Editing Karuizawa, Nagano

{{about|the town|the adventure game|Karuizawa Yūkai Annai}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Karuizawa
| native_name            = {{nobold|{{lang|ja|軽井沢町}}}}
| official_name          = 
| native_name_lang       = ja
| settlement_type        = [[Towns of Japan|Town]]
| image_skyline          = File:Street in Karuizawa.jpg
| imagesize              = 
| image_alt              = 
| image_caption          = Typical scenery of Karuizawa
| image_flag             = Flag of Karuizawa, Nagano.svg
| flag_alt               =
| image_blank_emblem     = Emblem of Karuizawa, Nagano.svg
| blank_emblem_type      = Emblem
| nickname               = 
| motto                  = 
| image_map              = Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Location of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture
| pushpin_map            = Japan
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = &nbsp;
| coordinates            = {{coord|36|20|55|N|138|35|49|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint          = 
| coordinates_footnotes  = 
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = Japan {{flagicon|Japan}}
| subdivision_type1      = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1      = [[Chūbu region|Chūbu]] ([[Kōshin'etsu region|Kōshin'etsu]])
| subdivision_type2      = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[Nagano Prefecture|Nagano]]
| subdivision_type3      = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_name3      = [[Kitasaku District, Nagano|Kitasaku]]
| established_title      = 
| established_date       = 
| founder                = 
| named_for              = 
| seat_type              = 
| seat                   = 
| government_footnotes   = 
| leader_party           = 
| leader_title           = Mayor
| leader_name            = 
| leader_title1          = 
| leader_name1           = 
| total_type             = 
| unit_pref              = 
| area_magnitude         = 
| area_footnotes         = 
| area_total_km2         = 156.03
| area_land_km2          = 
| area_water_km2         = 
| area_water_percent     = 
| area_note              = 
| elevation_footnotes    = 
| elevation_m            = 
| population_footnotes   = 
| population_total       = 20,323
| population_as_of       = October 2016
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_est         = 
| pop_est_as_of          = 
| population_demonym     = 
| population_note        = 
| timezone1              = [[Japan Standard Time]]
| utc_offset1            = +9
| timezone1_DST          = 
| utc_offset1_DST        = 
| postal_code_type       = 
| postal_code            = 
| area_code_type         = 
| area_code              = 
| blank_name_sec1        = Phone&nbsp;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        = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2        = [[Humid continental climate|Dfb]]
| website                = {{Official website|1=http://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/}}
| footnotes              = 
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
 | tree = [[Magnolia kobus]]
 | flower = Sakurasō {{small|(''[[Primula sieboldii]]'')}}
 | bird = [[Brown-headed thrush]]
 | flowering_tree = 
 | butterfly = 
 | fish = 
 | other_symbols = 
}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Karuizawa'''|軽井沢町|Karuizawa-machi}} is a [[resort town]] located in [[Nagano Prefecture]], Japan. {{As of|2016|10|01}}, the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households,<ref>[https://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/www/toppage/0000000000000/APM03000.html Karuizawa Town official statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331080914/https://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/www/toppage/0000000000000/APM03000.html |date=2019-03-31 }}{{in lang|ja}}</ref> and a population density of 130 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the town is {{cvt|156.03|sqkm|sqmi}}. 

Originally, there was a [[stage station]] (''[[shukuba]]'') called [[Karuisawa-shuku]] on the [[Nakasendō]]. The [[Shin'etsu Main Line|Shin'etsu Line]] opened in 1888 and the town became popular as a Western-style [[hill station]] around that time.<ref>Shotenkenchiku-sha, ''HOTEL RESTAURANTS & BARS'', 1995, p.15</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Mt.asama.karuizawa.jpg|thumb|Mt.Asama seen from Karuizawa]]
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, and a more significant eruption spewing hot rocks and a plume of ash occurred in February 2015. Mount 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demetriou |first=Danielle |date=16 June 2015 |title=Mount Asama volcano erupts near Tokyo |publisher=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11677199/Mount-Asama-volcano-erupts-near-Tokyo.html}}</ref>

*[[Usui Pass]]
*Highest elevation: {{cvt|2568|m|ft|0}} (Top of [[Mount Asama]])
*Lowest elevation: {{cvt|798.7|m|ft|1}}

===Surrounding municipalities===
*[[Gunma Prefecture]]
** [[Annaka, Gunma|Annaka]]
** [[Naganohara, Gunma|Naganohara]]
** [[Shimonita, Gunma|Shimonita]]
** [[Takasaki, Gunma|Takasaki]]
** [[Tsumagoi, Gunma|Tsumagoi]]
*Nagano Prefecture
**[[Miyota, Nagano|Miyota]]
** [[Saku, Nagano|Saku]]

===Climate===
Karuizawa has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb'') with warm summers and cold winters.  The average annual temperature in Karuizawa is {{cvt|8.6|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1246.2|mm}} with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{cvt|20.8|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|-3.3|C}}.<ref name=normals/> Precipitation is much heavier in the summer than in the winter.

{{Weather box
|width=auto
|location = Karuizawa (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1925–present)
|collapsed = Y
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 16.1
|Feb record high C = 18.8
|Mar record high C = 22.6
|Apr record high C = 28.3
|May record high C = 29.5
|Jun record high C = 31.1
|Jul record high C = 34.2
|Aug record high C = 33.9
|Sep record high C = 31.3
|Oct record high C = 27.7
|Nov record high C = 22.3
|Dec record high C = 20.7
|Jan record low C = -20.3
|Feb record low C = -19.6
|Mar record low C = -21.0
|Apr record low C = -11.6
|May record low C = -6.1
|Jun record low C = -0.9
|Jul record low C = 5.0
|Aug record low C = 7.0
|Sep record low C = -0.2
|Oct record low C = -6.5
|Nov record low C = -11.8
|Dec record low C = -18.0
|Jan high C = 2.3
|Feb high C = 3.5
|Mar high C = 7.8
|Apr high C = 14.3
|May high C = 19.2
|Jun high C = 21.5
|Jul high C = 25.3
|Aug high C = 26.3
|Sep high C = 21.7
|Oct high C = 16.2
|Nov high C = 11.2
|Dec high C = 5.3
|Jan mean C = -3.3
|Feb mean C = -2.6
|Mar mean C = 1.1
|Apr mean C = 7.0
|May mean C = 12.3
|Jun mean C = 16.0
|Jul mean C = 20.1
|Aug mean C = 20.8
|Sep mean C = 16.7
|Oct mean C = 10.5
|Nov mean C = 4.8
|Dec mean C = -0.5
|Jan low C = -8.2
|Feb low C = -8.0
|Mar low C = -4.5
|Apr low C = 0.6
|May low C = 6.3
|Jun low C = 11.8
|Jul low C = 16.4
|Aug low C = 17.1
|Sep low C = 13.0
|Oct low C = 6.3
|Nov low C = -0.2
|Dec low C = -5.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 36.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 36.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 68.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 81.0
|May precipitation mm = 108.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 154.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 191.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 141.6
|Sep precipitation mm = 193.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 151.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 52.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 29.6
|year precipitation mm = 1246.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.2
|Feb precipitation days = 5.3
|Mar precipitation days = 8.4
|Apr precipitation days = 8.9
|May precipitation days = 9.9
|Jun precipitation days = 12.6
|Jul precipitation days = 14.8
|Aug precipitation days = 11.5
|Sep precipitation days = 11.4
|Oct precipitation days = 9.3
|Nov precipitation days = 5.9
|Dec precipitation days = 5.0
|Jan snow cm = 44
|Feb snow cm = 38
|Mar snow cm = 33
|Apr snow cm = 5
|May snow cm = 0
|Jun snow cm = 0
|Jul snow cm = 0
|Aug snow cm = 0
|Sep snow cm = 0
|Oct snow cm = 0
|Nov snow cm = 1
|Dec snow cm = 19
|year snow cm = 141
|unit snow days = 1 cm
|Jan snow days = 9.2
|Feb snow days = 8.7
|Mar snow days = 6.1
|Apr snow days = 0.8
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0.3
|Dec snow days = 4.9
|humidity colour= green
|Jan humidity = 76
|Feb humidity = 74
|Mar humidity = 72
|Apr humidity = 70
|May humidity = 75
|Jun humidity = 85
|Jul humidity = 87
|Aug humidity = 87
|Sep humidity = 89
|Oct humidity = 87
|Nov humidity = 80
|Dec humidity = 78
|Jan sun = 181.6
|Feb sun = 191.8
|Mar sun = 194.8
|Apr sun = 204.6
|May sun = 198.5
|Jun sun = 144.8
|Jul sun = 138.6
|Aug sun = 162.7
|Sep sun = 126.6
|Oct sun = 140.3
|Nov sun = 162.5
|Dec sun = 171.9
|year sun = 2022.0
|source 1 = [[Japan Meteorological Agency]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=48&block_no=47622&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = April 19, 2022}}</ref><ref name=normals>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=48&block_no=47622&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = April 19, 2022}}</ref>}}

==History==
[[File:Hiroshige Travellers lighting their pipes by a fire.jpg|thumb|From [[Hiroshige]]'s series Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido (1834–1842), view 19 and station 18 at Karuisawa]]
[[File:Alexander Croft Shaw.jpg|thumb|Alexander Croft Shaw]]
[[File:Karuizawa Union Church 2.jpg|thumb|Karuizawa Union Church, before 1945]]
[[File:Kyu-Karuizawa Main Street, Vintage Photos.jpg|thumb|Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza (Main Street), 1930s]]
[[File:Karuizawa Foreigners Cemetery 1.jpg|thumb|Karuizawa Foreigner's Cemetery]]
The area of present-day Karuizawa was part of ancient [[Shinano Province]], and developed as [[Karuisawa-shuku]], a [[shukuba|post station]] on the [[Nakasendō]] highway connecting [[Edo]] with [[Kyoto]] during the [[Edo period]].

* August 2, 1876: The hamlets of Kutsukake, Shiozawanitta, Karijuku, Narusawanitta, and Yui merged to form the village of Nagakura. The village of Hatsuji in Saku District absorbed the hamlet of Matorikaya.
* January 14, 1879: Kitasaku District was created, and the town of Usuitoge, and the villages of Karuizawa, Nagakura, Oiwake were established with Kitasaku District.
* 1886: Canadian Anglican missionary Rev. [[Alexander Croft Shaw]] and [[Tokyo Imperial University]] English professor [[James Main Dixon]] introduced Karuizawa as a summer resort.
* April 1, 1889: With the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the town of Usuitoge, and the villages of Karuizawa, and the areas of the former villages of Kutsukake, Shiozawanitta, and Karijuku from the village of Nagakura merged to form the village of Higashinagakura in Kitasaku District, and the areas of the former villages of Narusawanitta and Yui in the village of Nagakura, and the villages of Hatsuji and Oiwake merged to form the village of Nishinagakura in Kitasaku District.
* 1910s: Begins to attract the attention of other expatriates and Japanese.<ref>''Tohoku: The Scotland of Japan'', p. 181</ref> Specially Germans congregate here, language professors and academics hold annual conferences.
* August 1, 1923: The village of Higashinagakura gains town status to become the town of Karuizawa. (The pre-town areas before gaining the town status is known as Kyu-Karuizawa.) 
* May 8, 1942: The village of Nishinagakura is merged into Karuizawa.
* 1942–45: Site of an internment camp for enemy foreigners and diplomats during World War 2
* From 1943 relocation of an increasing number of Germans from Tokyo, which is suffering from US fire bombing. The [[Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers]] deported most German nationals in late 1947.
* 1951: Selected as International Cultural and Tourism City
* February 1, 1957: Karuizawa absorbed Serizawa area from the former village of Goga, which was absorbed by the town of Miyota.
* April 1, 1959: The Kajikazawa area of the former village of Oiwake was split off and merged with the town of Miyota.
* 1964: [[1964 Summer Olympics]] (Equestrian)
* February 1972: [[Asama-Sanso incident]]; Police besiege communist militants holed up in holiday resort after mass killing and hostage taking.
* October 1, 1997: The [[Nagano Shinkansen]] opens, serving Karuizawa.
* 1998: [[1998 Winter Olympics]] (Curling)
* 2004: [[Mount Asama]] erupts.
* 2016: The [[G7]] Transport Ministers' Meeting
* 2019: The [[G20]] Energy and Environment Ministers' Meeting
* 2023: G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in conjunction with the G7 Summit<ref name="G7-2023">{{Cite web |title=G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Karuizawa, Nagano |url=https://www.mofa.go.jp/ecm/ec/page24e_000391.html |access-date=16 April 2023 |website=Foreign Policy |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs |language=English}}</ref>

==Demographics==
Per Japanese census data,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-nagano.php |title=Karuizawa population statistics |access-date=2019-04-30 |archive-date=2019-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430002006/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-nagano.php |url-status=live }}</ref> the population of Karuizawa has been increasing over the past 60 years.
{{Historical populations
| 1940 | 8,746
| 1950 | 13,676
| 1960 | 13,299
| 1970 | 13,373
| 1980 | 14,195
| 1990 | 15,464
| 2000 | 16,181
| 2010 | 19,023
| 2020 | 19,188
| align = none
| footnote = 
}}

==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.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20080209235819/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=23316508 Company Overview of Hoshino Resort Co., Ltd.] ([https://archive.today/20130922173104/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=23316508 Archive]). [[Bloomberg Businessweek]]. Retrieved on September 22, 2013. "2148, oazanagakura karuizawa-machi Kitasaku, 389-0111 Japan"</ref>

==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===
*[[File:JR logo (east).svg|20px]] [[East Japan Railway Company]] – [[Hokuriku Shinkansen]]
**{{STN|Karuizawa|x}}
*[[File:Shinano Railway Symbolmark.svg|20px]] [[Shinano Railway]]
**{{STN|Karuizawa|x}} –  {{STN|Naka-Karuizawa|x}} – {{STN|Shinano-Oiwake|x}}

===Highway===
*[[Image:JP Expressway E18.svg|24px|link=|alt=E18]] [[Jōshin-etsu Expressway]]
*{{jct|country=JPN|Route|18}}
*{{jct|country=JPN|Route|146}}

==International relations==
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Campos do Jordão]], Brazil<ref name="International">{{Cite web |title=International Exchange |url=http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=20&n=Nagano%20Prefecture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102080804/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=20&n=Nagano%20Prefecture |archive-date=2 January 2017 |access-date=21 November 2015 |website=List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures |publisher=Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) |language=English}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Whistler, British Columbia]], Canada<ref name=International/>

==Local attractions==
[[File:軽井沢ショー記念礼拝堂正面.jpg|thumb|Shaw Memorial Church]]
[[File:Old Karuizawa ginza04s3200.jpg|thumb|Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza]]
[[File:160729 Kumoba-ike Karuizawa Japan05s3.jpg|thumb|Kumoba Pond]]
[[File:Mikasa-Dori, Karuizawa.jpg|thumb|Mikasa Street]]
[[File:Shiraito (89665647).jpeg|thumb|Shiraito Falls]]
{{blockquote|With its comparatively cool summer weather, its cold refreshing nights, its heavy air-clearing showers, its southern aspect, and its position close to some of the most picturesque mountain scenery of Japan, Karuizawa leaves little to be desired as a summer retreat.|[[Cargill Gilston Knott]], "Notes on the Summer Climate of Karuizawa", 1891<ref>Cargill Gilston Knott, [https://archive.org/details/transactionsasi07japagoog/page/n574/mode/2up?q=In+addition+to+the+heavier+rainfall+at+Karuizawa “On the Summer Climate of Karuizawa”], Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. XIX, Ginza: Hakubunsha, 1891, p.574</ref>}}
{{blockquote|... while quite recently even Japanese gentlemen of high degree have begun to build houses and introduce their families. As in so many other cases, the world followed the lead of the missionaries. Foreigners are now the raison d’étre of Karuizawa, and no echo of Feudalism haunts the hills.|Ernest Foxwell, "A Tale of Karuizawa", 1903<ref>Ernest Foxwell, A Tale of Karuizawa, The Living Age, Vol. 236, Boston : Living Age Company, 1903, p.107</ref>}}
{{blockquote|Karuizawa, the most popular summer resort in the whole of the Far East […] .|[[Arthur Lloyd (missionary)|Arthur Lloyd]], "Every-day Japan", 1909<ref>Arthur Lloyd, [https://archive.org/details/japaneveryday00lloyrich/page/208/mode/2up? ''Every-day Japan''], London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company Limited, 1909, p.281</ref>}}
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.<ref>Anne Shannon, Lana Okerlund, "Finding Japan: Early Canadian Encounters with Asia”, p.56, Heritage House, 2012.</ref> In the 21st century the town retains significant [[Western culture|Western cultural influence]],<ref>[https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220209/p2a/00m/0op/027000c Edging Toward Japan: My Karuizawa Dreams], The Mainichi, February 12, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/03/05/travel/resort-town-links-east-west/ Resort town links East with West], The Japan Times, May 5, 2019.</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Tony |date=8 May 2015 |title=Nakasendo walking trail leads to the heart of old Japan – and bear country |publisher=The Australian Financial Review |url=http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/travel/nakasendo-walking-trail-leads-to-the-heart-of-old-japan--and-bear-country-20150430-1mx05v |access-date=3 May 2016 |archive-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=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 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a side note, The Crown Prince [[Akihito]] met [[Michiko Shoda]] for the first time on a tennis court in Karuizawa in August 1957,<ref>[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] The Japan Times, Aug 25, 2019.</ref> and John Lennon spent several summers in Karuizawa with his family in the late 1970s.<ref>William Horsley, Roger Buckley, "Nippon New Superpower: Japan Since 1945”, p.85, BBC Books, 1990.</ref>

Karuizawa hosted [[equestrianism|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.<ref>“[https://books.google.com/books?id=CGZYAAAAYAAJ&q=karuizawa The Olympian Volume 24]", p.29, [[United States Olympic Committee]], 1998.</ref>

Since 1997, Karuizawa has been accessible via the [[East Japan Railway Company|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==
* The Birds of Karuizawa from [[Sept haïkaï]], [[Olivier Messiaen]]'s composition
* [[The Wind Rises]], [[Studio Ghibli]] film
: Karuizawa appeared in a part of the film.
* [[When Marnie Was There (film)|When Marnie Was There]], Studio Ghibli film
: The model of the mansion that appeared in the film is the villa in Karuizawa.
* [[Karuizawa Yūkai Annai]], [[Enix]] adventure game
* The Curious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Japan, [[Dale Furutani]]'s novel
: The story is based on the premise that [[Sherlock Holmes]] was in Karuizawa in the "missing years (1891–1894)".
*The anime series [[Ouran High School Host Club]]
: Episodes 15 and 16 are set in Karuizawa.

==Notable residents==
{{blockquote|And now I am writing in the most lovely study in the world. Over my head the pine branches meet in arches of kindly green; […].|[[Mary Crawford Fraser]], "A Diplomatist's Wife in Japan: Letters from Home to Home", 1899<ref>Mrs. Hugh Fraser, [https://archive.org/details/adiplomatistswi01frasgoog/page/n7/mode/2up?q=And+now+I+am+writing+in+the+most+lovely+study+in+the+world.+Over+my+head+the+pine+branches+meet+in+arches+of+kindly+green''A Diplomatist's Wife in Japan: Letters from Home to Home''], Vol. II, London: Hazell, Watson and Viney, 1899, p.53</ref>}}
{{blockquote|There followed a delightful few days in Karuizawa, our last for the summer. [[Douglas Fairbanks]] was a most acceptable guest, […]. |[[Joseph Grew]], Private diary, 1932<ref>[https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/a-golfers-paradise/ A golfers' paradise], Asian Turfgrass Center.</ref>}}
{{blockquote|Summers in Karuizawa were not just a break in the year but seemed a whole lifetime in themselves. I have far more memories of the minutiae of life there than I do of the much longer periods of time spent in Tokyo.|[[Edwin O. Reischauer]], "My Life Between Japan and America", 1986<ref>[http://www.oldtokyo.com/karuizawa-c-1920/ Karuizawa, c. 1920.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411044750/http://www.oldtokyo.com/karuizawa-c-1920/ |date=2021-04-11 }}Old Tokyo.com</ref>}}
{{blockquote|Karuizawa is an old summer resort in Japan very much like the [[Hamptons]] except it's in the mountains. There is a coffee house in a pine forest near Karuizawa. [[John Lennon|John]] & I fell in love with the place, and found ourselves going there almost every day with [[Sean Lennon|Sean]].|[[Yoko Ono]], "THE LIGHTER", 2000<ref>James Henke, "Lennon: His Life and Work”, p.11, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 2000.</ref><ref>[https://mobile.twitter.com/yokoono/status/1377280495176839168 Yoko Ono (April 1, 2021)], Twitter</ref>}}
{{blockquote|They (Olivia's parents) had two properties up in Karuizawa in the mountains for the summer. People fled Tokyo in the summer because the heat is quite extreme.|[[Olivia de Havilland]], Interview, 2006<ref>[https://achievement.org/achiever/olivia-de-havilland/#interview Dame Olivia de Havilland], Academy of Achievement</ref>}}
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by last name ♦♦♦--->
* [[Massimo Baistrocchi]], Italian diplomat
* [[Paul Bryan (politician)|Paul Bryan]], British Conservative politician
* [[Tatsuo Hori]], Japanese writer
* [[Paul Jacoulet]], French woodblock print artist
* [[T. Canby Jones]], American professor
* [[Neil Gordon Munro]], Scottish physician and anthropologist
* [[E. Herbert Norman]], Canadian diplomat and historian
* [[Tabaimo]], Japanese artist
* [[Yukihiro Takahashi]], Japanese drummer
* [[Masayoshi Takanaka]], Japanese musician, producer and composer
* [[Kōji Tamaki]], Japanese singer
* [[Towa Tei]], Japanese record producer
* [[Kazumi Watanabe]], Japanese guitarist
* [[Ken Watanabe]], Japanese actor
* [[Ronald Lampman Watts]], Canadian professor
* [[Willie Weeks]], American bass guitarist

===Summer residents===
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by last name ♦♦♦--->
{{div col}}
* [[Akihito]], Japanese emperor
* [[Ryūnosuke Akutagawa]], Japanese writer
* [[Topazia Alliata]], Italian noblewoman and painter
* [[Takeo Arishima]], Japanese writer
* [[Prince Yasuhiko Asaka]], member of the Japanese imperial family
* [[Tarō Asō]], Japanese prime minister
* [[Edgar Bancroft]], American diplomat
* [[Edward Bickersteth (bishop of South Tokyo)|Edward Bickersteth]], Anglican missionary
* [[Francis Brinkley]], Anglo-Irish editor
* [[Robert L. Eichelberger]], American general officer
* [[Ichikawa Ennosuke III]], Japanese kabuki actor
* [[Joseph Grew]], American diplomat
* [[Walter de Havilland]], English patent attorney
* [[James Main Dixon]], Scottish professor
* [[Hugh Fraser (diplomat)|Hugh Fraser]], English diplomat
* [[Beate Sirota Gordon]], Austrian-born American performing arts presenter
* [[Matsumoto Hakuō II]], Japanese kabuki actor
* [[Ichirō Hatoyama]], Japanese prime minister
* [[Shigeaki Hinohara]], Japanese physician
* [[Hirohito]], Japanese emperor
* [[Morihiro Hosokawa]], Japanese prime minister
* [[Nitobe Inazō]], Japanese author
* [[Shōjirō Ishibashi]], Japanese businessman
* [[Arata Isozaki]], Japanese architect
* [[Yasunari Kawabata]], Japanese writer
* [[Donald Keene]], American writer and professor
* [[Mary Eddy Kidder]], American missionary
* [[Kunihiko Kodaira]], Japanese mathematician
* [[Fumimaro Konoe]], Japanese prime minister
* [[Bernard Leach]], British studio potter
* [[John Lennon]], English musician
* [[Dacia Maraini]], Italian writer
* [[Fosco Maraini]], Italian photographer
* [[Empress Masako]], Japanese empress
* [[Empress Michiko]], Japanese empress
* [[Akio Morita]], Japanese businessman
* [[Naruhito]], Japanese emperor
* [[Sadako Ogata]], Japanese professor
* [[Yoko Ono]], Japanese artist
* [[Antonin Raymond]], Czech-American architect
* [[August Karl Reischauer]], American missionary
* [[Edwin O. Reischauer]], American diplomat
* [[Hannah Riddell]], English missionary
* [[Roman Rosen]], Russian baron and diplomat
* [[Junzo Sakakura]], Japanese architect
* [[Eisaku Satō]], Japanese prime minister
* [[William J. Sebald]], American diplomat
* [[Alexander Croft Shaw]], Canadian missionary
* [[Ōkuma Shigenobu]], Japanese prime minister
* [[Leo Sirota]], Ukrainian-born Jewish pianist
* [[Masayoshi Son]], Korean-Japanese businessman
* [[D. T. Suzuki]], Japanese Buddhist monk
* [[Yoshiaki Tsutsumi]], Japanese businessman
* [[Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi]], American architect
* [[J. G. Waller]], Canadian missionary
* [[Walter Weston]], English missionary
* [[Sayuri Yoshinaga]], Japanese actress
{{div col end}}

===Evacuees of World War II===
* [[Widar Bagge]], Swedish diplomat
* [[Varvara Bubnova]], Russian painter
* [[Karlfried Graf Dürckheim]], German diplomat and Zen master
* [[Robert Guillain]], French journalist
* [[Francis Haar]], Hungarian socio-photographer
* [[Eta Harich-Schneider]], German harpsichordist
* [[Manfred Gurlitt]], German conductor
* [[Leonid Kreutzer]], Russian-born Jewish pianist
* [[Alexander Mogilevsky]], Ukrainian violinist
* [[Victor Pokrovsky]], Russian choral director
* [[Joseph Rosenstock]], Polish-born American conductor
* [[Victor Starffin]], Russian baseball player

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* [[:ja:軽井沢]] {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}
*[https://karuizawa-kankokyokai.jp/ Karuizawa Tourism Website] {{in lang|ja}}
*[https://visitkaruizawa.com/en/ Karuizawa Tourism Website] {{in lang|en}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Nagano}}
{{1964 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues equestrian}}

[[Category:Karuizawa, Nagano| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Nagano Prefecture]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic equestrian venues]]