Kumoba Pond雲場池,Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新旧軽井沢 in Nagano長野
Karuizawa軽井沢, Nagano長野 is relaxing cool place to come in summer. In autumn, plants turn rich red which makes this place even more beautiful. Kumoba Pond雲場池 is the attraction which drove me there.
Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新旧軽井沢 is just of the areas in Karuizawa軽井沢. Actually, I came here just for the autumn leaves in the pond. But, I was so surprised coming out of the train station and saw such beautiful view. It turns out that I liked this town so much and I regretted spending only 5 hours there.
Day of the trip: 31/10/2017(Tue), Sunny day
The time I stayed: 5 hrs (yes, absolutely not enough 🙁 )
Access: Karuizawa軽井沢 train station, for transportation details(click here)
Official travel maps: Click here (Look for the word “英語” for the English version of leaflets)
Attractions in Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新旧軽井沢
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Kumoba Pond雲場池
It only takes 10mins by bike to get to Kumoba Pond雲場池 from the train station, then you can enjoy this stunning view, no entry tickets are required.
The live view of Kumoba Pond雲場池: https://www.kusabana.net/kumoba/main.htm
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Art Museums, Art Gallery, and Gardens
There are lots of art museums, art gallery, and gardens in Karuizawa軽井沢. Unfortunately, most Japanese Art Museums generally closed on Tuesday(火曜日). I did not have the chance to visit them. The scenery there is fantastic as a painting, with tall trees on two side of the road. It is so comfortable and healing riding a bike to simply get lost there.
Art Museums, Art Gallery and Gardens in Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新旧軽井沢 (Click here)
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Cafe
It is not exaggerated to say Karuizawa軽井沢 as a perfect place for a vacation. It is silent and cozy here with different kinds of Cafe shops. And there were very few tourists. Going into a Cafe, start daydreaming, and it can be my day.
I went to a Cafe called “natural cafeina”, which is not far from train station. The waiter introduced the menu to me in fluent English. And then I ordered a lunch set, with the main dish, rice, warm salad, soup and a cup of herbal tea. It was simple but scrupulous and delicious.(Oh, I forgot to take a picture of that…) After that, I went back for my train and my short trip to Karuizawa軽井沢 had ended.
Explore more Cafe near Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新旧軽井沢 (Click here)
Besides all that, there are Souvenirs Shops, Church and many nice attractions there but I did not have time to visit. I really wish to come back again in the future.
Read more:
Not necessarily Kyoto! 5-days autumn-leaves-trip in Tohoku,Kanto(North,East Japan)
Transportation
Access to Karuizawa軽井沢
It takes 1.5hrs from Tokyo東京 or 2.5hrs from Sendai仙台 by Shinkansen-train to get there.
Transportation in Karuizawa軽井沢
The attractions and shops in Karuizawa軽井沢 are agglomerated. Therefore, I recommend renting a bike for a day. Walking will be a second choice.
Official site has provided cycling and walking maps in different languages: (Click here)
There are a few shop outside the train station with a bike to rent. I booked for the bike in 市村輪店 with email before I arrived. But, I guess it will be OK if you rent one after arrival coz there were very few tourists on that day. 市村輪店 provide a variety of bikes. For the non-electric one, it only costs JPY¥950 for a day. I only got through Shin-Kyu-Karuizawa新舊輕井澤 area. There was nearly no slope so a non-electric is more than enough. And the owner provided me another version of the cycling map for reference.
