Recommended sightseeing route (wide area)
~I will introduce a recommended wide-area sightseeing route to make your trip to Karuizawa even more enjoyable. ~~This is a recommended sightseeing route to further enjoy your trip to Karuizawa.
- Tomioka City, Annaka City, Karuizawa Town Connect★Connect Tourism Cooperation Project
In April 2014, Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture, and Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture, launched a new cross-border tourism initiative to connect one of their regional resources, the Tomioka Silk Mill, the Usui Pass Railway facilities including the Megane Bridge, the former Mikasa Hotel and a group of Western-style villas, and their respective historical buildings, in order to increase the touring experience. The aim is to connect the historical buildings of each area and to enhance the touring experience of visitors.
Tomioka Silk Mill
Tomioka Silk Mill was established in 1872 as the first government-run model silk mill in Nihon. The wooden frame brick buildings are a symbol of modern Japan, and contributed greatly to the development of the silk industry in Futaboto, which eventually made its name known throughout the world. The entire site is designated as a national historic site, and the early buildings are designated as important cultural properties. The site was also officially registered as a component of the “Tomioka Silk Mill and Silk Industrial Heritage Sites” at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha on June 21, 2014.
Usui Daisan Bridge (Megane Bridge)
In 1893, the Usui No.3 Bridge (Megane Bridge), a four-storied brick arch bridge representing the Usui Pass, the largest existing brick arch bridge in Japan, was designated as an Important Cultural Property along with four other bridges and other structures for the first time in Japan as the “Usui Pass Railway Facilities.
The former Mikasa Hotel.
In 1905, the Mikasa Hotel was built and opened for business the following year. It was called “Karuizawa’s Rokumeikan” because of its extravagant decoration and interior design, which was the most extravagant Western-style building that could be expressed in a wooden structure. It is the only Western-style wooden building in existence that was designed and completed by a Japanese architect, and was designated a National Important Cultural Property on May 31, 1980.
＜Tomioka City, Annaka City, Karuizawa Town Connecting Tourism Cooperation Project For more information, click here＞.
- Picture book-related cultural facilities along the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line
Picture Book Dream Corridor: Wide-area network to connect picture book culture” in collaboration with three picture book libraries
The “Imizu City Oshima Picture Book Museum,” the “Shinano-cho Kurohime Fairy Tale Museum,” and the “Karuizawa Picture Book Forest Art Museum” have decided to collaborate in cultural and tourism projects. In anticipation of the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Kanazawa next March 2015, we will deepen cooperation with facilities along the line that share the same themes, such as “picture books” and “children’s literature.
Imizu City Oshima Picture Book Museum
The museum houses a collection of about 10,000 picture books from Japan and abroad in a space designed to resemble a ship. The museum offers workshops for making picture books, crafts, and goods using computers, as well as original picture book paintings by popular authors, for the whole family to enjoy.
Shinano-cho Kurohime Fairy Tale Museum
We introduce the works of children’s literature, mainly by Michael Ende and Miyoko Matsutani, so that visitors can learn about them in an approachable way. We promote the creation of a space where literature, art, and nature can be enjoyed in unison.
Karuizawa Picture Book Forest Art Museum
This 15,000-square-meter garden museum is located in a “forest.
＜The “Picture Book Dream Corridor: Wide-area network to connect picture book culture”, a collaboration of three picture book libraries.
