Japanese people love to soak in warm spring water baths called onsen. They are an amazing option to stay clean while travelling by camper in Japan, but it's not the only one. We'll also cover how you can wash your clothes in coin laundries.

Washing yourself

Onsen

Japan has a ton of onsen across the country. An onsen is a hot spring bath, and the cost to access it can range from 200 to 1,000 JPY. Showers or cleansing areas are found in between the changing area and the actual onsen. Sit on small stools and wash with the shower or small bucket provided and make sure there’s no trace of soap left. You can then enjoy the bath and rinse after.

Some big hotels or traditional inns (ryokan) that have onsen allow "higaeri onsen" (day‑trip hot spring). You can enjoy the onsen of the hotel without being a guest there.

You should note that many onsen prohibit people with tattoos from visiting them.

Onsen are an amazing way to stay hot during colder months too. After soaking for 20 minutes in thermal water your body will keep warm for the night.

Kaikatsu clubs

Kaikatsu Club is a major Japanese internet cafe chain that offers a variety of relaxation and entertainment services, including private rooms, computers, manga, and sometimes amenities like karaoke, billiards, and showers. It's a popular spot for budget travelers, students, and locals who need a place to relax, work, or even spend the night in a private, secure space. They can also be used just as a place to shower. Kaikatsu clubs are fantastic—you can be in and out in 15 minutes and it costs around ¥200–300 each.

Beach showers

Some of the beach toilets offer showers (paid or free). They are usually only open during the summer season (but might be open year‑round near surf spots).

Campgrounds

Most campgrounds do have showers and some even have partnerships with nearby onsen.

Pools

Public pools can be a good option to get a shower and a bath around big cities.

Washing your clothes

Japan has a lot of coin laundries (also called laundromat). You can find them by typing "Coin laundry" in google maps in the area you are located. In the countryside, many coin laundries have parkings. You won't need to bring your own detergent. Just put your clothes in the machine, insert coins and you are set. Some coin laundries offer machines that wash and dry in one go, sometimes you'll need to do your washing in one and then use a seperate machine for drying. A full wash and dry will cost approximatively 900 JPY.

The coin laundries place do have basket to carry your laundry around and tables to fold your clothes.

Here is a video so you can see how a coin laundry looks like and how to use it:

NOTE: It is not necessary to stay all the the time in the laundry and you can just park, drop your clothes in the machine and come back when it is finished.