Japan is a trending tourist destination for past several years. Japan Tourism Agency even noted the accumulated tourists bound to Japan by October 2018 reached 23.8 million and will soon reach 25 million visitors. Are you one of them? If yes, then which city you prefer to visit the most? I am sure that you all would vote to visit and stay at Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto only. It is totally fine, I would too recommend visiting those place first before exploring other parts of Japan.

But.. have you ever wondered where Tokyo citizens spend their domestic holiday? This question was raised to me earlier this year and made me curious about any hidden gems in Japan that I may miss. I came to find that there's a small prefecture in Japan that offers breathtaking experience, something that even made John Lennon fond of this place back at the 1970s. Actually, I've heard about this place for quite a while from my Japanese mates, they said this place was popular since it was featured in Doraemon's comic as Suneo's favorite summer resort (lol).

After I went there for the first time, I totally recommend this place for your next holiday destination, especially for wanderlust or those who want to explore a little bit of local experience where Tokyo citizens spend their holiday at, which is Karuizawa. Karuizawa is an upmarket mountain resort town which is nestled at the foot of mountains in the middle of Honshu, in Nagano prefecture. Karuizawa town is located near the active volcano, Mt. Asama. Easily accessed by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station in 90 mins, car driving is another option considering if you want to travel to a few places with your family since the transportation might not cover the whole route. 

Karuizawa draws visitors year round with its skiing, golfing, hiking, good dining, hot spa, natural scenery, and shopping opportunities. Below, I listed out 7 top things to do in Karuizawa that I have experienced myself and surely will get you in awe.

Karuizawa Ginza-Dori is the main commercial street of this town. What I admire the most when I strolled down this place is the mix of architecture during a walk down the historic street, and pop into the many boutiques and souvenir stores to browse the array of finely crafted garments and trinkets. Here you can walk with a pleasant atmosphere and indulge in some leisure activities such as bowling, golf or cycling around the town. Jam is a local specialty and many shops here offer it in multiple flavors. Remember I said about John Lennon visiting Karuizawa? John used to ride his bicycle to buy baguettes at the French Bakery in the main shopping street at Ginza-Dori. If you go in there, there is a photo on the left-hand wall of John, his bicycle and a basket of baguettes. 

A short walk away from Stone Church, you can find this Kogen Church, an older between the two churches. The church is fairly small by Western standards, but the wooden, triangular building blends in perfectly with the forest environment it is in. It is worth stepping inside as well as the large triangular window makes for a striking picture. Many local families have their wedding held in this same church generation after generation.  This church features a wood structure design where warmth and happiness are passed through to each of the audiences. The lovely sound of a harp is specially used in this church to celebrate the wedding day.

Shopping when traveling is every woman's favorite things to do. Prince Shopping Plaza in Karuizawa is one of the most beautiful outlet malls I've ever seen; the stores wrap around an artificial lake, with many of the shops built with the same resort aesthetic as the rest of Karuizawa. This shopping mall enhances your stay with a range of the world's leading brands, such as Gucci or Marc Jacobs. By the time you get back to your train or car your wallet might be empty, but you'll be loaded down with tasty food and inexpensive goodies.