Article

20321 ／かるいざわまち

Nagano Prefecture 北佐久郡

Karuizawa Town

Right to Sarashina, left to Miyoshino.

Wakasare of Oiwake-juku

Photo by 663highland (CC BY 2.5)

01 ／ Stonework

A stone carved with a family crest,travelers are said to have called a "windmill."

In 1657 a Karuizawa wholesaler and others laid stone pavement before Kumano Kodai Shrine. The town's English signboard says that in 1688 the Sato family crest, a Genji-guruma cartwheel, was carved in stone to commemorate it. Because strong winds blow from autumn to winter, Nakasendo travelers called it the "stone windmill," and it is said to be sung of in the Oiwake-bushi horse driver's song.

Stone pavement donated, 1657
Genji-guruma carved, 1688
Town-designated Folk Cultural Property (1973)

02 ／ Architecture

The west wing's bay and towerbreak the symmetry.

Completed in 1905, it is a two-story wooden building with an entrance porch and an octagonal tower on the roof, and a slate roof. Bunka Isan Online records that it was designed by Okada Tokitaro and built by local carpenters. Old fireplaces, lighting and sanitary ware remain inside, and it became a National Important Cultural Property in 1980.

Completed 1905
Two-story wooden building
Important Cultural Property, 1980

03 ／ Grassland

A grassland on a former shooting rangehas been kept up by hand.

Until 2003 this was a shooting range, and burning and mowing kept the grassland low. The town botanical garden later took over as a nature garden, mowing the susuki grass and reeds and carrying the cuttings out of the grassland for the sake of primroses. It became a Town Natural Monument in 2018.

A shooting range until 2003
Cuttings carried out
Town Natural Monument, 2018

Karuizawa Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot November–December 2019)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

61 minutes from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen.

about 20,000 people
90 min to a city centre
Shinkansen stops here
Rural district town

The Hokuriku Shinkansen stops at Karuizawa Station, and the fastest daily train from Tokyo, Hakutaka No. 557, takes 61 minutes. The town also has Naka-Karuizawa and Shinano-Oiwake stations on the Shinano Railway. The gateway is Karuizawa Station.

People living here: 19,188people
Area: 156.03km²
Households: 8,586households
Rent (average for rentals): 54,609yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 21 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —4 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Karuizawa Town in Japan36.348°N 138.597°E

to TokyoHokuriku Shinkansen61min

Travel times follow JR東日本路線時刻表「上越・北陸新幹線下り」2610版（https://timetables.jreast.co.jp/2610/timetable-v/004d1.html 平日・004d2.html 土曜・休日。取得2026-10-21）。東京発→軽井沢発（途中駅は発の時刻だけ掲載） (checked 2026-10-21). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 7 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Karuizawa Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

16.2km

Nagano Prefecture: Miyota Town, Saku City
Gunma Prefecture: Annaka City, Naganohara Town, Shimonita Town, Tsumagoi Village, Takasaki City

Karuizawa Town isthis kind of town.

01The Wakasare on the west side of Oiwake-juku is where the Hokkoku Kaido and the Nakasendo part; the town says its stone monument is carved with distances and a verse that begins Sarashina wa migi, and it became a town historic site in 1973
02The stone windmill of Toge at the entrance to Kumano Kodai Shrine is a town-designated Folk Cultural Property, and the town's English notice says the shrine's komainu, thought to date from the mid-Muromachi period, are the oldest in Nagano Prefecture
03The Former Mikasa Hotel is a National Important Cultural Property and the Kazakoshi Washiana semi-natural grassland a Town Natural Monument; Oiwake-bushi became the town's first Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2023, and the Kusakaru Electric Railway's Deki 12 locomotive was designated a town cultural property in 2026

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Karuizawa Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes