Kyu-karuisawa Travel Guide

 
by salisbury3933
 
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Explore Kyu-karuisawa

Things to Do  

Kumobaike pond
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salisbury3933 857 reviews

Not sure how this place is at other times of the year, but in autumn it is a very pleasant place to be.
Great colours.

Written Oct 30, 2011

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Hiking in Karuizawa
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Cubiche 4 reviews
Hiking path
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This town has plenty of hiking trails to do in the summertime. The greenery is astounding, and the temperature is cool enough to keep the hike pleasant. I walked the trail from Mine no Cya to the Shirainotake waterfalls. It continues further down to more waterfalls, but as I was pressed for time, I only managed to squeeze one in. The hike I did took approximately 50 minutes. The path is well marked and it is a very pleasant walk. The waterfalls are pretty, though, nothing to write home about. It is usually crowded there too, as it seems most Japanese like to just go see the waterfalls as opposed to walk there.
To get to this hike, you can take a bus from the Karuizawa train station, and it leaves from the 2nd stand. Just ask the bus driver if the bus goes to Mine no Cya. Get off there (it's about 35 minutes) and the trail is right across the road. If you stop your hike at the waterfalls you can take the same bus back down to town.
There are plenty more hikes, and the tourist/information office at the train station is very helpful. You should go there before you set out to do anything. Though their English is scarce, they are very efficient and determined to help you out.

Written Jul 6, 2006

Related to:
 Hiking and Walking
 Study Abroad
 Work Abroad

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Hotels  

Hotel Sala Karuizawa: A bit out of town, but good service

Hotel Sala Karuizawa: A bit out of town, but good service, Kyu-karuisawa

 salisbury3933 Says:  Service was good and the staff were great. It's a bit out of town and quiet. Bathing facilities were not what I've come to expect over the years, but the food was good.Staff were very helpful when we had something unexpected come up, and are very professional in general.In... 

Hotel Kajimanomori: quiet, elegant, among woods

Hotel Kajimanomori: quiet, elegant, among woods, Kyu-karuisawa

 stonefree Says:  I always use this hotel when I go to Karuisawa to stay without camping gear. The hotel building is hidden in a deep woods behind the center of the town. Very quiet site. Still you can reach to the main shopping district of the town by foot. 

Restaurants  

Pyrenees: Nice Japanese style French cuisine
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salisbury3933 857 reviews
Part of Lunch set

This place does a pretty good lunch set for 2000 yen or so. In my case a good steak hit the spot nicely.
Food and service both of high quality

Written Nov 4, 2011

Address: 1181-8 Karuizawa, Karuizawa-cho, Kita-Saku gun

Phone: 0267-42-3339

Website: http://karuizawa-pyrenees.com/

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Sorry, I can't tell by now...: Ummmmm...
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

stonefree 262 reviews

Sorry, I can't tell the exact name and address of the shop for they don't want to put an ad on a paper, guide map, and they even don't run a homepage of their own.

But what so special of this shop is that the shop used have been loved by John Lennon. He'd often visited this shop for brunch with Yoko Ono and their son Sean.

Favorite Dish: The most famous menu John Lennon loved is told pan cake and blueberry juice.
In addition, their curry is great, too.

Updated Aug 28, 2006

Related to:
 Family Travel
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons

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Transportation  

Getting around town
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salisbury3933 857 reviews

As Karuizawa is quite spread out bicycles are a handy way of getting around town. There are a number of bicycle rental places in Karuizawa.

Written Oct 30, 2011

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Public transport in Karuizawa is excellent
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Cubiche 4 reviews

There is no reason for you to ever take a taxi in Karuizawa. Apart from the fact that they are incredibly expensive, bus routes cover virtually every corner of the town. Karuizawa is also quite beautiful and there are many beautiful things you can look out on from your bus ride. Just make sure you allow yourself enough time to get around, the buses can take a while to get places. The best source of information I found was the tourist office at the train station. They will be able to help you and give you the schedules you need. All the schedules are both in Japanese and English.

Written Jul 6, 2006

Related to:
 Backpacking
 Study Abroad

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Comments

Map of Kyu-karuisawa