Karuizawa is one of Japan’s most prominent highland resorts, where beautiful nature harmonizes with Western culture. Whether it’s your first visit or you’re a repeat traveler, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the abundance of places to see.
This time, from among Karuizawa’s many attractions, we’ve carefully selected five key spots that are classic yet offer a ‘deeper, more immersive way to enjoy’ them. By understanding how to navigate to avoid crowds and delving into their historical backgrounds, your Karuizawa sightseeing experience is sure to become even more vibrant.
Old Karuizawa Ginza Shopping Street
📍 Address: 878 Karuizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano 389-0102, Japan
The ‘Old Karuizawa Ginza Shopping Street’ is the quintessential Karuizawa tourist destination. It flourished as a post town on the Nakasendo road connecting Kyoto and Edo during the Edo period, and later evolved into a foreign summer resort after being discovered by a Canadian missionary in the Meiji era.
The main street is lined with Karuizawa-specific gourmet delights and shops, including long-established bakeries, jam specialty stores with concentrated fruit flavors, and Chozumeya’s pancetta, perfect for souvenirs. On holiday afternoons, it bustles with tourists, offering a lively food crawl experience.
[Tips for a Deeper Experience & How to Navigate]
While enjoying the hustle and bustle of a tourist destination is certainly fun, step into the back alleys and you’ll find historical buildings shrouded in silence, such as the Karuizawa Shaw Memorial Chapel, Karuizawa’s oldest church. The contrast between the hustle and bustle and the tranquility is the true charm of Old Karuizawa. If you’re visiting by car, there are numerous parking lots nearby, but their fee structures vary (e.g., short-term vs. full-day rental), so it’s advisable to research in advance according to your planned stay.
Former Mikasa Hotel (Important Cultural Property)
📍 Address: 1339-342 Karuizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano 389-0102, Japan
This renowned hotel, dubbed the ‘Rokumeikan of Karuizawa,’ is a purely Western-style wooden building constructed entirely by Japanese hands, from design to execution. It had been closed for an extended period due to preservation and repair work, but has now joyfully reopened in October 2025 after approximately five and a half years.
Stepping inside, where its elegant Meiji and Taisho-era appearance has been faithfully restored, immerses you in an extraordinary feeling, as if you’ve traveled back in time. A highlight of this renovation is the new cafe on the second floor, where you can now savor light meals such as curry recreated from old recipes and Madeleine cheeseburgers.
[Tips for a Deeper Experience & How to Navigate]
The newly introduced ‘Retro Dress Experience’ is a must-see. You can don classical attire and enjoy a photo shoot within the historic building. Note that walking from Old Karuizawa Ginza Shopping Street or Kumoba Pond can take nearly an hour, so travelers wanting to make efficient use of their time should cleverly utilize local buses, taxis, or rental bicycles.
Kumoba Pond
📍 Address: Karuizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano 389-0102, Japan
Kumoba Pond is a scenic spot representative of Karuizawa, formerly affectionately known as ‘Swan Lake’ by foreign summer visitors. The source of this beautiful pond is ‘Gozenmizu,’ spring water known as a famous water source since the Edo period, reportedly used for the meals of feudal lords and imperial families. Today, the pristine water still gushes forth within the grounds of Hotel Kashimanomori, filling this pond.
A promenade, approximately 15 minutes to complete one loop, is maintained around the pond. From spring to summer, you can enjoy the refreshing contrast of lush greenery and blue skies, while in autumn, the breathtaking sight of vibrant red maple leaves reflecting like a mirror on the water’s surface (‘reflection’) can be admired.
[Tips for a Deeper Experience & How to Navigate]
The most beautiful time to fully appreciate the local atmosphere is ‘early morning.’ Strolling amidst the morning mist while listening to the chirping of wild birds is a moment of pure bliss. However, on the day after rain or during the snowmelt season, the promenade can become very muddy, so it’s a golden rule to wear comfortable sneakers or shoes you don’t mind getting dirty, rather than your favorite pair.
Harunire Terrace
📍 Address: 2145-5 Nagakura, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano 389-0111, Japan
Located in the Hoshino Area of Naka-Karuizawa, ‘Harunire Terrace’ is a ‘small town in the forest’ where over a hundred Japanese elm (harunire) trees, naturally growing along the Yukawa River, have been utilized to connect modern wooden buildings with wooden decks.
The facility is home to a sophisticated array of unique Karuizawa-esque shops, including Italian restaurants using fresh Shinshu ingredients, long-established soba noodle shops, homemade gelato, artisan coffee shops, and stores offering high-quality lifestyle goods. Many establishments and terrace seats are pet-friendly, making it an ideal spot for traveling with your dog.
[Tips for a Deeper Experience & How to Navigate]
After lunchtime on holidays, it becomes extremely crowded, and it’s common to lose time waiting for parking spaces. Our recommendation is to aim for the ‘tranquil morning hours’ before tourists start moving. Enjoying delicious coffee from Maruyama Coffee or freshly baked bread from Sawamura on a terrace seat, enveloped by the clear forest air and the gentle murmur of the river, will truly be a highlight of your Karuizawa stay.
Shiraito Falls
📍 Address: Nagakura, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano 389-0111, Japan
Among the natural landscapes of the Karuizawa area, ‘Shiraito Falls’ boasts overwhelming popularity. Unlike typical waterfalls where river water dramatically plunges, its unique characteristic is that rain and snow falling on Mount Asama permeate underground over many years, emerging directly from the black rock face as groundwater.
While its height is a modest 3 meters, its width extends to an impressive 70 meters, revealing a delicate and graceful appearance, as if countless thin ‘white threads’ — as its name suggests — are spread like a curtain. It is less affected by rain, maintaining a stable water volume throughout the year, allowing visitors to enjoy its exceptionally clear stream and abundant negative ions anytime.
[Tips for a Deeper Experience & How to Navigate]
During summer nights, projection mapping and illumination events are held, presenting a completely different, magical appearance compared to the daytime. Note that the ‘Shiraito Highland Way,’ a toll road providing access to the falls, can have frozen and muddy surfaces during winter (or even around March in early spring). You might be asked at the toll booth to confirm if your vehicle has studless tires or chains, so if you’re visiting in the off-season with a rental car, absolutely do not forget to check your winter equipment!
Conclusion
Karuizawa is a profoundly rich area that reveals different facets with each visit, offering shopping, historical exploration, and abundant nature. While every spot is captivating, by avoiding crowded times and understanding the origins of each facility, your travel satisfaction will significantly increase. Please use this article as a guide to spend your own wonderful time in Karuizawa!
