A cool highland retreat, about an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen.

Karuizawa is Tokyo's classic summer escape: a forested resort town at around 1,000 meters, noticeably cooler than the city and about an hour away by Shinkansen. Come for old bakeries and soba, a pond that mirrors the autumn color, and a town best covered by bicycle — with indoor fallbacks for the fast-changing mountain weather.

Articles for Karuizawa are coming soon.