KARUIZAWA
NEWS

A staple of fall foliage

Kumoba Pond in Karuizawa, well-known for autumn leaves, is turning red and is at its best time. This is what it looked like yesterday.(15 minutes by car from the hotel)

Autumn Colors at Megane Bridge

Autumn colors at “Megane Bridge”, described previously as being on a disused line of the Shinetsu Main Line. The best time to view the leaves each year is the first two to three weeks of November.(35 minutes by car from the hotel)

→about Megane Bridge

500 Cherry Blossom Trees

Kaikoen Garden's cherry blossoms are in full bloom. It is easily accessible to get to Komoro Station from Karuizawa Station by train in around 30 minutes, followed by a 3-minute walk from Komoro Station. (30 minutes by car from the hotel)

→about Kaikoen

A Church Known Across Generations

Karuizawa Kogen Church was founded in 1921 as a venue for liberal arts courses in Karuizawa, a town where Christian culture has historically thrived. These courses earned a special place in the hearts of intellectuals, as a place in which they could converse in search of "true enrichment of the mind." One of these intellectuals was Uchimura Kanzo, who called Karuizawa Kogen Church the "Hoshino Yugakudo" ("Hoshino Hall of Itinerant Study"). Today, this name can still be seen in writing at the entrance to the church. Since 1965, wedding ceremonies have also been held at the church. It has since become famous in Japan as a church where non-Christian brides can also wear wedding dresses. It could well be that stance as a church that also welcomes people of religions and ideologies outside of Christianity that has made this a church that is known across generations, right up to the present. Another of the church's charms is that it offers the chance to enjoy light displays, as well as beautiful scenery that transforms in time with the seasons. (10 minutes by car from the hotel)

The cafe loved by John Lennon's family

Rizanbo, a charming cafe standing alone in the middle of the woods, was frequently visited by Lennon, as well as Yoko Ono and their son Sean, until Lennon's last years. Lennon especially loved the cafe's garden pergola, where the whole family used to relax. Outside, you can find the chair where Lennon used to sit, as well as the nails used to measure young Sean's growth, which still remain hanging on a tree nowadays. As for the menu, Rizanbo offers the royal sweet vanilla ice cream highly praised by both Lennon and great writers, a perfect treat for the coming hot season. If you want to feel the presence of the Lennon family, Rizanbo is the place to go. (15 minutes by car from the hotel)

A Festival of Sweets

The Sweets Walk, which has become a regular event, will be on until 31st May. We will be entertaining you with sweets created by pastry chefs and inspired by the fresh verdure of Karuizawa, the theme of this year's event.
The Karuizawa Marriott Hotel will be participating in the festival with crepes filled with cream cheese and Shinshu apricot jam, topped with a custard cream-base matcha.
The festival will also feature a stamp rally. Collect and send in ten stamps to be in the draw to win an invitation to Karuizawa Sweets Walk The Premium Sweets Buffet 2019, held in February next year.
Photos after the fourth photo show Karuizawa Sweets Walk The Premium Sweets Buffet 2018, which was held in February this year.

The Cherry Blossoms of Kaikoen

Kaikoen is the site of Komoro castle, of which Hidehisa Sengoku was the lord. It is said that the lyrics of the song "I look up as I walk" (also known as "Sukiyaki"), are based on the sad memories of Rokusuke Ei in Kaikoen when he was evacuated to Komoro during wartime.
Approximately 500 cherry blossom trees of the "Someiyoshino" variety are in full bloom in the spacious area of Kaikoen. Among these, the Komoro Yaebenishidare, which originally came from Komoro, and gradually changes color from deep red to a paler hue, is a beautiful and unusual cherry blossom. You can also enjoy the cherry blossoms in the evening when they are lit up. The best time to see them is at the beginning of this week. It is a three-minute walk from Komoro Station. (30 minutes by car from the hotel)

Spring and Winter Strawberry Picking

Karuizawa Garden Farm is a scenic beauty spot 1000m above sea level on the Karuizawa highlands with stunning views of Mt. Asama. Here you can indulge yourself in picking sweet, delicious spring and winter strawberries.
These plump berries are bright, colorful and firm. There are all sorts of strawberry varieties for you to taste, such as "Beni Hoppe" ("Red Cheeks"), "Kaori No" ("Scented Field") and "Yayoi Hime" ("March Princess"). (10 minutes by car from the hotel)

Detail→

"Sweets Walk" in November

The "Karuizawa Sweets Walk," a town-wide event where hotels and restaurants in Karuizawa offer original apple-themed desserts and confections, is now available to visitors. (until Nov 30) The Karuizawa Marriott Hotel offers its delectable "Karuizawa Harvest," a sweet apple mousse wrapped in crisp, tart-tasting apple peels.

Changing colors

A photo of fall colors in the hotel grounds and Kumoba Pond, taken on October 24. The season of fall foliage is just starting, and the area will soon fill up with visitors. Karuizawa is beautiful in both summer and autumn and well worth the visit. (fifth photo and after are from past years.) (15 minutes by car from the hotel)

A Leisure Facility Fusing Nature, Museums, and Literature

Karuizawa Taliesin is a leisure facility - assembling historical buildings, museums, and recreational facilities, in the Shiozawa Lake area. Here, visitors can view the lush greenery of the area, exhibitions of materials by authors and poets, and paintings and artwork. With playground equipment such as go-carts and a cycle monorail available, these facilities can be enjoyed by children too. The changing of the seasons can be experienced here as well - such as during the cherry blossoms, the spring flowering of greenery, and the fall colors of autumn leaves. (7 minutes by car from the hotel)

Detail（PDF）→
Video→

Sightseeing on bus recommended, too

Karuizawa is a tourist-friendly area, as there are busses that will take you to various sightseeing spots.We also recommend using the free passes that allow unlimited usage of busses and trains for specific zones. in addition to this, Karuizawa Station offers a luggage deposit service. Leave your baggage by around noon, and it will be delivered to the accommodation facility at which you are staying by around 18;00 of the same day. Use this service and enjoy sightseeing hands-free (There is a 1000 yen charge for one piece of luggage).

Detail(Select language) →
Free pass(Select language) →
Luggage deposit service(Select language) →

The Shiraito Falls

With a height of 3 meters and width of 70 meters, it is said that the curving Falls got its name from the fact that it looks like multiple white threads running down its path. During summer, the Falls is used as a fantastic projection map; moreover, during autumn or winter, there are different scenes to be enjoyed. The falls is a 25-minute bus ride away from Karuizawa Station, with a fare of 710 yen. (25 minutes by car from the hotel)

Sweets Stroll

The Karuizawa Sweets Stroll, during which the hotels and restaurants of Karuizawa offer their very best flower-themed sweets, is going on now (until June 30th). The Karuizawa Marriott Hotel is offering a "Flower Garden" (￥1,188) made up of things like flower-patterned white chocolate, blancmange, and vanilla ice cream.

Eyeglass bridge

91 meters long, and 31 meters tall, this was the largest brick rail bridge in the country. Now that the railway has been discontinued, trains no longer run across it, but visitors can still walk on this bridge, known affectionately as the "eyeglass bridge."(35 minutes by car from the hotel)