Carstay to Install "Moving Hotels" at Fukushima's "rural 2026" Music Festival

Carstay Inc. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Koki Miyashita), which operates Japan's largest "van life" platform※1 including sharing services for camper vans and overnight parking spots, as well as vehicle manufacturing and renovation, will deploy up to five camper vans within the venue of the "rural 2026" music festival, scheduled to be held in July at Numajiri Kogen, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture, as part of its "Moving Hotel Dispatch Service"※2, contributing to solving the local accommodation shortage.

rural Inc. (Headquarters: Suginami Ward, Tokyo; Representative Director: Ami Tsunoda), which operates the festival, will begin accepting reservations for camper van accommodation today at 9:00 PM. Each camper van can accommodate approximately 4-5 people, and the price is 250,000 yen (tax included) per vehicle for 3 nights and 4 days.

This time, rural will be responsible for some vehicle dispatch and return, allowing the "moving hotels" to be offered at a lower price than usual. The camper vans will be dispatched from Tokyo and Saitama prefectures and are scheduled to be set up inside the venue the day before the event.

Many musicians performing at "rural" are from overseas, and there are many inquiries regarding accommodation for international visitors, so an environment will be created where event participation and accommodation can be completed seamlessly. By utilizing camper vans, a common mode of travel in Europe and America, accommodation options that are easy for international visitors to use will be provided.

During the "rural" festival period, accommodation facilities in and around the venue (9 locations) often fill up early, and inquiries about accommodation continue to pour in right up until the event each year. With the increase in international visitors, the existing accommodation facilities have been unable to cope. In response to this challenge, rural decided to introduce camper vans, leveraging their advantage of being able to flexibly provide accommodation functions "anytime, anywhere" simply by moving them to the venue.

Camper vans are equipped with sleeping spaces, living areas, air conditioning, etc., and a key feature of this service is that no on-site setup is required.

This initiative differs from traditional camper van car-sharing for travel and accommodation; it utilizes camper vans as "fixed" "moving hotels" at the venue. For outdoor events in rural areas with accommodation shortages, using camper vans allows for flexible accommodation without building new facilities, staff lounges, or offices.

Especially for international visitors, it offers the advantage of completing everything at the event venue, reducing concerns about camping preparation, language barriers, and security.

About Camper Van Accommodation at the "rural 2026" Music Festival

◆ Reservation Start Date/Time: April 1, 2026 (Wednesday) 9:00 PM～ (Ends when fully booked)

◆ Reservation Site: https://www.zenryo-marupay.com/marupay/event/select-item/E2603200004/?shop_code=000378&key=MLOSnKjivq

◆ Camper Van Accommodation Fee: 250,000 yen / 1 vehicle (3 nights, 4 days) / accommodates 4-5 people

◆ Main Camper Van Facilities: Beds, sleeping bags or duvets, sink, small refrigerator, air conditioning, etc.

◆ Accommodation Period: July 17, 2026 (Friday) 1:00 PM Check-in ～ July 20 (Monday) 6:00 PM Check-out

◆ Camper Van Installation Location: Planned auto-camping area at the "rural" venue (2864 Numajiriyama Ko, Inawashiro Town, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture)

◆ Other: Toilets are available in the auto-camping area, etc., and hot springs are available within Numajiri Kogen Lodge, etc. (for a fee)

*Refer to the reservation site for detailed information

*Users cannot move the camper van installed for accommodation from its designated location.

*Admission tickets are not included in the accommodation fee.

Some of the camper vans to be installed for accommodation at the "rural" venue are as follows:

Carstay aims to achieve record-high sales by expanding the use of camper vans for experiential travel in rural areas, focusing on music festivals, fireworks displays, and traditional festivals nationwide, especially towards the summer holidays.

※1 Van life: A new lifestyle aimed at "enriching life" through travel and living in a vehicle, where a "van" with ample cargo space is converted into a home or office, making the vehicle a base for work, play, and daily life. As this new lifestyle of using mobility as a "moving base" expands, Carstay aims to play a part in a new social infrastructure by operating a platform that supports the spread of van life and by manufacturing vehicles.

※2 "Moving Hotel" Dispatch Service: This service comprehensively handles everything from camper van selection to installation and removal, providing visitors with an accommodation experience centered around a vehicle. Especially for events held in rural areas where accommodation facilities are scarce and new construction is costly, there is a growing demand for camper vans as "moving accommodation facilities" that can be flexibly moved and installed (details here).

About Carstay Inc.

Carstay Inc. is a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) startup company that aims to "create a world where everyone can spend time with their loved ones, whenever and wherever they want." It operates Japan's largest "van life" business, a new travel and lifestyle concept, including camper van rental/car-sharing, space-sharing services for overnight parking spots, and vehicle manufacturing. The company launched its overnight parking spot space-sharing service in January 2019, camper van car-sharing in June 2020, and outdoor car (tent rental) car-sharing in December 2024. It has 314 overnight parking spots and 450 registered camper vans and outdoor vehicles nationwide. In October 2022, it also launched the "Mobi Lab." business, which provides DIY spaces for converting cars into camper vans, and handles camper van manufacturing, modification, and repair.

(https://carstay.jp/)