Colourful Karuizawa

Karuizawa: Round two!

I was in Karuizawa just last month, enjoying some beautiful nature spots as well as shopping at the huge brand outlet Prince Shopping Plaza. I liked it so much there that I decided I HAD to go again! This time, it was during their Autumn Festival. I stopped off with a friend on our way back to Tokyo from Toyama.

The colours, the vibrant colours! Reds, yellows, oranges, greens; and blue skies reflecting in the water. It was a sight to behold. I spent the whole day on foot, exploring the backstreets and woodlands, marvelling at the beauty of this lovely town.

Despite how these pictures may look, it was actually very, very crowded, especially at the famous Lake Kumoba. The autumn-leaves spots higher up in the mountains, like Shiraito Falls which I visited last time, were already past their peak, so everyone seemed to be making the most of the lower altitude places while they still could. Like in Toyama, the forecasted rain held off, and instead we were blessed with a sunny (but chilly) day!

Autumn colours

Gradation

Home in the woods

Floating away

Lake Kumoba, the “Swan Lake”

Collecting colours

Sometimes reflections have their own character

Follow the path

Pops of colour

Swooping trees

Happy flock of ducks

Check out this cool dog!!

Same same, but different

Enjoying a quiet rest spot

Yellow, yellow, yellow, green

Adieu, autumn

On fire!

Copy-paste colour?!

Holiday cabins

Completely different to last time I was here!

Karuizawa, where anything is possible!

Perhaps the next time I visit Karuizawa, it’ll be winter, and that fake snow will be covered in the genuine stuff. I can’t wait to go snowboarding, but it’s a little too early to be thinking about winter. One season at a time. The peak autumn-leaves viewing time in Tokyo is coming soon!