14 Top Sightseeing Spots in Karuizawa, One of Japan’s Leading Highland Resorts

For sightseeing in Karuizawa, the best season is from May to July, when the fresh greenery is beautiful and the breeze feels refreshing.
September to October is also recommended, when you can enjoy the autumn leaves in a comfortable climate after the late-summer heat.

Access to Karuizawa from major cities is excellent.
From Tokyo Station, it takes only one hour by Hokuriku Shinkansen.
From Nagoya or Osaka, you can get there in around 2–3 hours by transferring between Shinkansen trains.
If you want to save money, taking a highway bus from Haneda Airport, Tokyo Station, and other locations is recommended.

A popular shopping street that welcomes several million visitors a year and is a must-see for sightseeing in Karuizawa.
Shops line the street, including souvenir stores selling local specialties, as well as many food spots offering snacks, sweets, and other treats to enjoy while strolling.
There are also plenty of interesting shops not only along the main street but also in the narrow side alleys, so take your time exploring.

One of Karuizawa’s top sightseeing spots, located along the Shiraito Highland Way driving route.
This beautiful waterfall is named for the way snowmelt from Mount Asama springs out of the rock face and flows in thin, thread-like streams. The curtain of falling water is exceptionally clear, and the area is filled with refreshing air.

A peaceful pond in Karuizawa, one of Japan’s leading highland resorts, and a classic stop on sightseeing routes.
When the surrounding area was once a villa district for foreign residents, swans would arrive in winter, giving the pond its nickname “Swan Lake.”

A “small town” that makes use of a grove of more than 100 naturally growing Japanese elms beside a clear stream, with nine buildings connected by spacious wooden decks.
Based on the concept of “everyday life in Karuizawa,” it brings together 16 distinctive shops, restaurants, and cafés, including branches of popular soba and bakery shops from the Kyu-Karuizawa area, as well as stores selling quality Nordic goods.

Karuizawa’s only Catholic church, standing along “Suisha no Michi,” one street behind Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street.
It appears in literary works such as Yasunari Kawabata’s Palm-of-the-Hand Stories and Tatsuo Hori’s The Wind Has Risen, and has long been beloved by many people.

One of Japan’s largest resort-style shopping malls, located just outside the south exit of JR Karuizawa Station.
The grounds include 10 areas, with Approx. 240 diverse shops in a naturally rich setting, including famous brands, interior goods, general merchandise, and outdoor shops.
It is an enticing spot where you can find quality items from top brands at outlet prices.

A comprehensive resort facility spread along the shores of Lake Shiozawa on the south side of Karuizawa.
Across the grounds are facilities such as the Peynet Museum, which houses works by Raymond Peynet depicting couples in a gentle, intimate style; the Fukazawa Koko Nonohana Museum, where you can enjoy delicate and lovely paintings of wildflowers by Koko Fukazawa; and the Karuizawa Kogen Bunko, where you can view materials related to writers connected to Karuizawa, including Tatsuo Hori and Takeo Arishima.

A photo studio located on Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street, one of the main sightseeing spots.
You can dress in aristocratic-style costumes and have a sepia-toned retro commemorative photo taken.
The studio usually has Approx. 50–60 luxurious Western dresses directly purchased by the owner, reminiscent of noblewomen’s or opera costumes, and you can choose your favorite.

A tourist hall with a retro wooden exterior that can be considered a symbol of the Kyu-Karuizawa shopping street.
You can get a wide range of information, from sightseeing to accommodations.
The first floor houses a general information desk, a tourism exhibition space, and an audiovisual space where you can find useful sightseeing information.

An art museum opened in 2012 after renovating a former commercial facility.
The all-glass exterior, designed with white pillars inspired by a larch forest, was created by architect Mutsuo Nishimori.
In addition to exhibitions by Japanese contemporary artists and groups active on the world stage, the museum holds innovative special exhibitions, including works by international artists, designed to meet the expectations of art fans from both Japan and abroad.

“Toy Kingdom” is packed with things that excite children, on grounds larger than Tokyo Dome.
The park is made up of three areas.
In addition to its full range of facilities, it offers many events and hands-on classes where children can learn while playing, such as woodworking craft workshops and trout catching. After a full day of play, head to Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa, a five-minute walk from Toy Kingdom. Value plans that combine accommodations with Toy Kingdom free passes are also available.

An art museum based on the concepts of “breathing with art in the forests of Karuizawa” and “an art museum that coexists with nature.” After opening in Takanawa, Tokyo, in 1962 as the Takanawa Art Museum, it moved to Karuizawa in 1981 and was renamed the Sezon Museum of Modern Art in 1991, the year it marked its 10th anniversary in Karuizawa.
The collection includes Approx. 800 works, ranging from pieces by major 20th-century masters such as Andy Warhol and Sam Francis to works by emerging contemporary artists.

A ski resort with excellent access, located Approx. 10 minutes on foot from Karuizawa Station.
Within its vast 30-hectare grounds are 16 courses, ranging from beginner to advanced, allowing skiers of all levels to enjoy themselves.
In summer, the resort also offers activities such as a zipline that makes you feel as if you are flying through the sky, and sightseeing lifts with panoramic views of Karuizawa’s townscape, so you can enjoy the ski resort year-round.

Picchio is located in one corner of the popular Karuizawa Hoshino Area resort, next to the Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest, and offers various tour plans where you can observe forest creatures up close.
Beside Kera Pond, formed by stream water flowing out of the forest, the visitor center sits in a beautiful, open environment where you can experience tours that let you encounter living creatures throughout the seasons.

A stylish soba restaurant Approx. 15 minutes on foot from Karuizawa Station, near the Kyu-Karuizawa Rotary lined with fashionable general stores and cafés.
Located near the entrance to the famous Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza shopping street, it is convenient for a break during sightseeing. This popular restaurant also has locations at Harunire Terrace in Karuizawa and in Azabu and Aoyama in Tokyo.
Jazz plays inside, creating a refined dining-bar-like space where you can enjoy a relaxed meal.
Terrace seating surrounded by greenery is also available, and pets are allowed there.

Opened at the Kyu-Karuizawa Rotary in July 2015 as Sawamura’s second Karuizawa location after Harunire Terrace.
It is a popular shop that nearby villa owners are said to visit frequently, seeking bread freshly baked for the morning opening.
The interior has an open atrium and a calm, spacious atmosphere. On the first-floor bakery shelves, you will find a rich variety of distinctive breads made with carefully selected ingredients, including more than 30 types of flour from Japan and abroad.

A long-established bakery beloved locally since its founding in 1951.
Located on Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street, Karuizawa’s main street, it is busy every day with nearby villa owners and tourists.
It is also famous as a place John Lennon often visited to buy bread during his stays in Karuizawa.

Karuizawa is described as a “beautiful village” in the works of novelist Tatsuo Hori.
Sonmin-Shokudo, a restaurant by Hoshino Resorts, is based on the concept of “casual dining that deliciously welcomes people visiting this beautiful village, Karuizawa.”

The fourth Maruyama Coffee shop, opened inside Harunire Terrace, the “small town” in the Karuizawa Hoshino Area operated by Hoshino Resorts.
Buyer Maruyama personally visits overseas production areas, checks flavors through tastings, and purchases high-quality coffee beans at auctions and from excellent farms. You can enjoy Approx. 20 varieties of this carefully selected coffee at any time.
The shop-exclusive “Harunire Terrace Blend (medium-dark roast),” inspired by a large Japanese elm tree, is characterized by orange and nut flavors.

Mikado Coffee was founded in 1948 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, as a coffee roaster, and opened in Karuizawa in 1952, making it the oldest coffee shop in Karuizawa.
It has been loved by visitors to Kyu-Karuizawa for Approx. 70 years.
In its retro atmosphere, you can enjoy a carefully made cup brewed from select coffee beans that have been roasted with care.

An Italian restaurant quietly standing among trees in a calm area one street back from the main road in Naka-Karuizawa.
It is popular for healthy dishes unique to Karuizawa, made with plenty of locally grown vegetables.
The cuisine combines ingredients exquisitely and draws out each one’s appeal with reliable technique and a refined sense, offering surprise and delight to those who visit.

A stay-style resort hotel with spectacular views of Mount Asama from an elevation of 1,000 meters.
Across its vast 70,000-tsubo grounds are hotels, villas, gardens, and hot spring facilities.
The hotel interior is decorated with European antiques and has a classic design that makes use of wood tones.
For bathing, you can enjoy bicarbonate spring water known for its skin-beautifying effects at the large public bath “KOMOREBI” and the natural hot spring “Happu Onsen.”
All guest rooms are at least 48 square meters, with 10 different room types offering distinct charms.

Opened in the Karuizawa Hoshino Area in 2019, this hotel is based on the concept of “more than an izakaya, less than a trip: a hotel where everyone can relax freely.” Its main feature is TAMARIBA, a public space available 24 hours a day, with a café lounge arranged around a courtyard. Guests are encouraged to bring in food and drinks, and many enjoy a relaxed stay by buying deli foods and spending time freely in the lounge.
Guests can also use nearby Hoshino Onsen Tombo-no-Yu at a discounted rate.

A stylish hotel with the atmosphere of a villa, opened in February 2022.
Inside, works by Karuizawa-based artists and sophisticated interior design pieces are displayed throughout, reflecting the hotel’s desire for guests to feel the “neighborhood” around the hotel and Karuizawa.
The impressive wood-based lobby has a fireplace in the center, warmly welcoming guests.
All 155 guest rooms across six types come with either a balcony or private garden, allowing you to experience Karuizawa’s majestic nature even from inside your room.

A stay-style resort spread through a valley embraced by rich nature at the foot of Mount Asama. You can feel the charm of Karuizawa’s climate and culture, once beloved by many literary masters.
Guest rooms each have their own character and concept, including rooms standing along the river where you can feel the sound of water up close, rooms overlooking the forest and soothed by signs of wild birds, and detached-style rooms connecting lanes and gardens. The design, which draws in breezes and makes use of geothermal heat, is also distinctive, transforming Karuizawa’s natural environment itself into comfort.

A luxury hotel standing on a gentle slope at the foot of Mount Asama. Surrounded by forest in Miyota, a little away from the bustle of Karuizawa, it offers quiet, luxurious moments.
All 37 guest rooms have terraces, with views directly before you of forests that change with the seasons and the Yatsugatake Mountains. Each room has a hot spring bath, allowing you to refresh body and mind while taking in forest and mountain scenery.

Bon Okawa Karuizawa Chocolate Factory offers colorful and cute chocolates and rusks.
Its refined sweets, made with carefully selected cacao beans, Belgian chocolate, and traditional methods unique to the home of chocolate, have an excellent reputation.
Among the most popular is a luxurious box filled with bite-sized “Karuizawa Chocolate Balls,” made by coating macadamia nuts in rich chocolate.

Karuizawa is blessed with rich nature and rooted in Western-style culture.
Based on the idea that “Karuizawa-ness is found in nature,” Karuizawa Farmers Gift offers foods that value local ingredients.
Among its many products, including jams and fruit sauces, the Karuizawa Sweet Cheeseburger is attracting attention as a new standard Karuizawa souvenir.

Yo-Ho Brewing, a beer manufacturer headquartered in Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture, was founded as a craft beer brewery by Yoshiharu Hoshino, representative of Hoshino Resorts.
Karuizawa Kogen Beer was launched in 1997 as Yo-Ho Brewing’s first beer. Since then, it has been loved as “the most widely consumed local beer in Karuizawa.”