In late June, I took a three-day trip to Karuizawa, a historic mountain resort town in Nagano prefecture. People often visit Karuizawa to escape the summer heat, or to ski during the winters. Here, one can enjoy the scenery of forests, waterfalls, and even an active volcano known as Mount Asama, which towers 2,568 meters into the sky. 

As I visited right at the beginning of the rainy season, I walked through heavy downpour for the first part of the trip. However, even with the rain, I thoroughly enjoyed the quaint atmosphere of the town, with its mixture of Japanese and Western influences (due, in turn, to the historical presence of Christian missionaries). Below is a picture of an area known as Old Karuizawa Ginza Street, which is lined with many cafes, bakeries, and souvenir shops. In the backdrop, one can also catch a glimpse of the mountains surrounding the area.

Fortunately, the rain stopped in the latter half of the trip, and I was able to enjoy some beautiful sunlit scenery of the surrounding nature. Below is a picture of a river taken from above a nameless bridge.

The drier weather during the latter part of the trip also allowed me to take a walk along the trail leading to the top of Mount Asama. While I was unable to make it to the end of the trail, I was still able to smell the sulfur fumes from the volcano. (The last time Mount Asama had erupted was in 2019.)

Below is a picture of the volcano from below. Hopefully, I am able to make it to the top the next time I visit.

The highlight of my trip was the Shiraito Waterfall located just north of the Karuizawa town. The waterfall is not very tall, but it is known for its distinctive width (a 70-meter arc, which I was unable to do justice to with my phone camera). The name “Shiraito” means “white thread(s),” which describes the appearance of the falling water. The water is said to come from the rainwater that falls on Mount Asama, which subsequently takes six years to arrive at the waterfall through underground channels.

The path leading up to the waterfall was also very scenic, and the air was chilled by the rushing stream running along the path. There were many tourists there, despite it being a Monday.

Overall, I highly recommend Karuizawa to anyone who has a chance to visit Japan—especially during the scorching months of Japanese summer!

Mayuko Maeda, Ph.D. in Political Science

Sigur Center 2024 Research Fellow

Japan