Karuizawa: What to Do and Where to Stay

Karuizawa is about an hour from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen: 63 minutes on a Hakutaka and 67 on an Asama in JR East's October 2026 timetable. Around the station are the Prince Shopping Plaza and the ski slopes on the south side; Kumoba Pond and Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza are each about 20 minutes on foot. The Hoshino area, with Harunire Terrace, Tombo-no-yu and the Stone Church, is about 20 minutes by route bus, and Shiraito Falls and Onioshidashi-en are north of town by bus.

Winter has its own dates: the ski resort opens on 31 October 2026 and the Kera Ike rink runs from 30 October to 7 March 2027. The pages below split the area the way a trip does: what to do, and which base to stay at, from the Prince hotels south of the station to Kyu-Karuizawa and the Hoshino area.