Karuizawa, Nagano Explained

Karuizawa
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:Town
Image Blank Emblem:Emblem of Karuizawa, Nagano.svg
Blank Emblem Type:Emblem
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Map Caption: 
Coordinates:36.3486°N 138.5969°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Nagano
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Kitasaku
Leader Title:Mayor
Area Total Km2:156.03
Population Total:20,323
Population As Of:October 2016
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:Japan Standard Time
Utc Offset1:+9
Blank Name Sec1:Phone number
Blank Info Sec1:0267-45-8111
Blank1 Name Sec1:Address
Blank1 Info Sec1:2381-1 Nagakura, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano-ken 389-0192
Blank Name Sec2:Climate
Blank Info Sec2:Dfb
Module:
Embedded:yes
Flower:Sakurasō

is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households,[1] and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Karuizawa, one of the oldest and most famous summer resorts in Japan, has been visited by many people from around the world since the 19th century.[2]

Geography

Karuizawa is located in eastern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Gunma Prefecture to the north, east and south. The town is located on an elevated plain at the foot of Mount Asama, one of Japan's most active volcanoes. The mountain is classed as a Category A active volcano. A small eruption was detected in June 2015, a more significant eruption spewing hot rocks and a plume of ash occurred in February 2015. Mt. Asama's most destructive eruption in recent recorded history took place in 1783, when over 1,000 were killed. The volcano is actively monitored by scientists and climbing close to the summit is prohibited.[3]

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Karuizawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwb) with warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Karuizawa is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around . Precipitation is much heavier in the summer than in the winter.

History

The area of present-day Karuizawa was part of ancient Shinano Province, and developed as Karuisawa-shuku, a post station on the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo period.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[6] the population of Karuizawa has been increasing over the past 60 years.

Economy

Since one of the origins of the Seibu Group is in Karuizawa (see also Yasujiro Tsutsumi), Seibu is still developing big businesses in this town such as Prince Hotels.

Hoshino Resorts is headquartered in Karuizawa.[7]

Education

Karuizawa has three public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school is operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education. The UWC ISAK Japan international school is also located in the town.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

International relations

Local attractions

Karuizawa was developed as a European-style resort town by a Scottish-Canadian missionary in 1888. In the following decades, the town attracted visitors from across the country seeking to escape the heat of summer and enjoy vacations, as well as a significant number of Westerners. Unlike many other hill stations, Karuizawa was actively open to the natives from the beginning, and many Japanese scholars, artists and others had already built "Western-style" villas in the town by the early 20th century. The Japanese and Western communities interacted well with each other through summer recreation activities and the like.[9] In the 21st century the town retains significant Western cultural influence,[10] [11] and its alpine beauty and cool summer climate (similar to parts of Europe) continue to draw visitors.

More recently, Karuizawa has become a popular year-round resort for mainly Japanese, offering many outdoor sports, hot springs and recreational activities. Convenient road and rail access from central Tokyo has ensured Karuizawa's popularity as a location for second homes and resort hotels since the Meiji era.

Karuizawa is known for its historic shopping street known as "Ginza dōri" or "Kyū-dō" (Ginza Street, or the Old Road) and association with both Japanese royalty and visitors such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono.[12] As a side note, The Crown Prince Akihito met Michiko Shoda for the first time on a tennis court in Karuizawa in August 1957,[13] and John Lennon spent several summers in Karuizawa with his family in the late 1970s.[14]

Karuizawa hosted equestrian events in the 1964 Summer Olympics as well as curling in the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is the first city in the world to host both Summer and Winter Olympic events.[15]

Since 1997, Karuizawa has been accessible via the JR East Nagano Shinkansen. New high speed rail links has resulted in modest population growth and the development of large outlet style shopping malls.

In popular media

Karuizawa appeared in a part of the film.

The model of the mansion that appeared in the film is the villa in Karuizawa.

The story is based on the premise that Sherlock Holmes was in Karuizawa in the "missing years (1891–1894)".

Episodes 15 and 16 are set in Karuizawa.

Notable residents

Summer residents

Evacuees of World War II

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/www/toppage/0000000000000/APM03000.html Karuizawa Town official statistics
  2. Shotenkenchiku-sha, HOTEL RESTAURANTS & BARS, 1995, p.15
  3. News: Demetriou . Danielle . 16 June 2015 . Mount Asama volcano erupts near Tokyo . The Telegraph .
  4. Tohoku: The Scotland of Japan, p. 181
  5. Web site: G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Karuizawa, Nagano . 16 April 2023 . Foreign Policy . Ministry of Foreign Affairs . English.
  6. Web site: Karuizawa population statistics . 2019-04-30 . 2019-04-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190430002006/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-nagano.php . live .
  7. "Company Overview of Hoshino Resort Co., Ltd. (Archive). Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved on September 22, 2013. "2148, oazanagakura karuizawa-machi Kitasaku, 389-0111 Japan"
  8. Web site: International Exchange . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170102080804/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=20&n=Nagano%20Prefecture . 2 January 2017 . 21 November 2015 . List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures . Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) . English.
  9. Anne Shannon, Lana Okerlund, "Finding Japan: Early Canadian Encounters with Asia”, p.56, Heritage House, 2012.
  10. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220209/p2a/00m/0op/027000c Edging Toward Japan: My Karuizawa Dreams
  11. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/03/05/travel/resort-town-links-east-west/ Resort town links East with West
  12. News: Davis . Tony . 8 May 2015 . Nakasendo walking trail leads to the heart of old Japan – and bear country . The Australian Financial Review . 3 May 2016 . 2 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160602054959/http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/travel/nakasendo-walking-trail-leads-to-the-heart-of-old-japan--and-bear-country-20150430-1mx05v . live .
  13. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/25/national/former-emperor-empress-visit-karuizawa-tennis-court-first-met-1957/ Former emperor, empress visit Karuizawa tennis court where they first met in 1957
  14. William Horsley, Roger Buckley, "Nippon New Superpower: Japan Since 1945”, p.85, BBC Books, 1990.
  15. “The Olympian Volume 24", p.29, United States Olympic Committee, 1998.

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