Karuizawa Machi

Karuizawa, at about 1000m above sea-level, is a famous mountain resort in eastern Nagano Prefecture. Elegant summer houses are scattered through the nearby forests, while the central part of the town is elegantly laid out with restaurants, cafes and boutiques.

History:

In the late 1800s, Canadian missionary Alexander Croft Shaw said that Karuizawa was a wonderful summer resort. Since then, foreigners have been flocking to Karuizawa. It was remarkable for its unspoilt nature, and climate that was several degrees cooler than Tokyo in the summer (and still is!). As such, there are a number of Christian churches, which is very unusual for a small Japanese town. You can also see a variety of western-style buildings dotted around.

Climate:

The climate in Karuizawa is known for being remarkably cool, and generally is about 5°C cooler than Tokyo in the summer. It also often gets quite misty.

Tourist information:

The local tourist association has two official multilingual guide sites, one here, and one here. It's unclear why there are two of them. The more, the merrier? There's also an official pamphlet.

Dog tourism: Amusingly, Karuizawa promotes itself as a "dog tourism" location and has an official website full of dog-friendly locations and activities. The website is only in Japanese, but if you're passionate enough about spending time with your dog, surely you can figure it out (alternatively, you can just look at the gallery of cute dog pictures).

1 Karuizawa Tourism Hall (軽井沢観光会館 Karuizawa Kanko Kaikan), ☏ +81 267-42-5538. 9:00–17:00 (18:00 in the summer). Large wooden tourism information building. There are also locations in Naka-karuizawa Station and Karuizawa Station. Free. (updated Dec 2025)

1 Naka-Karuizawa Station (中軽井沢駅 Central Karuizawa Station). JR East Shinano Line (しなの鉄道線). (updated Dec 2025)

2 Karuizawa Station (軽井沢駅). JR East Shinano Line (しなの鉄道線). (updated Dec 2025)

Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo (70 minutes, ¥5250); Nagano (30 min, ¥3070)

Shinano railway from Nagano (90 minutes, ¥1590); Togura Station (in Chikuma; 70 min, ¥1170)

Bus from Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station (2-3 hours, ¥2500).