the first chance I’ve had to share on this blog.
Off the beaten path camping in Ohtawara
My friend found this completely off the beaten path camping ground in the Ohtawara area of Tochigi. I have no idea how! But I am so glad she did. It is very different to any campsite I’ve ever stayed in in Japan, because it is grass. Like plush grass, not trodden once-was-grass-now-is-soil type grass. But beautiful manicured lawn, lush bouncy grass. It was very comfortable to sleep on!
Yukemuri Fureai no Oka
The campsite goes by a few different names. Why is that so popular in Japan!? The most common, and easy to remember, is Yuuyuu Cabins and Campsite. However, the official name is Yukemuri Fureai no Oka. Some people also refer to it as the name of the hot spring on site: Yasuragi no Yu.
Yuuyuu Cabins and Campsite
Yuuyuu is quite unlike any campsite we have stayed in over the years. I think the main reason is the atypical scenery. For one, the tent sites are on plush green grass. Not the usual hard wiry grass of Saitama, but plush, soft and very comfortable to sleep on grass! To be honest, the grass reminded me of home. And it wasn’t the only thing that reminded me of home. The campsite is beside a dairy farm with cows just like the ones at home in Ireland.
Also, as the facilities are off to one side a good bit away from the tent area, it feels less like a campsite and more like a lawn where you can camp! The toilets in this area are squatters, which reminds you that you are indeed camping! However, in the hot springs they have Western style toilets that campers can use without paying the entrance fee to the spring. In addition, there is no sites that have an electrical outlet, so this type of campsite is actually quite wild. But exceptionally affordable at only 2000 yen per site. The sites are not mapped out, so first come, first served.
Cabins
We did not stay in the cabins, but they look very nice. Furthermore, they come with a fridge, air conditioning, microwave and some kitchen utensils. Moreover, they have a TV in them, which is actually quite rare – in our experience anyway – for cabins in this type of campsite. They have cabins for up to five people, up to six people and large ones that fit up to ten people. You can actually rent them for day use only too.
The park
The park is quite small, but it seems to be part of a larger park which is on the far side of the road. At the campsite, there is some nice water features, a few statues, a nice little playground, a sand pit and a little stream suitable for paddling feet in. There’s also an outdoor stage for when the campsite has events. There was lots of bugs and wildlife thanks to the ruralness of the site.
There’s also a whole other resort, “Nasu Sports Park“, on the far side of the road, less than a few hundred meters south as the crow flies. However, the entrance is quite a distance away due to the set up. That resort has lots of facilities, not just sports facilities. It also has a hot spring. Moreover, they have cabins.
Yasuragi no Yu hot spring
The hot spring at this off the beaten path camping site in Tochigi is small and basic. However, the hot spring water is famous for its quality. Moreover, it is an ideal hot spring for just freshening up while camping. The main custom is from locals. There is both an indoor and outdoor spring in both the male and female quarters. There is shampoo and body soap in the springs, but they do not provide towels or yukata. There are two very small rest areas of tatami in the communal area. One has a TV. They have an ice-cream and drinks vending machine here. You can buy beer from one of the vending machines. There are some foot massage machines in the lobby.
Yasuragi no Yu is very affordable costing only 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for primary school aged children and seniors. Under six year old children can use for free.
Information
| Address: | 5-776 Yuzukami, Otawara, Tochigi 324-0403. View on Google Maps. |
| Phone: | +81287982141 |
| Season: | Not specified |
| Hours: | Check in for the tent sites is 1 pm and 3 pm for the cabins. Check out is 11 am for the tent site and 10 am for the cabins. |
| Cost: | 2000 yen for a tent site. Cabins range from 15,000 – 25,000 yen for an overnight stay and from 5000 to 10,000 yen for day use. As of 2021. |
| Online: | Official web page on the Ohtwara City website |
Access
This off the beaten path camping area in Ohtawara city is about a 40 minute drive from the Yaita Interchange of the Tohoku Expressway. Another campsite accessible from the Yaita Interchange is Santa Hills, where it is Christmas all year round! The Kita Kanto Kuroiso Interchange is about a 35 minute drive from the campsite. A city loop bus stops at the hot spring. However, it is very infrequent.
Editor’s note: this post was temporarily offline accidentally during the big website changes in September 2021.
the places in nature you can go on Japan… so splendid!
Are there places to have an open fire?
Are there any cooking facilities?
Surprisingly, we were actually able to have a fire anywhere at that time, three years ago. I was quite surprised they allowed it on their beautiful grass. It has been three years though so it may have changed, I’d recommend ringing them – they don’t have it on their website. As for cooking facilities – not really. There is a small area for washing dishes, but it doesn’t have counter space. It is a bit away from the camping area too.