Naka-Karuizawa

What to know

Naka-Karuizawa (中軽井沢) is a secondary town center located four kilometers west of Kyu-Karuizawa. While it has fewer shops and restaurants than Kyu-Karuizawa, it offers several other attractions. The Hoshino Resort area, in particular, boasts an elegant atmosphere nestled in the woods, with chic restaurants, shops, and a hot spring bath. Naka-Karuizawa also features museums and attractive parks with recreational space.

Hoshino Resort includes the vacation accommodations Hoshinoya and Hotel Bleston Court, the unique Stone Church, the fashionable dining area Harunire Terrace, and a hot spring bath house called Tonbo no Yu.

Naka-Karuizawa Station serves as the transport hub for the area. It connects to Karuizawa Station via trains on the Shinano Railway line (5 minutes, 230 yen, 1-2 departures per hour), town loop buses (15 minutes, 200 yen, one departure every 1-2 hours), and Seibu buses (350 yen, 15 minutes) that continue from Naka-Karuizawa Station toward Hoshino Resort, Onioshidashi Park, and Manza Onsen.

The Sezon Museum is a ten-minute walk from the Sengataki Onsen Iriguchi bus stop (千ヶ滝温泉入口) along the Seibu bus line. To reach the Hiroshi Senju Museum, take the town loop bus from Naka-Karuizawa Station and get off at Toriihara-danchimae bus stop (鳥井原団地前, 5 minutes, 130 yen), then walk ten minutes. The same bus makes a detour to Shiozawa Lake at Karuizawa Taliesin twice a day (10-15 minutes, 200 yen).

Naka-Karuizawa Town can also be explored by bicycle. Rental shops near Naka-Karuizawa Station charge around 1000 yen per day.