Karuizawa Tsuruya Ryokan

Our spacious room was comfortable, and so were the futons. The meals were delicious. We spent one night here on 14 November as part of our Nakasendo Way Hiking Tour with walkjapan, and it was just delightful. This beautiful ryokan made us feel transported to a more relaxed time. We highly recommend it and hope to come back next year.

The staff were helpful and spoke English, and the hotel is close to Kyu-Karuizawa ginza street. It also has an indoor hot spring that stays open all night. There are photos on the wall of well-known Japanese writers who stayed here decades ago, which gives the place a sense of history. For an early 20th-century feel, try to book a Japanese-style room. It was nice and clean. Breakfast and dinner are available, but they can be fully booked, so it’s better to ask ahead.

It’s a traditional Ryokan, but the public bath has no view of nature or a garden, just bamboo sticks.

The garden was peaceful and beautifully landscaped, and the onsen was clean and relaxing after a day exploring. Hotel Tsuruya felt full of character to me, historical and timeless, even if some might call it retro. The warm, personal hospitality was among the best I’ve experienced. It’s clearly family-owned, and I found their YouTube channel about local sights and food in Karuizawa charming and useful. I stayed two weeks ago and loved it so much that I’m still thinking about it. It was one of the best parts of my trip, and I’d return in a heartbeat.