I Looked Into FRANPING VILLAGE Aso

Besides campsites and day-use hot springs, one of my secret pleasures with this blog is occasionally taking a detour to look into facilities that lean more toward 'glamping' or 'hotel-cation' style stays.

This time, I looked into FRANPING VILLAGE Aso. When I found out you could stay in trailer houses imported directly from America, as someone who's more of an indoor type, I thought, 'This might catch my interest in a different way than tents do,' and that's what got me started.

What Is the 'EVO' Trailer House Imported Directly From America Like?

This facility is located in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and according to the official website, you can stay in the 'EVO' trailer house imported directly from America. With dimensions of about 3.5 meters in height and 11 meters in length, it apparently comes fully equipped with a kitchen, a bathroom with shower, a bedroom, and air conditioning/heating. When you hear 'trailer house,' you tend to picture something compact, but with this kind of size, I felt it might offer a comfort quite different from tent camping.

There seem to be two types available, 5.5 meters and 11 meters, with rates that apparently vary depending on the season, number of guests, and day of the week. Since it seems to include a breakfast plan, it looks like you can have a different kind of experience than a room-only campsite. Reservations are apparently made through an external booking system linked from the official website.

As for the exact check-in and check-out times, I couldn't find them clearly stated on the top page of the official website, so it seems you'd need to check the details on the individual plan pages.

Komorin

Honestly, having a kitchen and a bathroom with a shower right in the trailer house feels like a much lower bar than tent camping. Even as someone who's more of an indoor type, it seems like equipment I could actually manage staying with.

I'm Also Curious About the Meals, Nearby Hot Springs, and Activities

As for meals, it seems you can enjoy a lavish barbecue on a roofed terrace, choosing from local vegetables and fresh ingredients from the Aso region. It's also apparently possible to bring your own ingredients, so it sounds like you could enjoy bringing along food you're particular about.

Nearby there's a day-use hot spring called Aso Otohime Onsen Yurayura, where you can apparently use a family bath with fresh spring water flowing straight from the source. Even though the trailer house itself has a shower, this could be a nice point for those who really want to soak in a hot spring.

The operating company is Kosugi Resort, and apparently there's also a 'Kosugi Resort Grand Dome' on the same site. There's also information about a horseback riding experience called 'Frontier Horses,' which apparently offers a long-distance course with views of Mount Aso and the outer rim mountains, as well as a feeding experience for kids. Riding a horse while taking in the scenery sounds like it could be quite an extraordinary experience.

That said, there was one thing about access that caught my attention a bit. According to the official website's access information, it's about 5 minutes by car from Uchinomaki Station on the JR Hohi Main Line, about 10 minutes by car from Aso Station, about 50 minutes by car from the Kumamoto Interchange, and about 45 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport. There is a section labeled something like 'For guests arriving by train,' but its content still just seems to describe things in terms of '~ minutes by car.' I couldn't confirm on the official website whether there's a shuttle service from the station or bus stops. For someone like me who has a license but doesn't drive, it might be safer to either find a companion who can drive or look into other transportation options like taxis in advance.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's location using the official 'My Area Connectivity Simulation,' the overall rating came out as 'C.'

Since it got a 'C' rating, it seems like a good idea to prepare a bit in advance for indoor connectivity or data-heavy uses like watching videos. If you're planning to relax inside the trailer house, it might be reassuring to prepare some offline content and think of ways to spend your time that don't rely too heavily on a data connection.

Komorin

Honestly, getting a 'C' rating left me feeling a little let down. Since you get to spend time surrounded by such comfortable facilities, it seems best to just accept the connectivity situation as it is and enjoy the stay anyway.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, FRANPING VILLAGE Aso struck me as a facility with more of a hotel-cation vibe than a camping one, where you can stay in a trailer house imported directly from America while enjoying a barbecue on a roofed terrace and a nearby hot spring with fresh spring water. Since activities like horseback riding are also available, it feels like a place well suited to people who'd rather prioritize good facilities over tent camping.

On the other hand, the fact that it's unclear whether there's a shuttle from the station or bus stops, combined with the assumption that you'll be traveling by car, was a point of concern for someone like me who has a license but doesn't drive. The Rakuten Mobile signal also came back with a 'C' rating, so if connectivity is a concern for you, it seems wise to check with Rakuten Mobile's official tool before making your plans.

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Related Links

• Official Site