I added this trip to Karuizawa as an afterthought, partly looking for places to maximise the Tokyo Wide Pass we bought before our Tokyo trip. My sister wanted to visit an outlet mall, and it happens so that there is one at Karuizawa. Other than outlet mall shopping, Karuizawa has other attractions such as Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza, Shiraito Waterfall and Usui Pass Observation Platform. As I wanted to cater the afternoon for outlet mall shopping (the very reason we came here in the first place), we had only time for one other attraction. Getting to Karuizawa is easy and convenient, and we only have to spend 1 hour on the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station.

Usui Pass – View of the Mountains and an Ancient Shrine

Usui Pass Observation Platform is accessible by a 50-minute uphill hike from Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza or the red Karuizawa Aka Bus. We took the bus option, which costs ¥500 per person (round trip). The Aka Bus does not stop at Karuizawa. Instead, it starts from Tokyu Harvest Club, a 15-minute walk from the north exit of Karuizawa Station. Karuizawa came across as a sleepy, quiet town as we walked to the bus stop. This town seems to be a great place for someone seeking a relaxing environment away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. The bus ride took about 30 mins from Tokyu Harvest Club, with its final stop at the Kumano Kotai Shrine, the stop where we alight for the Usui Pass Observation Platform.

Usui Pass Observation Platform – The Centre Two Prefectures

From the bus stop at Kumano Kotai Shrine, we turned right and took a 5-minute walk to the observation platform. The Usui Pass Observation Platform was a small garden-like open area, not a wooden platform that protruded into the mountain ranges as I imagined. There is only a small opening at the Usui Pass Observation Platform that allowed us to look out into Mt Asama and the mountains of Gunma prefecture. From this small opening, we could see rows and rows of mountain ranges beaming with greeneries that seemed to stretch forever. The other significant sight at the Usui Pass Observation Platform was a sign and some stones that demarcated the centreline of Gunma and Nagano prefectures. We did not spend too much time here as there was nothing much we could do other than take pictures from the small opening of the mountain ranges; we headed back to the shrine while waiting for the next bus back to Karuizawa.

The Historic Kumano Kotai Shrine

Kumano Kotai Shrine is unique that it is one of the few shrines in Japan that sits on the border of two prefectures. The shrine is perched atop a small hill, and a staircase lined with red lanterns on both sides leads to the shrine. Kumano Kotai Shrine comprises three shrines housing three gods in the same compound. The wooden shrine Shinto-style wooden shrines seem to have seen the ages of time, yet they were very well preserved as though time had stopped. We did the prayer in Japanese style, paying respect to the deity installed in the centre shrine and spent the rest of our time here looking around the shops that sell charms. Behind the charm shop rests a 1,000-year-old tree that the locals would pray for marriage. As there was nothing else we could do here and the bus heading back to Karuizawa was about to arrive, we left the temple and joined the queue for the bus ride back.

Prelude to our Shopping Experience – Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza

Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street is one of the main attractions in Karuizawa. The Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza is a shopping street with neo-classical Japanese buildings. The bus stop was conveniently located at the northern end of the street, which made perfect sense for us to alight and continue our journey towards the JR station on foot. There did not seem to be a lot of visitors to this part of the street, but we noticed it gets busier towards the southern end. When it comes to dining options, the choices are very limited on this street. There are many cafes offering desserts and bread on Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza, but only a handful of Western-Japanese infusion restaurants. Most of the eateries are located at the southern end of the street. There are several small alleys from Main Street that are worth taking a look at. Most retail shops on Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street sell Japanese souvenirs and omiyage. Occasionally, we would find clothing and lifestyle shops and some shops selling artwork. It took us about 30 mins walking down Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street as we were mainly window shopping on the street.

Outlet Mall Shopping at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza

Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza is a large outlet shopping complex at the doorstep of Karuizawa JR Station. The south exit (turn left as we exit the gantry) leads right to the shopping complex. Rather than calling it a mall, Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza sits on a huge plot of land with the stores spreading out over the vast area. The large pond in the centre of the shopping plaza makes the plaza look more like a garden than a shopping mall. The shops are very well laid out and grouped according to their category, like luxury brand shops surrounding the lake, eateries located on the northern part of the plaza, etc. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza. I thought some of the things on sale here were very competitive. However, not all the items we found here are exactly outlet mall prices. Like most outlet malls, there is a limited range of goods in each store (maybe except Gucci and Burberry), and most stores sell off-season items. I found a huge selection of items for sale in almost all sporting goods shops. Despite being unable to find the things that appealed to us here, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around. Shops at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza close at 7 pm; we left the shopping plaza at around 6.30 pm to catch our Shinkansen back to Tokyo.