Suitable site for tennis court and golf course
Because of its climate and location, Karuizawa has developed as a summer resort for both domestic and foreign visitors, but it is also famous as the birthplace of sports culture, including tennis, golf, and skating.
Tennis was introduced to Japan in Yokohama in 1878, but in Karuizawa, a tennis court surrounded by silkworm cages was built in front of the garden of a villa behind the Tsuruya Ryokan in old Karuizawa around 1894. This was the beginning of tennis in Karuizawa.
Since then, the number of tennis courts has steadily increased, and private tennis courts were built in large villa areas.
At its peak in 1977, there were nearly 500 courts in Karuizawa, not including those owned by villa owners.
In 2009, there were 24 tennis courts in Karuizawa.
Also known as the Old Golf Course (now the Old Karuizawa Golf Club) was built in 1919, inviting a golf course designer from England.
It was a 9-hole golf course on a 60,000 tsubo canvas, but now has 12 holes. The former golf course is the second oldest golf course in the Kanto Koshin area, after the Sengokuhara Golf Course in Hakone.
Later, in 1930, an 18-hole golf course was built on a land of 330,000 tsubo (about 1.5 acres), and the new golf course, which was called the largest in the East at that time (present Shin-Karuizawa Golf Club), was constructed and was very prosperous. After the war, the golf course was built in Jizokehara (Minamikaruizawa). The reason for this was that Jizokehara had many wetlands, and there was no development of villages or arable land for grazing. In 1955, the Minami-Karuizawa Golf Course was established, followed by the Haruyama Hotel Golf Course (18 holes) in 1956, and in 1972, a 72-hole golf course (currently the Karuizawa 72 Golf Course) was completed on 1.4 million tsubo (462 ha) of land. In 1976, the number of golf courses in Karuizawa reached 147 holes, making it one of the leading golf course kingdoms in Japan.
Karuizawa’s golf courses attract many golfers because of its highland climate, which is cool even in summer, making it easy to play.
There used to be an airfield in Minami-Karuizawa, but it was converted to a golf course site after the war because there was no regular air service.
Looking at the topography and geology of the Karuizawa Plateau, volcanic gravels and ash from Mount Asama cover the ground surface, and there is a thick layer of pumice underground. Therefore, even if a considerable amount of precipitation falls, it will percolate underground. Therefore, when the rain stops, tennis and other sports can be played immediately.
The elasticity of the volcanic ash is also said to be a factor in setting good records in athletic competitions.
Skating and ice making industry
In Karuizawa, where winters are bitterly cold, skiing (describe) did not develop well due to the lack of snowfall. However, “ice making” flourished from the end of the Meiji period.
In 1907, young volunteers in Shin-Karuizawa leased 4,000 tsubo (about 1,000 square meters) of land from the forestry office and built the Karuizawa Skating Rink. In the summer of 1909, a blacksmith in Niikaruizawa manufactured geta skates, and children enjoyed skating on them. In the same year, figure skating was opened to the public at the pond in the residence of Keijiro Amamiya.
In modern Karuizawa, there are two skating rinks, “Kazakoshi Park Skating Rink” and “Karuizawa Kazakoshi Park Ice Arena.
Modern “skating” with leather skates was called “ice skating technique” by the Japanese, and had become a sport for the upper class.
Karuizawa’s skating rinks are widely known internationally, as the Nagano Winter Olympics were held in Karuizawa in 1998.
A related local industry that took advantage of Karuizawa’s extremely cold climate was the production of natural ice. During the Taisho era (1912-1926), there were many ice makers, and natural ice production flourished until the widespread use of electric power for ice production.
The production of natural ice in Karuizawa flourished because natural ice was stored in an ice house (himuro) for use in the refrigerators of foreign villas, and ice cut to the size of each villa’s refrigerator was delivered regularly.
A pond and icehouse used for making ice still remain on the outskirts of the old Karuizawa town. This icehouse was the setting for Tatsuo Hori’s “Beautiful Village.
Old Karuizawa Shopping Street
The three inns of Karuizawa, Kutsugake, and Oiwake on the Nakasendo route in the town of Karuizawa were called the “three inns of Asamanegoshi” and were crowded with travelers in the Edo period. Karuizawa was the most prosperous of the three, as it was located at the foot of the old Usui Pass (in ancient times, the pass was called Saka, meaning “hill”).
Later, however, the development of railroad transportation led to the decline of the Asama Sanchuku and other inns.
However, construction of summer resort villas by foreigners and Japanese began in the 20th century, and as a result, Old Karuizawa became a shopping district catering to summer vacationers, and is still nicknamed “Old Karu” and “Old Road” today.
In the shopping streets of Kyu-Karuizawa, most of the Edo period inn landscape has been lost, except for the roadside trees. Only a few buildings have been restored, such as the Tsuruya Ryokan, which has been refurbished into a traditional inn. Also, a signboard written by Nakamura Furi, a painter and calligrapher from Takato Town, was displayed at the Fujiya Confectionary Shop. Many of the buildings in the shopping district of Kyu-Karuizawa are a blend of Japanese and Western styles. In addition, many stores from Tokyo, Yokohama, and other cities are open for business during the summer.
In summer, Old Karuizawa is crowded with visitors, so the villa owners avoid the busy daytime and go shopping in the evening. In the center of the old Karuizawa shopping street was the Karuizawa Post Office built in 1911, but the building was moved to the Karuizawa Taliesin Center by Lake Shiozawa, and the Karuizawa Tourism Hall was built on the site in 1995 to replicate its appearance.
One of Karuizawa’s specialties is Karuizawa carving. Karuizawa carving is a specialty of Karuizawa. Production of this style of furniture began in 1908 and was intended for summer vacationers. Karuizawa carvings, which feature cherry blossoms and trees as their main design, are popular among foreign visitors. The tables and chairs of the former Mikasa Hotel, designated as a national important cultural property, are all made of Karuizawa carving. Karuizawa carving stores and workshops also characterize the old Karuizawa townscape. This Karuizawa carving is made by introducing the Nikko carving technique.
The streets of Old Karuizawa are lined with single-family houses, but only one of the row-house stores, called “Kondo Nagaya” (lost), is unique. The owner of this branch store was Kondo Tomoemon, a wealthy merchant from Nagoya, who ran the tenement and leased the store to a branch store. This is a unique example of this type of lease.
