As soon as I arrived at Karuizawa train station in Nagano prefecture, I knew I was in a place unlike any I had visited in Japan over the last few decades. I instinctively felt I was in a European winter resort town – very on trend, very up market. Italian Gelato and European style pastries – and lots of the ‘beautiful super cool people’ about! Ok, the guy in the photo above may not look trendy – but hey – matching red jacket and shoes!
We visited on an autumn weekend in Karuizawa. The town was ablaze with golden colours, and buzzing with visitors – it’s only an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen and known not only for its beauty, but for an abundance of name brand outlet retailers. So a lot of day trippers!
Just ahead as you walk out of the railway station, there’s Patagonia – the American outdoor clothing and gear shop. Ready to equip you for bushwalking (trekking), canoeing, snowboarding and skiing. And it’s packed with customers. It gives you an inkling of what this region has to offer.
Looking up from the railway station towards the mountains, I see skiers already on the hillside, with machines making snow on the runs. The proper season hasn’t quite got underway, with snowfalls still about a month away. But they are skiing in Kanuizawa.
In the centre of some streets are small wooden animals, carved from local timbers – I have no idea why. But they are cute. Native fauna, I presume. This region abounds in native animals! Wear your bear bell if you are in the forest!
We head for our hotel, which has an Italian name. Why not? A cabinet in the foyer is full of upmarket Italian watches, ski goggles and Swedish gloves. I remind myself I’m still in Japan.
Karuizawa has an exciting vibe – beautiful restaurants, locally made craft beer, an amazing array of shops, and plenty of things to see and do.
Karuizawa – once a post town on the old Eastern Nagano Nakasendo route, doesn’t just cater to holidaymakers and day visitors. It is the playground of the rich and famous. Many have holiday homes here or even reside full time here.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito met his wife here on a tennis court. John Lennon spent several summers here with wife Yoko and son Sean. You can still see a tree where Lennon marked Sean’s height.
Karuizawa first became famous as a villa area when a Canadian Anglican missionary, Alexander Croft Shaw, visited in the 1800’s, and promoted it as a summer retreat. Missionaries and their families began living in Karuizawa and it became a town with a strong Christian atmosphere. If you are into church tours, this is the place for you! There are some very unique architectural designs to see!
There also are some stunning homes. During our stay, we drove along an avenue lined with beautifully manicured estates surrounding elegant mansions. I hoped to see a famous face or two – I heard one of my favourite Japanese actors, Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (Last Samurai, Tokyo Vice) has a home here. That would have made my day if I had spotted him. I wouldn’t have asked for a selfie photo with him. I saw him on a cooking programme with his daughter once, and he seemed a dab hand in the kitchen. So I might have picked up some useful Japanese cooking tips from him!
It’s possible we did share morning tea with someone famous during our visit! Though I am not quite sure who he was. We wandered into this tiny little coffee shop not far from the railway station – a cosy little place where you felt like you’d entered someone’s home. Dark wooden floors, and a gorgeous well mannered resident dog. The cafe was packed with DVD’s, car and motorbike paraphernalia. There’s a car grill mounted on the wall – an elite car, of course.
The cafe is a bit cluttered with only a handful of tables. A cafe with character, serving coffee and cheesecake. And food for the resident dog.
In one corner were two older chaps who turned out to be local regulars. One, dressed in leathers, looked like an old rock star – think a Japanese Keith Richards or Mick Jagger – more Keith than Mick. He had that calm air of “I’m famous, but think of me as just a regular guy”. I did consider he might be the head an of a bikie gang, and had second thoughts about sitting next to him. But we did (it was the only available table).
They engaged us in friendly conversation in hesitant english, wanting to know all about us and our trip. In Australia, I would have probably said .. ‘so WHO are you?’ We Aussies are a bit forthright like that. But in Japan, it seemed impolite to ask. They knew the owner and his dog well. At first, I thought the dog was theirs, as he lay next to them, comfortable in their company.
Eventually the ‘rock star’s’ coffee mate gave a few clues, telling us that his leather clad mate had ridden motorbikes for a living. Oops – was I right about the bike gang leader? He went on to say his friend had been a competitive rider on many of the international circuits. So, a retired professional motor bike rider? It seemed they were waiting for us to guess who he was? OMG, are you ??? Actually, we still had no idea. Has there been a Japanese bike riding world champion, perhaps back in the ‘60’s or ‘70’s? I bet he knew Ken Watanabe. In fact, if we had stayed in that cafe for longer, would Ken have walked in for the signature baked cheesecake?
We spotted some very fashionable and expensive clothing boutiques in Karuizawa, and not all of them for humans. Some catered exclusively for animals!
I have never seen so many people walking around with cats and dogs dressed to the nines as I did in Karuizawa. Outstanding was the lanky long legged dog in a fashionable winter jacket with an upturned collar, matched with fleece track pants! Cute was a tiny poodle in a hot pink ballet tutu, stylish top and hair ribbon. I wondered if her name was Fifi in Japanese? An Aussie might have called her Pav after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. After-all, we named our signature desert for her, why not a dog?
Many of the clothed pets were being lovingly pushed in prams by young couples! Is it politically incorrect to say I found it all a little bizarre, particularly in view of Japan’s rapidly dropping baby birth rate?
WILDLIFE SANCTUARY AND THE SHIRAITO FALLS
In truth, we weren’t drawn to Karuizawa for its glamour. We had come here to go birdwatching at the famous Karuizawa Wild Bird Sanctuary, home to the Picchio Wildlife research centre and to see the unique Shiraito Falls. In an earlier story on this travel blog, I have already detailed our enjoyable visit to the Sanctuary where we risked encounters with wild bears and monkeys in the forest. Luckily, we didn’t see bears, but we did see a troupe of wild monkeys pass us by!
http://travellingtherese.com/2024/01/26/nagano-birds-bears-and-monkeys/
THE FALLS
Our other destination, the Shiraito Falls, is about a half hour drive from the centre of town, but worth the effort to get there. You know that saying – ‘good things come in small packages’? The Shiraito Falls are a bit like that – height challenged at just 3 metres, but quite remarkable as the falls stretch to 70 metres wide, forming an elegant arc around a small quiet pool in a forest.
The falls are not fed by a river, rather they are created naturally from underground volcanic water rising to the surface. Originally, it’s rainwater from the mountains that seep through the ground over 5 to 6 years, eventually emerging at the falls. The water supply is constant, and reliable no matter the season.
The Shiraito Falls are easily accessible by public buses that leave from outside the railway station. The journey takes about 30 minutes. There are one or two services each hour, taking around 25 minutes to reach Shiraito Falls. It’s an interesting little journey.
On arrival, you have about another five minutes easy and picturesque walk to reach the falls.
We set off very early in the day, and there weren’t a lot of people on our bus. But by the time we returned, there was a long queue of people at the bus stop, annd aisle seats had to be employed to cater for the number of passengers. The bus was packed! MJ ended up at the back of the bus, and I was at the front, separated by a sea of other passengers! Be prepared for this and go with the flow.
There are some seats and a rest room provided at the Falls bus stop. There is also parking space for private vehicles. And an array of interesting shops and eateries along the roadside.
One store owner grills fresh river fish over hot coals – so if you have to wait for a return bus .. and you probably will .. check his fish out. He was kind enough to allow me to photograph him.
Some other good products included locally made maple syrup that I saw nowhere else, and delicious pork buns! I know they are delicious because I indulged in two!
Should you visit in winter, you can expect a great multi coloured spectacle. The Shiraito Falls Midwinter Light Up event is held from late December to early March.
TIP: The falls are a very popular tourist destination. So, arrive as early as you can avoid the crowds. The Falls have 24 hour access, so a dawn visit could be worthwhile. And don’t forget to take your rubbish out and leave in a bin.
Another tip – IF YOU VISIT KARUIZAWA ON A WEEKEND OR PUBLIC HOLIDAY, SECURE YOUR MEAL BOOKINGS. We found it hard to find a place that wasn’t booked out. We noted a lot of people queuing to get a table.
By chance, one restaurant that wasn’t in demand was a German one – run by a Japanese. He was at the door as we passed, almost begging us ever so politely to come in. We felt so sorry for his lack of customers, that we decided to try it for lunch. We lucked in. Excellent. The food was great, the service very friendly. An assistant took a photo for us with our host – not quite in focus – but a good memory for us!
In the end, these little unexpected encounters – the talkative chaps and golden retriever in the coffee shop, the friendly Japanese waiter in the German restaurant – the dog in the pink tutu – and the troupe of monkeys casually wandering past us in the forest – are the essence of a great trip in Japan, creating wonderful memories for us!
For another story from our Karuizawa, read about our visit to the town’s famous bird watching park. https://travellingtherese.com/2024/01/26/nagano-birds-bears-and-monkeys/
