A Vistabule’s Journey To Japan

Editors note: The world can feel overwhelmingly chaotic at times, rife with conflicts, division, and a steady stream of anxiety-inducing headlines that only seem to discourage us. In response, some choose despair, some choose cynicism, others remain hopeful (which is no small task).

The following story should be read with the intent that it is being shared, and not as a piece of  marketing or self-promotion disguised as feel-good schmaltz. In the grand scheme of things, Vistabule sells a niche luxury recreation product. It’s not a life saving medical device, or a cure for cancer. Even so, the creative human mind behind these trailers of ours sought to make something beautiful that other people could enjoy . This story is really about how beauty, this transcendent intangible thing, can cross oceans, can speak any language, and can get to the heart of what matters to all of us as people. If beauty remains, hope remains too.

On July 1, 2023, we received the following email:

“My name is Someya and I live in Japan.
I am very interested in your teardrop trailer.
Is it possible to have your teardrop trailer exported to Japan?
Or, if there is a way to purchase in Japan, please let me know.
If it is possible to purchase it, I am thinking of visiting your company from Japan.
I would appreciate it if you could answer.”

We would occasionally receive emails like this from people around the world asking if we could export our trailers to their country. Sometimes these requests were fraudulent, attempting to get us to wire transfer funds for “shipping” ahead of time. More often, however, the conversations simply fizzled out, with the potential client losing interest or being unwilling to do the legwork required on their end. This often resulted in many wasted hours researching the steps needed to make such requests possible.

But Someya—whom we would soon come to know as Yoshi—and his lovely wife, Misuzu, were different. They had a dream, and they were willing to see it through. It quickly became clear that this customer was worth the investment.

For the next two-plus years, we communicated through email and online translators (shout-out to 21st-century technology) about the steps required to deliver one of our trailers to Japan. This back-and-forth eventually led to Yoshi and Misuzu flying all the way to Minnesota to visit Vistabule HQ (a.k.a. the “Mothership”) in person (Yoshi would in fact fly out a second time solo to get an orientation with his trailer months later). They toured the shop, tried out one of our trailers overnight at William O’Brien State Park—about 30 minutes east of Saint Paul—and, of course, shared lunch with Bert and Gretchen Taylor. With the help of an in-person translator, Yoshi and Misuzu discussed their trailer build with our staff before eventually saying their goodbyes and beginning the long journey home to Japan.

Throughout this process, a great deal of groundwork had to be laid on our end. As it turns out, shipping a teardrop trailer across the ocean isn’t as simple as putting a few stamps on a very large box. Finding the right shipping broker, understanding customs regulations, calculating shipping and transportation fees, and navigating special classifications (i.e., additional fees) for individual trailer options—the list went on and on. We ultimately partnered with Schumacher Cargo Logistics, who could not have been more helpful throughout the entire process. Communicating with both our staff and with Yoshi and Misuzu in Japan, they guided us through completely uncharted waters.

On September 9, 2025, we watched as Yoshi and Misuzu’s trailer (#979) was loaded onto a long-bed truck here in Saint Paul, hoping it would arrive in Japan exactly as it left us. From Vistabule HQ, it was driven to a port in New Jersey, where it was stored before being secured inside a shipping container and loaded onto a cargo ship. From there, it traveled roughly 10,000 nautical miles down the Atlantic Coast, through the Panama Canal, and across the Pacific Ocean, eventually arriving in Tokyo Bay. After sitting for some time while being processed through Customs (and even X-rayed—a Vistabule first), the trailer finally made its way home. On January 8, 2026—121 days later—it arrived in Tsukuba City, Japan.

We can say with certainty that this was the longest delivery journey any of our trailers has ever taken. We can also say with confidence that Yoshi and Misuzu were the perfect couple to work with for our very first international Vistabule delivery. From their thoughtful questions and prompt replies to the countless hours they spent researching and the kindness they showed our team, the entire process could not have been smoother. We eagerly await photos from our friends and their maiden voyage into Japan’s beautiful countryside. And perhaps someday, more Vistabules will reach those far eastern shores.

And now that we have one international trailer shipment under our belt, we have a little more confidence to do it again. Maybe that next trailer will be yours?

*This is a message from Yoshi giving some insight into how he created the kanji “微洲多美” for his t-shirt design.

When expressing English words using Japanese kanji, we sometimes use a method called “ateji.” Ateji assigns kanji characters to foreign words. There are generally three approaches:

1. Choosing kanji based on the sound of the English word.

2. Choosing kanji based on the meaning of the English word or what it represents.

3. Choosing kanji based on the worldview or image evoked by what the word represents.

I combined all three approaches to express “Vistabule” with the kanji 微洲多美.

Vi = 微 (pronounced “bi”) — small
→ Matches the teardrop size feeling.

s = 洲 (pronounced “su”) — continent, land, world
→ Suggests the nuance of “a small but independent space.”

微洲 together conveys: “a small, self-contained world” — the teardrop trailer itself.

ta = 多 (pronounced “ta”) — many, abundant

bule = 美 (pronounced “bi,” connected to the sound of “bule”) — beauty

多美 means: “filled with beauty” — which represents Vistabule itself.

Also, 多美 can be read in Japanese as “tabi.”
“Tabi” has the same pronunciation as the kanji 旅, which means “travel” in English. This connection happened by coincidence, but it surprised me!

Putting everything together:

微洲多美 = “A small world filled with beauty (a home that travels)”
or
“A small home packed with beauty — Vistabule.”

These kanji are an expression of my feelings and vision.
With ateji, there is no strict right or wrong, so please don’t worry. What matters is the sense of beauty the characters convey and how well they express the idea.