Karuizawa

Karuizawa, once an old post town, is now the epitome of a high-class mountain resort. It is 150 km from Tokyo Station so it's a quick weekend get-away for the Tokyoites. It is the only city that has hosted both a summer (equestrian event in 1964) as well as winter olympics (curling in 1998).

We stayed at the APA Hotel Karuizawa. It was a 5-minute walk from the train station and can be booked at booking.com.

A SMALL double cost Y7830 for 2 people. This was the tiniest room we stayed in on the entire trip. The bed was a glorified twin and barely fit the two of us.

A short walk away was a shopping center with outlet stores. There were multiple restaurants there and we chose Nagano Meijitei, which specialized in tonkatsu. They had a menu in English. Pork tonkatsu bowl with miso soup and pickled vegetables--Y1445. 

Tonkatsu Curry with rice & salad--Y1440.

Karuizawa is modeled after a European ski resort.

Small carvings of squirrels all over town. Is this their version of the Chicago cow?

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