– Now Relaunched Under a New Vision to Expand Camper Van / RV Sharing via Carstay, Aiming to Address Accommodation Shortages and Transport Challenges in Rural Noto –

INAKA Backpacker House, a unique RV and van life-friendly RV spot in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan — known for offering long-stay-friendly “Livable RV Parking Space” experiences – has officially reopened following major structural damage caused by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake 2024. As travel picks up again this spring, the site relaunches under a renewed concept, welcoming van lifers and RV travelers from around the world.

Partnering with Carstay Inc., Japan’s leading van life platform offering RV sharing, overnight RV parking spots, and RV customization / manufacturing services, the initiative aims to support the broader recovery and revitalization of the Oku-Noto region (covering Anamizu, Suzu, Noto, and Wajima). With a focus on travelers who live and journey in their camper vans, the reopened site will serve as a dual-purpose RV stay and auto-campground—helping address the acute shortage of accommodations and limited local transportation options across areas such as Anamizu, Suzu, Noto, and Wajima.

Following the demolition of its earthquake-damaged main house, the INAKA Backpacker House site has expanded its RV parking capacity from 4 to 10 spaces. With this relaunch, it will also scale up its RV car-sharing operations via the Carstay platform.

INAKA Backpacker House now operates as a social hub for travelers—particularly RV and van life enthusiasts — who seek new lifestyles and meaningful community. It is being reimagined as a Van Life Station, where travelers can live, work, and explore on the road.

Facilities available include:

– Kitchen

– Shower & toilets

– Workspaces with Wi-Fi and monitors

– Shared social spaces

Van lifers can “dock” their mobile homes to the house, making full use of essential amenities for both daily living and remote work.

The house can also serve as a domicile base for long-term travelers exploring Japan by van, offering a stable address while maintaining a mobile lifestyle.

Pricing:

– RV overnight stay: from ¥4,000 / night (utilities extra)

– Monthly long-term stay: from ¥26,000 / month

– RV car sharing via Carstay: from ¥14,500 / 24 hours (insurance & fees apply)

Reservations can be made via the Carstay platform (here), where both overnight stays and vehicle rentals are managed.

Going forward, INAKA Backpacker House will operate under a new vision focused on community, flexibility, and post-disaster regional revitalization through the lens of van life.

New concept image and logo of INAKA Backpacker House, reopening as a hub for travelers seeking authentic, backpacker-style community and connection.

Expanding Services to Tackle Oku-Noto’s Regional Challenges

INAKA Backpacker House plans to increase its fleet of RVs from one to three and will roll out the following initiatives to help address growing concerns in the Oku-Noto region:

1. Addressing Accommodation Shortages:

To combat the lack of available lodging, Carstay-shared RVs will serve as mobile hotel rooms parked on-site—available for budget-friendly, no-frills overnight stays. Guests can reserve RVs in advance through Carstay’s platform, enabling low-cost travel options for those visiting the region. (Use the “Contact the Host First” option on Carstay’s listing page)

RV HIACE mobile room – here
RV TOWNACE mobile room – here

2. Enhancing Local Tourism & Mobility:

In addition to traditional transport like trains, travelers can use RVs as private “moving homes” or “mobile hotels,” enabling flexible travel, work, and sleep on the go. By offering RV delivery to local hubs like Anamizu Station or Noto Airport, this initiative also aims to alleviate the lack of public transport deeper into the peninsula. The result: improved tourism access and disaster recovery support throughout Oku-Noto.

RV HIACE – here
RV TOWNACE – here

3. Multi-Purpose Shelter Use:

While RVs are used for leisure during peak travel seasons, they can also serve as emergency mobile shelters during natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes or heavy rains). Carstay will operate these RVs as multipurpose disaster-response vehicles when needed.

Medium to Long-Term Stays: A Hub for Nomadic Travelers

4. RV Parking Spot
In rural areas facing challenges such as a lack of accommodations and limited local transportation, RVs offer both mobility and lodging—addressing both issues at once and enabling seamless travel. To support these RV travelers, INAKA Backpacker House has reopened as a fully equipped RV-friendly site in Oku-Noto. In addition to essential amenities such as electricity, toilets, and showers, guests have access to a kitchen, a communal gathering space, and a co-working area—everything needed for a comfortable and connected stay. For reservation, click here.

5. Van Life Station:

Reopened as a “Van Life Station,” INAKA Backpacker House provides medium to long-term parking and community access. Travelers can stay from 7 to 30+ days, with monthly rates starting at ¥26,000 (for stays of 15–30 days) or ¥18,000 (7–15 days). Parked RVs serve as the traveler’s “room,” with shared access to all household and work amenities. (Inquiries via chat on the Carstay site.)

Additional Projects for Community and Traveler Engagement

6. Remote Workspaces:

The facility offers reservable workspaces with Wi-Fi and desks for van lifers and locals alike.

7. Kitchen Car Pop-Ups & Mobile Shops:

Parking spaces are also available for food trucks and mobile businesses, creating a vibrant community space for locals and travelers.

8. Share House & Office Rentals:

For those exploring relocation to Noto, short-term accommodations (1–2 months, extendable upon consultation) are available from ¥30,000/month. These serve as combined residential and office spaces, conveniently located just 20 minutes from Noto Airport and roughly 80 minutes from Tokyo via plane (from Noto Airport to Haneda Airport, it takes 45min).

This conceptual illustration of INAKA Backpacker House presents the vision for the facility in the top left, depicting what the space aims to become. The top right shows how travelers can explore the Noto Peninsula by RV with INAKA Backpacker House as their base. The bottom left introduces the idea of a Vanlife Station, designed to support long-term travelers. Lastly, the bottom right provides a glimpse into the interior facilities available at the house.

Legacy, Earthquake Response & Growth Outlook

Since launching as Carstay’s first-ever overnight vehicle-stay spot in January 2019, INAKA Backpacker House has hosted over 1,200 van lifers and RV travelers.

Following the January 2024 earthquake, the site played a vital role as a temporary RV base and Carstay relay point, supporting volunteer workers, local businesses, disaster response crews, and media organizations with shared office space and mobile accommodation.

During Japan’s Obon holidays in August 2024, the site welcomed 15–20 guests daily. They enjoyed Oku-Noto’s calm bays with seaside BBQs and parties on a boat, creating lasting experiences centered around community and recovery.

Though the original guesthouse was demolished in September 2024 due to structural damage, a full renovation of the remaining garage space was completed including new restrooms, showers, kitchen, solar power, and large-capacity batteries—paving the way for a full reopening in spring 2025.

During the 2025 Golden Week holidays, around 15 travelers—including van lifers and Carstay RV renters from across Japan—used the site. Summer travel inquiries have already begun to pour in.

Shota Suzuki (from Kanagawa), a horse-racing content creator on YouTube, working, living, and traveling in a campervan (“Kei Vanlife”). Stayed: April 30 – May 1

As of 2024, Japan had over 165,000 registered RVs (Japan RV Association). With growing interest in mobile, self-sufficient travel, demand continues to rise. Independent research estimates that over 1 million people in Japan engage in vehicle-based travel or van life, a trend expected to grow further with the advancement of EVs and self-driving technologies.

To prepare for this future, INAKA Backpacker House became Japan’s first long-stay “live-in parking lot” in December 2019, and continues to evolve as demand for “mobile hotels” and alternative lifestyles expands.

Jiro Nakanishi (from Kanagawa) and Nguyen Do Quynh Trang (from Vietnam), a YouTuber couple known as “Chanjiro Fufu,” exploring potential relocation spots while traveling Japan by campervan. Stayed: May 1 – 3.

They enjoyed fresh Noto oysters and edited their videos at the facility’s workspace before heading to their next destination.

Before the earthquake, Oku-Noto had around 150 lodging facilities—now reduced by more than half. Carstay and INAKA Backpacker House aim to revitalize tourism and local economies by expanding the network of vehicle-based stays and mobile accommodations.

Special Campaign for Spring 2025
As part of a special campaign for the spring travel season, the first 20 guests who purchase Noto oysters through INAKA Backpacker House will receive a complimentary pack of HOHOHOTAKE — a rare and delicately flavored mushroom known as the “phantom fungus” or “cauliflower mushroom.” (Produced in Shimada, Shizuoka by OIGAWA ELECTRIC)

A family from Chiba enjoyed sightseeing around the Noto Peninsula in a truck-based campervan. Visited on May 3

A family from Tokyo arrived via Noto Airport, rented a campervan at INAKA Backpacker House, and explored the Noto Peninsula while enjoying local seafood including oysters. Stayed: May 3 – 5

Mr. Katsuki Takeoka, a former Japan Air Self-Defense Force member from Aichi, who helped clean up the facility after the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, revisited the area.

He stayed overnight in his campervan, enjoyed conversations in the community space, toured the peninsula, and departed toward Hokkaido.

The shared community space inside INAKA Backpacker House

Shower/bathroom inside the facility

Changing area and wash basin

Toilet facilities

Washing machine

Kitchen

Microwave and rice cooker

Second floor share house rooms and office space

Walking trail from INAKA Backpacker House to the sea

View from the seaside walking trail

About INAKA Backpacker House

– Address: 927-0008 Ta-31 Kawashiri, Anamizu-machi, Hōsu-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan (Map here)

– Opened: January 2019

– How to Reserve:

Click here to book the overnight parking spot (RV stay)

Click here to book the campervan and RV

– Contact Info: +81-80-4476-1106 / inaka.backpacker.japan@gmail.com

– More Info: Click here

About the Owner:
Ikuma Nakagawa (Born January 1979 in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Graduated from the University of Oregon in 2001.
After working in a public relations agency and at Sony Corporation (now Sony Group), he began traveling Japan’s rural regions in October 2010 in search of a lifestyle outside the city.
In May 2013, he moved from Kamakura to Iwaguruma, a rural village in Anamizu with a population of about 120 people.
In January 2019, he opened “INAKA Backpacker House,” a multipurpose RV / campervan-friendly share house.
As a freelancer and sole proprietor, he is involved in PR, writing, blogging, website production, countryside experiences, support for promoting local produce, and more.

About Carstay Inc.

Carstay Inc. is a startup promoting Japan’s largest “vanlife” lifestyle under the mission: “Stay Anywhere, Anytime. A world where anyone can spend time wherever, whenever, and with whoever they like.”

Carstay offers:

– RV park space-sharing services (since January 2019)

– Campervan and outdoor vehicle carsharing (since June 2020)

– Tent-equipped outdoor car sharing (planned for December 2024)

As of now:

– Around 300 RV stay spots across Japan

– About 500 registered campervans and outdoor vehicles

– In October 2022, the company also launched “Mobi Lab,” a DIY space and workshop for manufacturing, customizing, and repairing campervans.

Website: https://carstay.jp/