It’s officially Fall here in Japan. The color of the leaves are changing and mornings are cold. We went to a place called Karuizawa to enjoy the last of the warm weather a few weeks ago. Karuizawa is in Nagano prefecture, and it is only an hour away from Tokyo station by bullet train. It is easy to get to and this small town is beautiful, filled with restaurants, cute zakka and souvenir shops. It is also close to the mountains so it is very easy access good hiking trails.
We hiked from Kyu-Karu Ginza to Usui Pass. After walking for about 4km, this beautiful mountain view showed itself. It’s right between Nagano and Gunma prefectures. We met a local man who was killing time while waiting for his daughter. We got talking and he ended up giving us a ride back to our cabin because we missed the last bus back to the town (last bus ends at 4:30pm!). This would not have happened in Tokyo. When you step outside of Tokyo, I find people much more willing to talk to you even if you are a stranger.
The rustic cabin we stayed. 
The sign warning about bears.
軽井沢に行ってきました。
小さなキャビンに泊まり、チャーチストリートでご飯食べたり旧軽銀座通りから、碓氷峠の方にハイキングに行ったりしてきました。
秋の訪れを感じる旅でした★
Find me elsewhere:
