Karuizawa
Karuizawa is a smaller town area in Nagano prefecture
Western foreign residents long ago promoted it as a resort area
Many wealthy Japanese have vacation homes here
An escape from city life. That’s the image that comes to mind for most Japanese people when they think about Karuizawa.
Located in Nagano prefecture, it’s a relatively short trip from Tokyo, and many head there to get away for a bit and exchange the concrete jungle for a greener one.
How to get there
While I went by car, Karuizawa is easily accessible from Tokyo Station via the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train. It takes just over an hour to Karuizawa Station.
About Karuizawa
The Karuizawa area is home to less than 50,000 people, but is a popular destination for vacationers.
It was marketed as a resort area by Western foreigners living in Japan in the 1800s, and has since taken on that image.
Some of the buildings and shops in the main town areas may have a Western look to them due to that era, and you’ll come across some vacation homes of wealthy Japanese people while driving through the mountains.
Where we stayed
There are a few notable Japanese-style hotels to choose from. We stayed at the Karuizawa Marriott Hotel, a resort that has Japanese-style rooms with a tatami mat area, Western-style rooms as well as dog-friendly ones.
Our room was a twin room with a private, open-air, bath attached to it. Karuizawa is an area abundant with nature, so it was only fitting to be able to sit peacefully in the hot spring water outdoors but while enjoying it in the privacy of our own room.
One thing that we added on was an outdoor BBQ. It wasn’t a little pricey, but they gave so much food, and set up and cleaned up everything for us. It’s a good option if you’re arriving later in the day and don’t want to venture anywhere.
https://www.marriott.com/karuizawa
What we did
Karuizawa Brewery
Something that surprised me about Karuizawa and Nagano prefecture as a whole was how much craft beer there is from the area.
We stopped by the Karuizawa Brewery for a tour on the way to check into the hotel. The tour is short, maybe only 15 minutes, and there wasn’t a lot going on (probably due to COVID-19 restrictions). I wouldn’t say it’s a must-do, but it’s a nice stop for those who want to take a look at how a Japanese brewery goes about making their beers. And you get a free draft plus can to take home, which doesn’t hurt.
https://brewery.co.jp [J]
Harunire Terrace
Located in Naka-Karuizawa, the area’s secondary town, Harunire Terrace makes for a nice spot to do some eating, drinking and shopping.
A lot of the shops are smaller boutiques focusing on locally-made products or food items from the area. Some of Karuizawa’s best eateries have locations here, and there were a couple of places that I got to try which I enjoyed - I’ve put more details at the bottom.
The terrace is run by Hoshino Resorts, one of Japan’s premier ryokan chains, and is very much immersed in the surrounding nature. It’s outdoors, on the shores of the Yu River, and is dog-friendly.
https://www.hoshinoresorts.com/harunireterrace
Shiraito Falls
Karuizawa travel video
Probably the main destination for almost everyone visiting Karuizawa: Shiraito Falls.
The falls are located to the north of the main area and up a mountain. Visiting the falls is free, but there’s a toll of 500 JPY to enter the area for those going by car.
The Japanese name for the falls is Shiraito-no-taki (白糸の滝), which means waterfall of white threads, which is fitting. The falls aren’t that tall at all - only about 3 meters high - but they’re quite wide.
I found myself mesmerized by how the water simply came out of the mountain (you can see it better in the video above). It doesn’t flow in from a river or a stream, it’s actually groundwater that is surfacing here.
Prince Shopping Plaza
Our last stop was the Prince Shopping Plaza, a big, spread out outlet mall. It’s located directly next to JR Karuizawa Station making it really convenient, and it has huge range of Western and Japanese brands, as well as shops selling local cuisine and ingredients.
There’s also a lot of green park space to sit in, and like many other places in Karuizawa, the outlet is dog-friendly.
Where we ate
Kawakami An
Nagano prefecture is known for soba, or Japanese buckwheat noodles, and Kawakami An is the most well known place for it in Karuizawa.
Their noodles are homemade, and they have a variety of soba sets to choose from. And of course, beer and nihonshu (Japanese sake) to go with it as well.
The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating and is dog-friendly. There’s a second location at Harunire Terrace, as well as two in Tokyo.
My recommendation: Duck broth dip with cold soba. Tempura is really good too.
Sawamura
A European-style bakery with a Japanese touch. We stopped at their Kyu-Karuizawa location once and we also took out once for breakfast.
Sawamura uses top ingredients - 20 different kinds of flour, 4 homemade yeasts, mineral-rich Khanh Hoa salt, raw sugar cane from the Amami Islands and more - to produce the one-of-a-kind breads that they aim to make.
They have 2 locations in Karuizawa, in Kyu Karuizawa and Harunire Terrace, as well as locations in Tokyo and Nagoya.
Harvest Nagai
It’s only right that a place like Karuizawa has a farm-to-store brand that brings fresh fruits, vegetables, rice and dairy products from the prefecture to a place like Harunire Terrace.
Harvest Nagai Farm is just that, and they bring their fresh produce from their farm in Tomi, just a 35-minute drive away.
Their main attraction is their range of gelato flavors, all of which are incredibly delicious, creamy and uniquely Japanese.
My recommendation: Koshihikari rice, Pure milk, bitter chocolate gelato.
Maruyama Coffee
Maruyama Coffee is one of the notable Japanese coffee brands, and it arose out of Karuizawa.
Its founder, Kentaro Maruyama, spends half of the year traveling the world to visit coffee farms and buys beans direct from the source. Next to each bag being sold in the store is an information card talking about the farm as well as a photo of the owner.
Their baristas are also of top skill, and they had a run of champions at the Japan Barista Championship from 2009-2013.
The Harunire Terrace shop is a cozy spot to stop by for a cup and shop for some bags to bring home for yourself or as a gift. I’m glad I did.
Keep in touch:
Snow monkeys and onsen hot springs in an old Japanese town in the mountains.