I Looked Into Nasu Hamiru no Mori

This blog mainly focuses on researching campsites and day-use hot springs, but every so often I find myself thinking, "Maybe today I'll take a detour into hokans instead of tent camping." So I've made it a bit of a series to look into these kinds of detour destinations as well.

This time, I came across some information about a full-fledged glamping facility where you can stay in dome tents, complete with pet-friendly sites and even a free gelato buffet, and I got curious enough to look into it. The facility is called Nasu Hamiru no Mori.

What Kind of Place Is Nasu Hamiru no Mori

Apparently, this is a glamping facility located in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. When I checked the official website, it was introduced as a "full-fledged glamping experience in the Nasu Highlands of Tochigi," and it seems like the facility centers more around staying in dome tents rather than traditional camping with your own tent.

As for access, apparently it takes about 70 minutes by Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Sendai Station to Nasu-Shiobara Station, then about 30 minutes by bus to the "Yuai no Mori" bus stop, followed by about a 1-minute walk. By car, it's apparently about 120 minutes from Tokyo or Sendai to the Nasu Interchange, and then about 5 minutes by car from there. Since I don't actually drive much despite having a license, I appreciated that it seems reachable by train and bus too.

An Extraordinary Space to Spend Time in a Dome Tent

It looks like there are three types of accommodation available: dome tents, clear dome tents, and pet dome tents. The clear dome tents apparently have see-through ceilings, so it seems like the kind of tent where you could lie down and gaze at the starry sky.

What particularly caught my attention was that the pet dome tents include sites where you can stay together with your pet. Glamping options that allow you to stay with your dog still seem relatively uncommon, so this felt like a distinctive feature of this facility.

Also, each site apparently has a hammock set up, offering "a relaxing time while gazing at a sky full of stars." It seems very glamping-like to have these kinds of outdoor relaxation spaces, not just inside the tents.

Various Free Amenities to Enjoy

Looking through the information on the official website, several amenities that appear to be free of charge were introduced.

• Workshop area: apparently available free of charge
• Free drinks: there seems to be a drink corner available during your stay
• Kids area: it seems like this facility is also designed with families in mind
• Gelato buffet: apparently free to enjoy as well, and honestly this was the point that caught my attention the most
• Campfire: seems to be an amenity you can enjoy in the evening
• Handheld fireworks area: there also seems to be a spot within the facility where you can enjoy fireworks

Putting it all together like this, my impression was that this is a facility offering plenty of free enjoyment in terms of "food" and "play" alongside the tent stay itself. That said, I wasn't able to fully confirm details about the pricing structure, check-in/check-out times, or meal specifics during this research. If you're curious about those, it's probably best to check the official website directly.

Komorin

Even as someone who's more of an indoor type, the idea of a free gelato buffet really got my attention. All-you-can-eat sweets combined with a tent stay feels like a pretty luxurious combination.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I tried entering this facility's location into the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool to check the results, no judgment was displayed, and instead I got a notice saying something like "currently undergoing temporary maintenance." It seems like this kind of message can appear when the address data for the target location hasn't been registered yet, so this time the overall assessment came back as unknown.

To put it plainly without exaggeration, this is a case where it's neither "good" nor "poor" but simply "unknown." If you're planning a hokans-style visit and are concerned about internet connectivity, it might be reassuring to check the official tool yourself with your own device beforehand.

Komorin

When that maintenance notice popped up, I honestly wondered, "Hmm, am I doing something wrong here?" But it seems like that's just how the tool behaves sometimes. Rather than forcing a conclusion, I'll just be upfront and say the result was unknown.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up once again, my impression of Nasu Hamiru no Mori was that it's a facility that seems well-equipped to satisfy any hokans cravings, with dome tent stays, pet-friendly sites, and even a free gelato buffet. What stood out to me was how there's plenty to enjoy in the evenings too, like stargazing time in the hammocks, along with the campfire and handheld fireworks area.

In terms of access, it's apparently only about a 1-minute walk from the "Yuai no Mori" bus stop even if you're arriving by train and bus, so this seems like a facility that would be easy to visit even for someone like me who barely drives despite having a license. On the other hand, since I wasn't able to get a Rakuten Mobile signal assessment from the official tool and the result came back as unknown, if connectivity is important to you, it might be worth checking for yourself before making a reservation for extra peace of mind.

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Related Links

• Official Site