Winter in Karuizawa - A Place to Enjoy Snow and Peace.

This is my third time visiting Karuizawa. The reason for so many visits is, of course, because I love the environment and air here, especially in summer when Karuizawa is several degrees cooler than Tokyo. If you can ride a bike, it’s even more enjoyable. This time, I chose to visit in winter mainly to see the snow scenery and go skiing, which is a different experience. You can buy a Shinkansen ticket at the JR station in Tokyo, and it takes less than an hour from Ueno Station to get there. Upon arriving in Karuizawa, the first thing to do is, of course, to take a walk around Kumoba Pond and see it under the snow. Since it’s winter, we took a taxi there. Walking around the pond, it felt especially cold, possibly because of the water. After that, we went straight to Karuizawa Ginza Street, where you can shop at different stores and enjoy various foods. This time, we ate at the famous udon restaurant TsuruTonTan. Although there are branches in Tokyo, the one in Karuizawa is really large. The ceiling is two stories high, and the udon bowls are huge, with free noodle refills. With a stove by your side, it feels very warm. We even bought some fresh udon to take home. We also tried the popular apple pie, which was quite good. Karuizawa has many beautiful churches you can visit, but due to time constraints, I didn’t go this time, so I won’t introduce them here. Karuizawa has many ski resorts in winter. This time, we chose the Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort, which is just a 10-minute walk from Karuizawa Station. We booked a 6-hour private lesson (including lunch) with a female instructor from Taiwan, who communicated with us in Mandarin, which was very convenient. The restaurant next to the ski resort is also quite good. Of course, you have to go shopping at the Karuizawa outlet. They have various brands, and I recommend checking out Japanese brands like Asics, Edwin, and Under Armour, which are very cheap. Mid-range brands like Blue Label, Aigle, and Hoka are also available, along with many European luxury brands. The outlet is very large, and you could spend a whole day there. However, the biggest problem in winter is that most of the stores are outdoors, making it inconvenient to try on clothes. But the scenery is beautiful, especially at sunset, so remember to take photos if the weather is good. The night lights are also nice. When playing in Karuizawa, it’s best to drive yourself around the city. If you can’t drive, you can take a taxi or bus. This time, we didn’t stay in a hotel but chose a guesthouse. We had the best host ever, who not only helped us with our luggage but also thoughtfully provided fruits, drinks, and snacks. Since the place we stayed was a bit far, we used the Go Taxi app for transportation. This app is very convenient to use and accurate in positioning, which is helpful since Japanese drivers don’t speak much English. I recommend using it. Karuizawa can be a day trip or a two to three-day stay, making it a great city near Tokyo.