Karuizawa
Karuizawa is a smaller resort area in Nagano prefecture. It’s abundant with nature, including Shiraito Falls. Here’s my 3-day trip there.
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 they have 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 locations in high-end areas of 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.
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Nakano and Obuse
A detour stop in Nakano city, a rural district in Nagano prefecture with amazing apples.
Nakano is a small city of about 50,000, and Obuse is an area next to it
It’s known best for its fruits, particularly Fuji apples and grapes
Between Nagano city and the end of the train line at Yudanaka are Nakano city and Obuse, small, local areas most known for their agriculture.
Visiting in Nakano wasn’t planned, actually, as we actually ended up in the city due to an unfortunate medical emergency while on a trip around Nagano prefecture. At least they have a capable hospital with good staff in Hokushin Hospital.
We had visited Matsumoto city, then had gone to see the snow monkeys in the Yamanouchi area when we ended up having to go to Nakano.
I was able to see a little bit of the area.
HOW TO GET HERE
Nakano city and Obuse are in between Nagano and Yudanaka stations. The Nagaden Snow Monkey, express and local trains going towards Yudanaka stop at these stations but the schedule varies. Here’s a timetable. In these areas though, I’d definitely recommend having a car.
There weren’t a whole lot of highlights given the reason why I was in the area, but there was one: Picking Fuji apples.
ONO RINGO-EN
It was my first time picking apples, and the trees at Ono Ringo-en were full of them. Just like how grapes in Koshu, Yamanashi were some of the best I’ve ever had, these Fuji apples we picked in Nakano were some of the juiciest ever. It became hard to eat a regular supermarket apple after.
There’s so many on the trees and they have awesome deals. All-you-can-eat while in the orchard, + 1 apple to take to go for 500 yen (less than $5 USD), +3 apples for 900 yen, + a basket for 1,500 yen… and there’s no time limit! You can also buy by weight as well.
We stayed at the Route-Inn in Nakano. There wasn’t really any other option but they had a decent public onsen-like bath, breakfast, and really nice reception staff.
Across the street was one of the food highlights of the area.
DAIGEN
A lucky find across the street of our hotel, Daigen was a good alternative to any of the chains nearby. It’s a quirky izakaya run by an older man and woman furnished in random, old items like old wooden skis, a tube TV and something that looked like Japanese rickshaw wheels. They’re fried chicken and spicy sauce stood out to me, and their soba was also pretty good.
TOGAKUSHI SEYA SOBA-TEN
Conveniently right across the street from the hospital, and near Shinshu Nakano station, was this good soba spot. They have a variety of foods to choose from, but their soba combo with their tempura really hit the spot. The soba is nice and firm and their tempura is so light and crispy. Really good quality and very reasonable.
KANAETEUCHI SOBADOKORO
This popular soba spot in Obuse is run out of a converted, local house. They’re a part of a local collective of locations that open their outdoor, Japanese garden to tourists for free. They have several different soba sets to order from, including ones made form 100% soba buckwheat flour.
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Yudanaka: Snow Monkeys and Onsen
Snow monkeys and onsen hot springs in an old Japanese town in the mountains.
Yamanouchi is a small town area in Nagano prefecture with about 12,500 people, and consists of the Yudanaka and Shibu Onsen areas
Snow monkeys, onsen hot springs and skiing are what Yamanouchi is known for
Tucked away in the mountains of northeast Nagano prefecture is Yudanaka, Yamanouchi, an onsen hot spring getaway. I visited the area while on a trip around Nagano in November 2018, and this was the second stop after traveling to Matsumoto city.
People mainly visit the area to either see the famous snow monkeys that take a dip in the onsen during the snowy winter, enjoy the hot springs themselves, or go skiing.
HOW TO GET THERE
There are 3 trains that go between Nagano and Yudanaka stations. From Nagano station, where the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo makes a stop, you can catch either the Snow Monkey line (it’s actually called that), Nagaden express or local to Yudanaka station which is at the end of the line. Here’s a timetable.
Yamanouchi is separated into two main areas. There’s the Yudanaka area next to the station and the Chuo or “central” area a bit further in.
We stayed at a hostel in the Yudanaka area.
HIGH QUALITY HOSTEL AIBIYA
High Quality Hostel Aibiya is run by a family friend’s former student and his wife. They both speak good English and the hostel itself has a very homey feel.
A converted older building only a few minutes from Yudanaka station by foot, Aibiya has shared rooms and private rooms that share a bathroom, and a deluxe suite with its own toilet and bath.
There’s a shared hangout space on the first floor as well as a kitchen area where you can make yourself breakfast with food that they provide.
I’d recommend considering this hostel for anyone visiting the area, it’s quiet and they’re very accommodating.
We caught a taxi from Yudanaka station to one of the area’s main attractions: The snow monkeys.
JIGOKUDANI MONKEY PARK
There are 2 entrances to the park: Kanbayashi which is a 30 minute walk that has a cafe (see the end of this blog) near the entrance and a 15 minute walk that’s a little rockier of a path. We went in on the first, exited on the latter.
Visiting in late November, it wasn’t snowing yet so the monkeys were just hanging around the hot springs instead of soaking in them. The park has a livestream video feed to check the current conditions.
There are actually a lot of monkeys. The park’s staff come around and feed them, keeping them in the area in large numbers. They pretty much ignore the tourists, walking right around them and paying them no mind at all.
http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp
8:30AM-5:00PM (April to October)
9:00AM to 4:00PM (November to March)
After our monkeying around, we called a taxi and got brought to the central part of town.
SHIBU ONSEN
There are two areas in the Yudanaka, Yamanouchi area: The Yudanaka station area where our hostel was and the Shibu Onsen area.
Shibu Onsen is the bigger, main area, with a lot of ryokans and onsen hot springs spread around old, narrow streets.
Each onsen has a number, and a lot of visitors go on an onsen-hopping tour, jumping from one to the next. You’ll see them in their bath wear walking the streets.
There are some interesting places to check out, from small, old shops selling Japanese manju pastries to free onsen foot baths to old shateki toy rifle ranges that are hard to come by nowadays.
A young girl plays at an old, shateki toy rifle range.
From Shibu Onsen, we walked back to Yudanaka.
It’s walkable but the sun had set by 5:30PM which was when we headed back. There are some really dark portion of the walk and it’s quite some distance, especially if it’s in the middle of a cold winter, so I recommend walking while it’s still lit. Taxis are hard to come by as well since there’s only a few cars servicing the entire area.
YUDANAKA
The Yudanaka station area is smaller but more convenient as it’s minutes from the station.
Our hostel, the High Quality Hostel Aribiya was there, as well as a couple of onsen, including Yudanaka Onsen Yorozuya (Yoroduya) which I went to.
Yorozuya onsen has a large bath inside and connects to one outside that is placed in a rock garden. It’s a great place to relax in some peace and quiet amongst nature.
Yudanaka Onsen Yorozuya (Yoroduya)
Unfortunately, our vacation ended abruptly due to a medical emergency. I enjoyed what I saw while I was there though, and wouldn’t mind going back sometime.
Kakuma river in Yamanouchi at sundown
HAKKO
Right down the street from High Quality Hostel AIbiya is Hakko, which is owned by the same owners. Hakko specializes in using fermented foods like miso, soy sauce, sake, yogurt, bread, pickles, malt and cheese. A lot of their dishes uses local ingredients, and they feature local craft beers from Nagano prefecture as well. Dishes like their locally grown grilled pork pickled in sake lees stood out.
ENZA
Surprisingly good food for a tourist spot cafe. Enza is at the Kanbayashi entrance to the Jigokudani Monkey Park so it’s a convenient food fix before or after seeing the monkeys. This bowl of local Zenkoji-miso chicken ramen hits the spot on a cold day.
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Matsumoto
A one-day trip to Matsumoto, a city in the Nagano prefecture near the Japanese Alps.
About 2.5 hours from Tokyo, Matsumoto is in Nagano prefecture and has about a quarter million residents
Matsumoto is known for foods like soba and miso, and its ramen style is miso ramen
Artist Yayoi Kusama is from Matsumoto
In the middle of Nagano prefecture around the Japanese Alps is Matsumoto city. I stayed here for a night in late November 2018 and was able to see a little bit of it.
Matsumoto resembles a ski town as it basically is just that. Nagano prefecture is famous for skiing - the 1998 Winter Olympics were held there - and Matsumoto is within an hour of some of these slopes. It’s no surprise that two of its sister cities are Salt Lake City, Utah, and Grindelwald, Switzerland.
HOW TO GET THERE
From Shinjuku station in Tokyo, the Limited Express Azusa and Super Azusa trains are probably the easiest way to get there. They depart from a regular JR platform, pass through areas like Koshu, Yamanashi - an area known for grapes and wine, and reaches Matsumoto in about 2.5 hours. If you sit on the left side, you can catch a few glimpses of the tip of Mt Fuji.
The Ta River, next to Nakamachi Street with old merchant shops
One thing about Matsumoto that I noticed was that people are quite nice. Japanese in general are considered to be polite, but after living in the country for a while, you start to pick up on some differences. The people I came across in Matsumoto were pleasant and laid back, and it’s something I appreciated either when trying to order food or just buying something at the convenience store.
The city’s most famous landmark is Matsumoto Castle.
MATSUMOTO CASTLE
The castle topped our list of places to go. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from Matsumoto station, so pretty central and convenient.
Its black facade and distinct look makes it stand out from most other Japanese castles which usually have a lighter, white look. The castle, completed in the 16th century, is still in its original form and retains its original wooden structure.
English-speaking volunteer guides are available near the entrance area, and the one that we guided us was happy to share all she knew about the castle and surrounding area.
An interesting fact about the castle is that even though it was never attacked due to being backed by the powerful Tokugawa shogunate, it was almost torn down by choice.
In an attempt to “modernize,” many of Japan’s castles and landmarks were being demolished or auctioned off. There were plans to tear down Matsumoto Castle and it would’ve been if not for the efforts of a couple who opposed this and took action. I find this interesting because this willingness to stray from their own culture because of a yearning for some things Western can still be seen today in Japan. But that’s another conversation.
Even without taking a tour or learning about its history, Matsumoto Castle is worth visiting as it’s unique and just looks pretty badass, to be honest.
https://www.matsumoto-castle.jp
8:30AM – 5:00PM (Last entry at 4:30PM)
After the castle, we caught a taxi to the Matsumoto City Museum of Art.
MATSUMOTO CITY MUSEUM OF ART
One of Japan’s most well known artists, Yayoi Kusama, is from Matsumoto. Because of this, she has a permanent exhibit at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, and the museum itself is decorated in her signature polka dot art.
The museum itself isn’t big. There are special, temporary exhibits which cost an extra fee, but we went with the regular ticket and saw a couple of the permanent exhibits - Yayoi Kusama’s and a calligraphy one. No photography of the art is allowed, but it was interesting to see that Kusama’s art extended beyond her dotted works that she’s most famous for.
http://matsumoto-artmuse.jp
9:00AM-5:00PM (Last entry at 4:30PM)
Seikando bookstore in a building built in an old architectural style
Being that Nagano prefecture has no area bordering the oceans, seafood isn’t a specialty of theirs. They have it, but local cuisine often centers around miso and meats like chicken and even horse. Traditionally, bugs were also eaten here, something I’d choose to pass on trying.
I’ll leave with sharing some places that I think are worth eating at, but since I was only in Matsumoto for a day, feel free to leave a comment if you have any recommendations!
YAKITORI KIRAKUYA
Simply delicious yakitori, some of the best I’ve had, to be honest. Kirakuya is a small, hole-in-the-wall spot with 3 tables and a counter with several seats. They have a good range of yakitori, all of which are fresh and grilled over charcoal. The highlight was their miso pork skewer (first pic) which was unbelievably tasty. Their ume-shiso chicken and venison were some other standouts. Definitely worth checking out.
MENSHO SAKURA
One of the more famous ramen spots in the city, featuring ramen in their local, miso style. Mensho Sakura is located in a converted, old, narrow warehouse, with an attic serving as the second floor. Each ramen was rich in flavor and their noodles were on the thicker side. I had a black kuro-miso ramen with black, garlic sauce added in. Yum.
HOP FROG CAFE
Craft beer and craft coffee in a shop that feels like a ski lodge. Hop Frog Cafe is run by a man and woman and is a short walk from the Matsumoto City Museum of Art. English is completely fine as the man is fluent, having went to college in Iowa. There’s a variety of coffee blends to choose from, and you can decide if you want it filtered to bring out more of the oils or not. Friendly place and a really nice find.
http://hopfrogcafe.biz [J]
Snow monkeys and onsen hot springs in an old Japanese town in the mountains.