When it comes to Yamanashi Prefecture locations, one anime stands out — Yuru Camp, a.k.a. Laid-Back Camp.

Without Yuru Camp, many anime fans wouldn’t know that this rural, inland, and mountainous prefecture even existed.

That’s understandable, because Yamanashi isn’t as touristy as Hakone (Kanagawa) or Nikko (Tochigi). But Yamanashi does feature the scenic and natural “backside” of Mt. Fuji.

Let’s explore this prefecture, and the anime series that put it on the map.

About Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi (山梨) Prefecture sits above coastal Shizuoka Prefecture (where Yuru Camp‘s Nadeshiko came from). It is part of the Chubu (“Central”) Region of Japan, which doesn’t include either Tokyo (Kanto) or Osaka (Kansai).

It’s known for the Fuji Five Lakes, or Fuji-goko (富士五湖) — Kawaguchi-ko, Motosu-ko, Sai-ko, Shoji-ko, and Yamanaka-ko.

Of the five lakes, Motosu is closest to Minobu, the hometown for Yuru Camp.

Tips for Visiting Yamanashi Anime Locations

Because Yamanashi is rural and mountainous, it’s not the easiest prefecture to get around.

The Yuru Camp girls do a lot of hiking, but you have other options. Many of the campsites can be reached by bus. Some locations are also accessible by train (with some walking). However, train and bus schedules can be limited, so check before you go.

In addition, Yamanashi tourism officials are well aware of their prefecture’s status as an anime pilgrimage site. They’ve even done some official collaborations with the anime series.

Although renting a scooter to explore Yamanashi Prefecture sounds fun, you’ll need an international driving permit. Remember that they drive on the left — the opposite of the United States. And good luck finding a Yamaha Vino like Rin Shima’s.

Given the area’s windy roads, a city bus or sightseeing bus would be more practical.

Motosu High School, Minobu

In the anime, the main characters go to school here. It’s a typical Japanese high school.

In real life, the school is based on a now-closed school in the Minobu area.

It’s not Minobu High School; that’s a different school. Instead, it’s a former Minobu municipal elementary and middle school. When Minobu merged with the nearby town of Shimobe in 2004, the school became Minobu Choritsu Shimobe Chugakko (身延町立下部中学校).

The school closed in 2016. But if you are lucky, you may be there when they open it to the public for special events.

Just like in the show, the school is up on a hill. It overlooks the town, which sits in a river valley.

Here’s the site on Google Maps. See below for more details:

Kai-Tokiwa Station, Minobu

Kai-Tokiwa (甲斐常葉) Station is the nearest station to Motosu High School. It’s on the JR Minobu Line from Fuji (Shizuoka) to Kofu, the capital of Yamanashi.

If you walk from the station to the old school, you should recognize some of the buildings from Yuru Camp. According to Google Maps, it’s about 11 minutes on foot.

If you walk up Prefectural Route 419 (県道419号) to the school, the locals have put helpful anime signs marking the way.

Even if you don’t walk all the way to the school, you should walk across the bridge over the Tokiwa River near the station. That’s where a Google Street View “camera car” caught Nadeshiko walking near the station.

If you’re feeling lucky, Minobu Town Bus has a handful of infrequent buses that stop at Kai-Tokiwa and Kyu Shimobe Chugakko Iriguchi (旧下部中学校入口), or the Entrance to the Former Shimobe Middle School. But you’ll still have to climb the hill.

Koan Camping Ground, Lake Motosu

Koan Camping Ground at Lake Motosu is where Nadeshiko met Rin Shima in the first episode.

Both of the girls bicycled there (Rin didn’t have her Yamaha yet). But Nadeshiko, being the energetic fool that she is, apparently bicycled from her house near Utsubuna Station in Nambu. (That’s an extra six miles.)

The tunnel that Nadeshiko didn’t want to go through at night is the Nakanokura Tunnel, one of several tunnels on Motosu-michi (National Route 300).

To get there: If you’re coming from Tokyo, Lake Motosu is the most remote of the Five Fuji Lakes. You can take the Fujikyuko Line (Fuji Kyuko Railway) train to Kawaguchiko Station (河口湖駅). From there, the railway operates the Narusawa/ Shojiko/ Motosuko Sightseeing Bus (Blue Line or S Line) to the Lake Motosu Tourist Information Center. According to the Koan website, you can ask for a shuttle from there to the campground.

Minobu Town also has the Iitomi Motosuko Line (飯富本栖湖線) bus to the lake on weekends and holidays.

Fumotoppara Campground, Asagiri Kogen (Plateau)

In the second episode, Rin bicycled to Fumotoppara Campground. The Christmas camp episode was also there.

When Rin camped there, it was an off-season period. So it looked like just a big flat open space with a few campers, and a decent view of Mt. Fuji.

However, the campground also hosts Hygge with Nordisk, as well as events such as the Asagiri Jam music festival. Depending upon the time of year, it can get crowded.

To get there: The bus stop for Fumotoppara is Aasgiri Green Park (朝霧グリンパーク). Fujikyu Shizuoka Bus has buses from Shin-Fuji and Fujinomiya stations to Kawaguchiko and Mt. Fuji station that stop there. It also stops at Lake Motosu.

Fuefukigawa Fruit Park, Hottarakashi Onsen, and Pine Wood Auto Campsite

In episodes 4-5, the club girls got seriously sidetracked on their first major camping trip. They started out at Yamanashishi Station (山梨市駅) — which looks a lot more square and boxy than it did in 2018. Their goal was to hike from there to the Pine Wood Auto Campsite (the series calls it East Wood Campgrounds).

They crossed the Fuefuki River on foot, and made it uphill to the edge of the Fuefukigawa Fruit Park (山梨県笛吹川フルーツ公園) before Chiaki and Aoi Inuyama got exhausted. This Google map gives a pretty good idea of how far they went.

The park features botanic gardens, greenhouse domes, a fruit museum, shops, cafes, etc. There’s even a hotel.

The Hottarakashi Onsen (ほったらかし温泉) is uphill from the fruit park. Just like in the anime, the outdoor hot springs baths have views of Mt. Fuji.

Luckily, you can hike to Pine Wood without backtracking to the fruit park.

To get there: Yamanashishi Station is on the JR Chuo East Line, which includes the Limited Express Kaiji train from Shinjuku. (But the girls probably transferred from the Minobu Line in Kofu.)

The park’s website suggests taking a city bus from Yamanashishi.

Mount Minobu

In season 2, episode 2, Toba-sensei took several of the girls on a New Years car trip to Mount Minobu (身延山).

Although the episode doesn’t focus on them, Mt. Minobu is home to several Buddhist temples, most famously Minobusan Kounji Temple.

The girls took the Minobu Ropeway up to the summit, where they watch the sunrise. At the summit, they also climbed some steps to another temple for hatsumode. (The translation says “shrine,” but it’s a temple.)

To get there: If you are in Tokyo, Keio Dentetsu Bus offers a highway bus there. Yamanashi Kotsu Limited also has a bus from Minobu Town.

Misaki Campground, Lake Yamanaka

Ena Saito, Chiaki, and Aoi visited the Misaki Campground at Lake Yamanaka (山中湖みさき) in season 2. They took trains from Minobu to Mt. Fuji (5th) Station. They then rode the Fujikko-Go Loop Shuttle from there.

Along the way, they stopped at a Caribou outdoor store — actually Montbell at the Roadside Station near the Mt. Fuji Radar Dome Museum in Fujiyoshida.

The onsen they visited is Yamanakako Onsen Benifuji no Yu.

In November 2024, the creators announced a fourth season of Yuru Camp. In addition, the anime version of Mono (by Yuru Camp creator Afro) also features Yamanashi. It came out in April.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Yamanashi Prefecture — a place of lakes, natural beauty, spectacular views of Mt. Fuji, and laid-back anime.