軽井沢旅行Vlog｜万平ホテルで過ごす春の2泊3日｜森カフェ・旧軽銀座・桜スポット巡り

軽井沢旅行Vlog｜万平ホテルで過ごす春の2泊3日｜森カフェ・旧軽銀座・桜スポット巡り

Good morning. Today, we’re heading out on a 3-day, 2-night trip to Karuizawa for the first time in a while. Whenever we go to Karuizawa, we always take the highway bus. It takes more than twice as long as the bullet train, but the fare is super cheap—around 3,000 yen per person— and we also don’t want to deal with the crowds at Tokyo Station. Since it’s a weekday just before Golden Week, the highway was empty, and we arrived at Kamisato SA almost exactly on schedule, which is rare. Swallows had built nests in the rest area toilets, and fledglings were flying around energetically. We arrived at Karuizawa Station right on time. Karuizawa Station is currently under construction, with new commercial facilities planned to open in spring 2026. A series of new buildings now stand on the vast space where the former Shinetsu Main Line tracks used to be. We’ve been to Karuizawa many times, but this is our first time visiting during cherry blossom season. Sakura were blooming all over the place, and it was beautiful. I came wearing just a shirt, but it’s cooler than I expected. So, I decided to buy a long-sleeve T-shirt at FamilyMart. It’s so convenient that FamilyMart sells clothing. We’re taking a bit of a detour and heading to Old Karuizawa while strolling around. It seems there are lots of cherry blossoms near Oga Hall. A large weeping cherry tree was almost in full bloom. It’s refreshing that you don’t see any Somei Yoshino cherry trees like you do in Tokyo. That said, I’m not sure what variety these cherry blossoms are. This might be the only row of cherry trees we saw on this trip. I didn’t expect to see this many cherry blossoms in Karuizawa. Alright, time to head out. It seems there are lots of cherry blossoms near Oga Hall. A large weeping cherry tree was almost in full bloom. It’s refreshing that you don’t see any Somei Yoshino cherry trees like you do in Tokyo. That said, I’m not sure what variety these cherry blossoms are. This might be the only row of cherry trees we saw on this trip. I didn’t expect to see this many cherry blossoms in Karuizawa. Alright, time to head out. When heading to Old Karuizawa, we usually take a slight detour through Sanatorium Lane. Taking this route allows us to enjoy more of Karuizawa’s natural scenery. It’s still too early for the fresh greenery, but the air feels completely different from Tokyo. It feels like you can take a really deep breath here. We’ve arrived in front of the Mampei Hotel, where we’re staying tomorrow. Over there in the back is the Mampei Hotel. The weather is perfect—it feels amazing out here. This is the Karuizawa Meeting Hall, designed by Vories and built in 1922. Since we’re staying nearby for two nights, we’ll probably pass by this hall multiple times. We’re now heading to Old Karuizawa Ginza via Tennis Court Street. Many shops in Karuizawa close during winter and reopen starting this weekend with the beginning of Golden Week. It’s a weekday before Golden Week, but there are more people than expected. For lunch, we’re heading to “Kimagure Café Tsujidou,” a place we had looked up and wanted to try. We got a great table with a view of cherry blossoms and Mt. Asama through the window. They serve dhal (curry) and fettuccine, and I’m having a hard time deciding which one to get. You can add a drink set for an additional 400 yen. Cold brew iced coffee. Cold brew café au lait. Even though it’s iced, the aroma of the coffee is rich and very enjoyable. It’s fun looking down over Old Karuizawa Ginza from above. The Kimagure Dhal with lobster bisque sauce. The sweetness of the shrimp is delicious. It’s a flavor I’ve never had before. For some reason, everyone was taking commemorative photos in front of this Peter Rabbit statue. We still have time before check-in and the weather is nice, so we decided to stroll around a bit more. Apparently, this shop only exists in Karuizawa and Kyoto. The cherry blossoms at the Old Karuizawa Rotary were in full bloom. Most people don’t seem to notice, but Old Karuizawa Ginza used to be part of the old Nakasendo route. This rotary also used to be the site of the now-defunct Kusakaru Electric Railway’s Old Karuizawa Station. The building that houses TsuruTonTan was renovated from the old station. There are lots of new and stylish shops around the rotary. There are also general stores and such, so we’re strolling along leisurely and stopping by here and there. We’re now heading into the Kashima-no-Mori villa area from Konoe Street. We always visit Kumoba Pond whenever we come to Karuizawa. We usually come from the upstream side where the spring is, so at this point it doesn’t feel like a “pond” at all. Since the high season is approaching, it looks like they’re doing some maintenance. The ducks here seem to be a different species from the usual ones we see. We’ve reached the entrance side, and from here it really looks like a pond. Apparently, swans used to come here in the past. It’s about time to head back toward Old Karuizawa. A large bracket fungus on a tree. That house is said to be the first Japanese-owned villa in Karuizawa. The stained glass at the liquor store in front of the tennis courts is beautiful. Before check-in, we decided to stop by a café we’d wanted to visit. The café is in a building registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. The building was originally an inn and was later renovated into a villa. This outdoor seat also looks nice. The interior reflects the architectural style of Karuizawa villas. It has a very calm and relaxing atmosphere. We got a seat by the large window with a sofa, which was available. Basque cheesecake and café au lait. This is chocolate cake and Lady Grey tea. Both the cake and the coffee were delicious, and the atmosphere made it even more comforting. It looked like they had planted sunflower seeds in the garden out front, as birds were coming to feed. I remembered that there was a weeping cherry tree at Jinguji Temple, which we visited before, so we decided to stop by before heading to the hotel. There was an impressive weeping cherry tree estimated to be 400 years old. The sun is starting to set a bit, so we’re heading to the hotel. Tonight’s hotel is located just behind the stylish curry restaurant, SAJIRO CAFE. The hotel is behind Suwa Shrine, so we decided to stop by the shrine first. The founding date is unknown, but the main hall was rebuilt during the Genroku era in the Edo period. We’ve been visiting a lot of temples and shrines—kind of un-Karuizawa-like destinations. It was a quiet and beautiful shrine where you could hear only the birds chirping. For the first night, we’re staying at this hotel located just behind Suwa Shrine. Tonight we’re staying without meals, but I’ve heard the restaurant’s vegetables are really delicious. Check-in is done at the right-side building, where the restaurant is located. The atmospheric first floor apparently becomes a wine bar in the evening. It certainly does have that kind of vibe. You can also enjoy free drinks like coffee and tea here. After completing the check-in process, we moved to the adjacent building. The first-floor lobby has a British classic style. The lobby seating seems to be available as a free space for guests. From 15:30 to 17:30, they serve sandwiches and coffee, which is a nice touch. Although it’s not a hot spring, there’s a fairly spacious private bath on the first floor, and you can make a reservation using the tablet in the lobby. The bathroom in our room was spacious enough, so we didn’t use the private bath. The room has a classic hotel atmosphere and a nice vibe. We booked a Moderate room, but maybe because it wasn’t busy, we were upgraded to a Comfort room. Two umbrellas were provided. It’s a twin room with two semi-double beds pushed together. The wall color is nice, and the ceiling wallpaper is also lovely. Since it’s a bit of an off-season, the rate was incredibly cheap at just under 16,000 yen without meals. Let’s check out the view from the balcony. We could see the Suwa Shrine from earlier. The TV is quite large. Drinks include original coffee and powdered tea (Iyemon brand). The electric kettle is by Balmuda. Inside the drawer were a wine opener, bottle opener, and a charger. I guess there are mosquitoes in summer? There was mosquito coil incense and insect spray. Now for the fridge. It had two bottles of complimentary water. Next to that were towels, and further inside, we found bathrobes. On the left is an air purifier with a humidifier function, but I’m not sure what the device on the right is. Each bed’s headboard had an electrical outlet. There’s also a small shelf on the right side where you can conveniently place your phone or glasses. The pajamas were the kind you often see in business hotels—similar to a yukata. On the left of the washroom is the bathroom, and on the right is the toilet. The bathroom is quite spacious. There were three types of bath salts, and the shampoo and other amenities were from L’Occitane. Considering the price, this level of amenity is quite impressive. Other amenities were inside the drawer. The camera wasn’t focused well, but inside were a toothbrush, hairbrush, cotton pads, and cotton swabs. They even had a set including a nail clipper and ear pick—very impressive. Also included were a razor and a body towel—everything you’d need. And the highlight here is this hair dryer. Both the dryer, curling iron, and straightener were all from ReFa. Even the shower head was by ReFa. This is the information sheet we received at check-in. We also received discount coupons for the hotel’s shop and restaurant. But we have another place we want to eat at tonight, so we’re heading out for dinner now. It looks bright on camera, but it’s actually already getting dark. Most stores close by 5 p.m., so there aren’t many people in the Old Karuizawa Ginza area. We’re walking toward the back area of Old Karuizawa Ginza. This unagi (eel) restaurant just opened on April 2, 2025. They also have a Tokyo location, but we came here to enjoy the crispy Kansai-style eel. We had already decided to eat here before we even came to Karuizawa. It looks like the building used to be a soba noodle restaurant. Their specialty is the “Ippon Unagi,” where a whole grilled eel is served without being cut. They also offer hitsumabushi, but today we went with unajū to enjoy the crispy texture till the end. In addition to powdered sansho pepper, they have whole sansho berries in a grinder, so you can grind it yourself and sprinkle it on the eel. The pepper mill is Peugeot—the one that’s not a car. That’s our eel being grilled right now. This is just incredible. They even had a specially made container just to fit the whole eel. The meat is plump, and the skin is crispy—just the texture alone tells you it’s delicious. Since we’re here, let’s try grinding the sansho with the mill. The aroma is stronger than powdered sansho, and the sharp spiciness adds great flavor. It was incredibly satisfying and delicious. Eating eel in Karuizawa is definitely a great idea. The sun has set, but it’s not completely dark yet. We’re going to take a little walk to help digest before heading back. Around the rotary, many shops are still open, so there are quite a few people around. We decided to stop by SAWAMURA and buy something to take back. Let’s go with the Marron au Chocolat. Time to head back to the hotel. It’s darker than I expected—it’s a bit scary. The hotel’s lights make me feel much safer. Even at night, the atmosphere here is beautiful. After this, we went back to our room, filled the bathtub, and soaked before going to bed. Good morning. Our second day in Karuizawa starts with rain. Check-out is at 10:00 AM, so once we’re ready, we’ll head out for brunch. It’s only drizzling, so as long as we wear windbreakers, we don’t need umbrellas. Rainy Karuizawa is beautiful and has a wonderful woody scent. We made a quick stop again at Suwa Shrine from yesterday. The cute omikuji (fortune slips) that were put away yesterday were out today. Even in the rain, the birds were chirping a lot. The place we want to visit opens at 10:30, so we need to kill some time somewhere. Since it’s raining, we decided to rest in the Karuizawa Tourist Information Center’s lounge. Upstairs is the “Mini Railway Museum,” where you can view exhibits about the Abt system and Kusakaru Railway for free—highly recommended. Karuizawa is known for its stylish bakeries, which are popular for breakfast, but I was craving grilled dango (rice dumplings), so I came here. Thinking I might as well get soba too. In the end, we ordered tsukimi soba and kitsune soba. And grilled dango as well. They were fragrant, chewy, and super delicious. Since it’s a light drizzle today too, we plan to take a stroll around Old Karuizawa and the Kashima Forest. Let’s take a route we’ve never really explored before. Yesterday it warmed up in the afternoon, but today it’s really cold. I’m wearing a down vest under my packable windbreaker to stay warm. Since it’s rainy and cold, we decided to step into a church we usually pass by. Inside, the wooden beam structure was beautifully crafted. Right in front of it is the shopping mall “Church Street Karuizawa,” so we decided to stop by. We took a quick look inside before moving on. We peeked into a lovely general goods shop inside the shopping mall. There were so many cute items, but personally, I especially enjoy looking at vintage Japanese tableware from the Meiji to Showa era. When we stepped outside, the rain had stopped. Before we continue walking, we picked up a café latte at SAWAMURA. Today we’ll walk a bit up Mikasa Street and enter the villa area from Golf Street. It’s beautiful on sunny days, but rainy days are also incredibly scenic. I think the most enjoyable part of Karuizawa is walking through the forested villa areas. I haven’t seen butterbur sprouts in a while. We saw a plot of land for sale, so we went to check it out. Later we looked it up and found out it’s a 2 billion yen plot of land. Beyond this point is said to be where former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka had his villa. Apparently there’s a registered tangible cultural property here, but we couldn’t see it from the road. Since the rain started to get heavier, we decided to head back toward Old Karuizawa. The sound of the rain and the birdsong is just so beautiful. Since the rain didn’t let up, we decided to head to the café at Mampei Hotel a bit early and wait for check-in while enjoying some tea. The logo design is adorable. When at Mampei Hotel, you can’t miss the apple pie and royal milk tea. I feel like the place cards were the same when I came here a long time ago. I forgot to add ice cream to the apple pie. Apparently, the recipe for this royal milk tea was taught by John Lennon. The design of the original cup and saucer is lovely. The apple pie is packed with apples and incredibly delicious. Even though it’s raining outside, it looks like it’s just a light mist. Since we still had time, we ordered herbal tea as an extra. It was visually beautiful and had a wonderful aroma. White tea always tastes amazing no matter how you brew it. We ended up staying at the café for two hours and spending about 7,000 yen. While we’re at it, let’s check out the shop too. The design of the merchandise is all just too cute. I want to buy everything. I bought this cake and… a ballpoint pen. It’s about time to check in and go to our room. Mampei Hotel celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2024 and reopened after renovations in October. This time we’re staying in a standard room in the Usui Building, originally built in 2001 and recently refurbished. For some reason, booking through Nippon Travel Agency included breakfast and was only about 43,000 yen—an amazing deal. Beautiful Karuizawa wood carving work. This large stained-glass window gives a sense of history. The design of the old hotel brochures was incredibly beautiful. I’ll have to come back and look at them more carefully later. The Usui Building is located farthest in the back, so it’s a bit of a walk to the room. So spacious. This is the lowest-tier room, and it’s still this big. It’s a twin room with two double beds, though the large pillows make it a bit hard to tell. The green carpet matches the hallway pattern. Each wing—Alps, Atago, and Usui—has its own color, and Usui’s theme is green. The sofa is also large and deep. Outside the window is a slope of a mountain—or maybe a hill? I probably won’t use it, but the TV is big too. There were four bottles of original hotel-branded water. And the bathroom is really lovely. I love the tile design. The shower booth is in a separate space. Shampoo and other amenities are from NATURAL FOUNDATION, an Italian organic brand. It’s my first time seeing bathrobes hung like this instead of folded. Across from the washbasin is the toilet. The faucet is retro and cute. The faucet is retro and cute. The amenities came in a box featuring a turtle, the symbol of Mampei Hotel which used to be Kameya Ryokan. Toothpaste and bamboo toothbrush. A razor with a wooden handle and a rare bottle-style shaving foam. Cotton swabs and cotton pads. Also included were a hair tie, shower cap, comb, and body towel. There was also a set of cleansing oil, face wash, toner, and lotion. I assume you can get a men’s set if you ask. Just like yesterday, the hair dryer was from ReFa. As expected from a luxury hotel — even the towels are thick and plush. Here’s what the closet looks like. There were a lot of hangers — maybe because many guests stay multiple nights. The slippers looked disposable, but were surprisingly soft and fluffy. I couldn’t figure out how to open the slippers bag, so I ended up tearing it open. The fridge and safe were located under the TV. There were paid minibar drinks and snacks. All the drinks in the fridge were also paid items. There were two kinds of beer, cola, sparkling water, tea, apple juice, and peach juice. In the top drawer, there was wine. Coffee, black tea, and green tea, along with glasses, were in the second drawer. The coffee, including decaf, was from Mikado Coffee in Old Karuizawa. The tea and sencha were from TWG. The electric kettle and cups were in the bottom drawer. Turns out the pen sold at the gift shop is the same as the one in the room. There were tissues in the bedside drawer. The side table also had light switches and power outlets. In addition to USB-A, there was even a USB-C port next to the power outlet. Super convenient for fast smartphone charging. The room key is a card, but made of wood — so cool! We also received an information booklet along with the key. Information booklet that came with the room key. We could also choose to have dinner via room service. Relaxing a bit in the room. Taking the opportunity to explore the hotel interior. In the hallway of the Usui Wing, past documents and materials about Mampei Hotel were displayed. Yukio Mishima’s guest registry entry. A family photo of John Lennon. The hallway of the Atago Wing. The Atago Wing’s theme color is blue. The hotel brochure design I saw earlier is displayed in the hallway connecting the Alps and Atago wings. Hallway of the Alps Wing. The Alps Wing is the symbolic building of Mampei Hotel, built in 1936 (Showa 11). Stained glass featuring a turtle located on the stairs leading up to the guest rooms from the front desk. The bar, unchanged since it was built, is open for viewing until 6 p.m. It’s incredibly cool. A piano once played by John Lennon. There was more stained glass further in from the lobby. Next to the main entrance on the first floor, there’s a mysterious lounge area where you can relax freely, so I tried sitting there. There wasn’t any explanation, but the chairs apparently were used when U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger met with Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. An impressive magazine rack. This old book was surprisingly interesting. Heading out for dinner before it gets too dark. Back again at “Tsurutontan,” which also has locations in Tokyo. As I was about to order, the iPad ordering system started updating. For now, we ordered some sushi. There’s actually a lot more than just udon on the menu. Shinshu miso dip with organic Karuizawa vegetables. So delicious. Out of focus, but this is the walnut tan-tan udon with 2.5 servings. I was surprised at how good Tsurutontan is — even better than expected! I think I’ll try it again when I’m back in Tokyo. It was a little over 4,000 yen for two people and we were completely full. I used to wonder if udon in Karuizawa was worth it, but this might become my go-to next time. It’s even darker and scarier than yesterday. The hotel’s lights are incredibly reassuring. The turtle stained glass looks beautiful from outside at night too. The sign in front of the entrance was apparently made when the hotel was founded in 1894. You can really feel the history. When we returned to the room, the beds were prepared by turndown service, and our sleepwear was laid out. The pajamas were a soft, two-piece set. They even restocked the bottled water and provided some chocolates. Let’s enjoy them with the grape juice we bought at the hotel shop. Might as well pour it into wine glasses. Amazing! We just found out that the TV can swivel toward the bed. That’s convenient. We must’ve been more tired than we thought — we fell asleep quickly. Good morning. Today we have a breakfast-included plan, so we’re heading to the main dining room. The main dining room has been beautifully renovated, but the atmosphere remains unchanged. A window seat was available, so we were guided there. I forgot to film the menu, but breakfast is an American-style breakfast. In Nagano, the vegetables taste good no matter where you eat. The irresistibly delicious bread is from Asanoya Bakery. The jam is great too, but the butter was especially amazing. Yoi chose the omelet. Asa went with the fried eggs. This breakfast menu card, which I forgot to film earlier, had the same design. They say this design has been used since the Taisho era. We’re back in the room. Check-out is at 11, so we’ll relax until then. We’ve checked out. We’d always wanted to stay here but never had the chance until now, and finally got to stay this time — the hotel was even more wonderful than we imagined. Since the weather is nice today, we’re planning to take a leisurely walk back to Karuizawa Station. We exited the forest path and arrived on the main street near the station. When it comes to Nagano, Chikufudo’s “Dorayaki-yama” is famous. This chestnut bean paste soft serve is unbelievably good. Nagano soft serve is already delicious, but when it’s blended with Chikufudo’s rich chestnut paste, it becomes unbeatable. We still had time before our next plan, so we decided to stroll around the outlet mall on the other side of the station. We saw some swallows. So cute. We’re not using it today, but this is the Shinano Railway Karuizawa Station. It’s been a while since we visited the Karuizawa outlet mall. It looks even nicer and more developed than the last time we came. This was the first time I saw a robotic lawn mower in action. There’s a new “KARUIZAWA” monument. It’s a bit hard to see behind the fence, but it looks like a boat dock is under construction. Apparently, a new boating activity will be starting soon. After browsing a few shops, we just relaxed on a bench. At the end, we took a taxi to visit the museum we wanted to see. This space was built in 2023 to exhibit works by Gerhard Richter. It’s reservation-only. We found out about Richter Raum after booking the trip, so we made a last-minute reservation. The building replicates part of “Atelier Richter” in Cologne, Germany, and displays Richter’s recent works. In the courtyard, there’s also “Strip Sculpture Karuizawa,” the world’s first outdoor sculpture created specifically for Karuizawa. The indoor works were excellent, but the courtyard surrounded by forest— where the artwork, trees, and birdsong all blend together—was incredibly pleasant. It was ten times better than I expected. We came by taxi, but since it’s about a 20-minute walk back to the station, we decided to walk. This school sign is cool. Looks pretty old. We stopped by a supermarket on the way to buy snacks for the return bus ride. We picked up some other bread too while we were at it. This milk bread caught my eye, so I decided to try it. We ended up buying several types of bread. The McDonald’s next door had drink-shaped windows! I’ve passed it so many times but never noticed before. We’re back at Karuizawa Station. As usual, we’re taking the highway bus back home. Come to think of it, this was our first time staying two nights in Karuizawa. Usually we stay just one night in Karuizawa, then move on to somewhere like Zenkoji. Even this time, despite being in Karuizawa, we didn’t go to any fancy restaurants— just ate things like unagi, dango, and udon — all Japanese food. But I think it’s more fun to just eat what we like and take it easy in Karuizawa. Relaxing and enjoying things at our own pace is what makes it special. Thank you so much for watching until the end.

#軽井沢旅行 #Karuizawa #万平ホテル #MampeiHotel #軽井沢Vlog

ゴールデンウィーク直前、2泊3日で避暑地 #軽井沢 を満喫してきました。
1日目は #LONGINGHOUSE 旧軽井沢・諏訪ノ森 にチェックイン、
2日目は 2024年10月にリニューアルしたクラシックホテル「万平ホテル」で #ホテルステイ。

🌸 矢ヶ崎公園の桜〜雲場池・鹿島の森別荘地を散策
🍽 4 月オープンの「うなぎ四代目菊川」で #信州グルメ
🖼 予約必須の #RichterRaum（ゲルハルト・リヒター美術館）など穴場スポットも巡っています。
和食中心・神社仏閣多めの、好きなことだけ詰め込んだ #週末トリップ でした！

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【Time Stamp】
00:00 Intro
01:46 軽井沢駅〜矢ヶ崎公園の桜〜ささやきの小径
06:41 旧軽井沢銀座〜昼食〜雲場池
13:42 cafe 涼の音〜神宮寺〜諏訪神社
17:42 LONGINGHOUSE 旧軽井沢・諏訪ノ森
23:36 うなぎ四代目菊川で夕食
27:58 DAY2 ちもと総本店
35:18 万平ホテル #レトロ建築
47:47 つるとんたんで夕食
51:17 朝食
53:08 DAY3 チェックアウト〜散策
58:12 リヒター・ラウム #アートスポット

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【Info & Links】
– 高速バス (https://a.r10.to/hkKop8)
– 万平ホテル (https://a.r10.to/h5Ocl9)
– LONGINGHOUSE 旧軽井沢・諏訪ノ森 (https://a.r10.to/hkbPjq)
– 旧軽井沢 Cafe 涼の音 (https://suzunone.main.jp/)
– うなぎ四代目菊川 (https://www.yondaimekikukawa.com/)
– ちもと総本店 (https://www.chimoto-sohonten.com/)
– つるとんたん (https://www.tsurutontan.co.jp/karuizawa/)
– Richter Raum (https://www.richterraum.jp/)

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【Gear】
SONY VLOGCAM ZV-E10 II（https://amzn.to/40wwxDW）
iPhone 15 Pro（https://amzn.to/3C8WoaV）
Editing : Final Cut Pro / Music : Artlist.io

#長野観光