Bus tour of art and culture in Karuizawa 2 days 1 night

Base for sightseeing in Karuizawa

Karuizawa Station is easily accessible by the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, which takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes from Tokyo Station and 2 hours from Kanazawa Station, and is the base for sightseeing in Karuizawa, served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line and the Shinano Railway.

Karuizawa Sta. 10:00 departure on foot

Karuizawa Ando Art Museum

This private museum exhibits only the works of the painter Tsuguharu Fujita. The museum has a collection of about 200 works, mainly paintings of "Girl," "Cat," and "Madonna and Child," which provide visitors with a perspective on Fujita's artistic career, which was marked by a number of strange fates. The "Milky Underground" works that swept Europe are also on display. A café for the "HARIO" brand of coffee utensils is also located here.

<Stay 90 minutes> Admission and viewing

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Karuizawa New Art Museum

The planned exhibitions will include not only the world's leading contemporary Japanese artists and their group exhibitions, but also overseas artists, with a fresh approach that will meet the expectations of art fans from both Japan and abroad.
The museum also plans to actively collect works by Japanese avant-garde artists, including works by avant-garde artists who belonged to the "Gutai Art Association," whose international reputation has been growing remarkably in recent years.

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A church nestled in a grove of trees

The oldest church in Karuizawa was the missionary church of the Canadian Alexander Croft Shaw, known as the "Father of Karuizawa," who made Karuizawa known as a summer resort.

Alexander Croft Shaw's villa has been restored next to the church as the "Shaw House Memorial" next to the church.

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Museum opened in 2012

The Karuizawa New Art Museum was established with the aim of redefining the outstanding Japanese art from the postwar period to the present as Japanese contemporary art from a new perspective, and to disseminate widely both domestically and abroad various artworks that are worthy of international acclaim.

Old Karuizawa Ginza Street

The main street of Old Karuizawa. Old established bakeries, coffee shops, souvenir stores and eateries line both sides of the 750-meter Old Karuizawa Ginza Street. The Karuizawa Tourist Hall, with its classic wooden exterior, provides tourist information. If you go a little further, you can also visit the Shaw Memorial Chapel!

<Stay 20 minutes> Railway Museum, Diorama Karuizawa Kanko Kaikan 14:35 Departure

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Karuizawa Kanko Kaikan

Karuizawa Kanko Kaikan, with its retro wooden exterior, is a symbol of the old Karuizawa shopping street. The first floor hall serves as a general information center that provides tourist information on the town and introduces accommodations, and has a rest area for visitors to rest between strolls and shopping. A topographical model is displayed in the tourist exhibition space on the first floor. There is also an audiovisual space that introduces the highlights of the area. The museum is a wireless LAN hotspot, allowing visitors to access the Internet free of charge (electrical outlets are not available). Public restrooms are available for a fee of 100 yen per visit (free for disabled persons/restrooms for disabled persons, changing rooms, and diaper changing stations are also available). The Karuizawa Railway Mini Museum on the 2nd floor displays valuable materials related to Karuizawa's railroads.

<Stay about 20 minutes>. Saisei Muroo Memorial Museum 15:00 departure

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Saisei Muroo Memorial Hall

Saisei Muroo was a leading poet and novelist of Japanese literature active from the Taisho period to the mid-Showa period. This memorial hall is a renovated villa built in 1931, where Saisei spent every summer until 1961, the year before his death. In this house, Saisei had many interactions with many writers, including Hori Tatsuo, Tsumura Nobuo, Tachihara Dozo, Kawabata Yasunari, and Shiga Naoya.

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Remains as it was when it was built

This two-story wooden villa was built in 1893 by Yujiro Hatta, a former naval colonel, and is a historical building that is still preserved in its original form more than 130 years after its construction.
It was said to be the first Japanese villa in Karuizawa.

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Hatta Villa 15:20 → 10 min. walk → Old Karuizawa bus stop 15:39 (Kusakaru Kotsu) → Karuizawa Station 15:43

Adapt to your travel style

Karuizawa has long been a favorite summer resort for the cultured, and is home to a wide variety of lodging facilities, including sophisticated hotels.

Tomorrow, the course will take a bus departing from Karuizawa Station, so we recommend accommodations near the station.

Please have a good night's rest.
After breakfast, go sightseeing.

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Base for sightseeing in Karuizawa

Kusakyu Kotsu Bus
Karuizawa Station (Southeast Inner Circulation Bus) 9:15 → Shiozawa Intersection bus stop 9:38, 8 min. walk from the bus stop.

The Beauty World of Hiroshi Senju

This museum exhibits a valuable collection of about 50 works by world-renowned Japanese-style painter Hiroshi Senju, from his early works to his latest creations. The interior of the museum, designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa, is filled with natural light, creating a bright and open exhibition space. Other facilities include a color leaf garden with approximately 60,000 plants and more than 150 varieties of flowers and grasses, Boulanger Asanoya, a museum store, and more.

Karuizawa Hiroshi Senju Art Museum 10:50 departure

Karuizawa Kogen Bunko, located on the shores of Lake Shiozawa, houses and exhibits literary materials of writers associated with Karuizawa. The Tatsuo Hori Villa, Takeo Arishima's villa, and Yayoko Nogami's study have been relocated to the site, and are part of the preservation of Karuizawa's villa architecture.

Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Hiroshi Senju Art Museum 11:50 departure

Enjoy lunch around Lake Shiozawa.

Karuizawa Picture Book Forest Art Museum (Moose Forest)

This museum specializes in picture books, exhibiting rare original illustrations and first editions of picture books, mainly European and American picture books. There are seasonal exhibitions and a picture book library with a collection of approximately 1,500 books, and a permanent exhibition of "Peter Rabbit™" in the third exhibition hall. Visitors can immerse themselves in the nostalgic world of picture books. 　The "Picturesque Garden," which connects the museum to the surrounding forest, was created by British landscape designer Paul Smither. Enjoy the changing nature of Karuizawa as it changes with the seasons.

<Stay for approx. 120 min> Picture Book Forest Art Museum and Erz Toy Museum (Moose Forest) together. Erz Toy Museum 14:55 departure Get on at Shiozawa intersection bus stop (Express Shiozawa-ko Line) 15:08 → Get off at Karuizawa Station 15:27, 8 min. walk from the bus stop.

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Eltz Toy Museum, Karuizawa (Moose Forest)

This museum collects and exhibits high-quality European educational toys that provide good play and wooden toys that have been handed down for more than 300 years in the Erz region of Germany by meisters (craftsmen who pass on advanced skills). At the "Wooden Toy Shop," visitors can purchase traditional wooden crafts directly imported from the Erz region of Germany. The "Picture Book Shop" offers nostalgic picture books, Western picture books, and original goods.

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The end of the trip is at Karuizawa Station

The course ends with a return to Karuizawa Station.

16:56 (Asama) → Tokyo Station 18:12
17:36 → Kanazawa Station 19:35