Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Japan: The Northern Alps #5

20/6 Day 5:  Karuizawa


If you've joined any guided tours overseas, you'll know that there will be one day dedicated to shopping, to appease the womenfolk in the tour, just like there will be one meal consisting of Chinese food to cater to the stubborn people who insist on eating Chinese food everywhere XD

So we arrived in Karuizawa slightly before lunch. My first impressions of Karuizawa? Totally different from the other towns and cities we visited so far - Nagano, Matsumoto and Toyama. For one, I couldn't see a single high-rise building when I stepped out of the station. From the sprawling mega-outlet-mall to the summer villas, chalets and shops, Karuizawa seemed like a place in suburban America.

Karuizawa, viewed from the station
We decided to check into the hotel first before checking out the sights - and was treated to a 15 minute walk with luggage in tow D:

Cozy little cafe in the middle of nowhere
The hotel was a really nice place though, the receptionist/staff was extremely nice and helpful (plus her English was not bad either!). It was a small cozy 2-storey building that reminded me of a backpacker's hostel, except it had fully equipped. big spacious rooms. Its cafeteria (named the Beatles cafe) even had a mini-stage for band performances!

Hey Jude~

First stop was lunch at the Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, filled with overpriced eateries OTL. Still, the omurice (rice wrapped in omelette) I had tasted really good!

Endless rows of shops

Expensive but delicious omurice
Before starting on the shopping, we decided to visit a natural attraction - the Shiraito falls. The bus ride took about 30 minutes, taking us deep into the mountain forests surrounding Karuizawa. It wasn't that spectacular or anything since the falls were pretty low, but they were pretty unique looking! And the water actually flows out from the ground! Some kind of sub-soil flow, instead of an overland stream, feeds the falls.

A short walk to Shiraito falls
A wall of water! Pretty tiny though
If you look closely, the water is actually flowing out from the ground 
While waiting for the return bus, dad bought a fishy snack
With that out of the way, my mum could finally begin her retail therapy in earnest, starting with the locally coined "Ginza" area, also known as Kyu-Karuizawa (Old Karuizawa). In what was basically a shopping street filled with local specialties and random knick-knacks, I managed to find a Ghibli store! 


Ghibli store! <3
Cat bus and a huge Totoro plushie!
Costumed photography, anyone?
Kyu-Karuizawa shopping street
Since it was a weekday, the streets were pretty empty save for a handful of local tourists and residents milling about. I did notice a lot of Japanese taking their canine friends out for a walk though, and couldn't resist taking a few photos. They really do love their dogs :D

1 Shiba Inu not cute enough? Have 2 instead!
Corgi meets terrier!
The terrier on the right was actually at one of the shops we visited (where I bought a bottle of locally-produced. really fresh milk), lazing around at the entrance waiting to welcome customers. Guess its owner decided to take it for a walk :p

There wasn't much to see so we decided to take a slow walk back to the hotel, stopping by a small pond on the way for some peace and quiet. Along the way we noticed many summer cabins and cafes clearly devoid of any human presence - perhaps their owners only returned during the summer. Some looked as if they had been vacated for some time.

Tree-lined roads everywhere in Karuizawa
Quirky little French restaurant
A coffeehouse of some sort? Looked closed though
One interesting thing I noticed along the way was the numerous French bistros, Italian trattorias and restaurants randomly popping up along the road, and not a single Japanese eatery. The prices were not cheap either, clearly out of the reach of anyone looking for a simple meal. The Karuizawa equivalent to our Dempsey Hill and Bukit Timah enclaves, perhaps?

Kumoba-ike. Apparently it looks lovely in autumn, with the red maple leaves
Male duck :3
Since it was getting late, we decided to have dinner back at the outlet mall before heading back to the hotel early to rest tired legs. Dinner was wagyu beef sukiyaki!

*drool*

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