Local Guide
Fun in rain or shine! Handmade Experience in Karuizawa

Karuizawa, one of the best resort areas in Japan, has many spots where you can enjoy handmade experiences that are unique to the area. From crafts using materials rich in the bounty of nature to trying your hand at traditional tastes, here are some of the best places where you can encounter the joy and pleasure of making things.

Located a five-minute walk from the north exit of Karuizawa Station, this ham and sausage factory is run by a German-trained meat meister who uses authentic techniques and manufacturing methods to produce authentic ham and sausages. It is a spot with a store selling authentic sausages, a café-restaurant, and an Experience workshop. Visitors can experience authentic sausage making under the supervision of Masaki Seki, a German Meat Meister with German national certification.

There are three courses: Course A for 2-3 people with 1 kg of meat, Course B for 4-6 people with 2 kg of meat, and a group course for 7 or more people up to 30 people. 30-40 sausages can be made per kg during the 1 hour and 30 minutes of Experience. One infant per adult is free. Small children can also enjoy the experience if they are accompanied by an adult.

Using Kurobuta pork with concentrated umami flavor

The material used for the sausage is arm meat from Berkshire black pigs, which are raised without feed containing animal-derived ingredients. The meat is ground on the morning of the Experience, so it is extremely fresh. No preservatives are used, so you can taste the original taste of the Kurobuta pork.
The finished wieners can be tasted and the remainder can be taken home as souvenirs.

Local Guide Comment
The wiener making experience is fun for everyone from children to adults. Above all, the freshly made wieners are very tasty!
Shinshu Ham Karuizawa Studio
  • Address 236 Karuizawa-higashi, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 5 min. walk from Karuizawa Station North Exit
  • Business hours Workshop and store 9:30-17:30 (subject to seasonal variations)
    Cafe 10:00-14:30 (L.O.)
  • Closed Wednesdays, New Year's holidays
  • Admission Fee Course A: 4,500 yen Course B: 9,000 yen Group course: 1,500 yen/person *Reservations required at least one week in advance
  • TEL 0267-41-1186
  • Parking Free of charge
Dragonfly beads
Dragonfly beads

Visitors can experience various glass crafts, such as making glass beads, chopstick rests, and muddlers.
A popular Experience is making glass beads. A glass bead with a hole in the center looks like a dragonfly's eye, hence the name "tonbo dama.

The experience of melting a glass rod with a gas burner, wrapping it around an iron rod, and shaping it into a round shape felt like becoming a craftsman. After 15 minutes of work, the finished glass beads are left to cool in ashes for one hour. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy making them into key chains, straps, and accessories.

Local Guide Comment
Making dragonfly beads by melting glass over a fire is fun because you can draw your own original patterns on them.

Designs are limitless depending on the combination of glass beads.

The gallery and sales area are filled with glass parts and crafts, and the beauty and delicacy of the transparent glass can be clearly seen, making it a space that one never tires of looking at. In addition to making glass "tonbo dama" (glass beads), there are seven other glass craft experiences, some of which are suitable for ages 4 and up. Some couples have participated in the Experience of making glass "hanko" (seal) for their marriage certificates. If you wish to have an experience, it is recommended to make a reservation in advance to ensure a smooth experience.

Karuizawa Glass Gallery Arms
  • Address 664-6 Nagakura Shiozawa, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 10 min. drive from Karuizawa Station, 7 min. drive from Nakakaruizawa Station
  • Business hours 9:00-18:00 (until 17:00 from December to February)
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • Admission Fee Tombo dama experience: 2,000 yen per person (tax not included)
  • TEL 0267-48-3255
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Please refer to the official website for details on Experience fees.
Various indigo-dyed works
Various indigo-dyed works

At a studio that produces textiles and threads dyed with natural dyes, visitors can experience "indigo dyeing" and "hand weaving.
The indigo dyeing experience, available only from April to September, involves dyeing handkerchiefs, tenugui hand towels, T-shirts, and other items. It takes about 20 minutes for a simple pattern, and about an hour for a flower, fish, star, or other design, a unique pattern, or a darker color. Designs are flexible.
You can create your own one-of-a-kind work of art by tying it with thread to create a shibori pattern or adjusting the intensity of the color by the number of times it is dipped in the dye.
If you have something you want to dye, you can also bring in white items made of 100% cotton.

Local Guide Comment
Children as young as elementary school age can participate. This is a great way to create memories in Karuizawa or to give as a gift.

Woolen textile products are also sold in the store.

During the winter months, visitors can experience hand weaving scarves and wool felting. The scarves are made of wool dyed with plants and trees and woven on a loom to a length of 150 cm, and although it takes a few hours to make one, the joy of completion is exceptional.

In felt work, wool is patiently pricked with a special needle to create felt balls, snowmen, earrings, and other items. We also sell wool yarns dyed with plants and trees at the store. We recommend "silk mohair," which is made of wool from Angora goats. It is a popular item because it is extremely lightweight, smooth to the touch, and has good heat retention properties.

Kirishitaori Workshop
  • Address 1216-5 Hatsuji, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 25 minutes by bus from Karuizawa Station, 1 minute walk from Ogura-no-sato bus stop.
  • Business hours Open 10:00-17:00
  • Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays (open all summer and national holidays)
  • Admission Fee Summer (April-October)] Indigo Dyeing Experience: Handkerchief 1,000 yen, T-shirt 3,000 yen and up *Including materials
    Winter] Hand-woven scarf 5,000 yen *Reservations required at least 3 days in advance for winter experiences; please inquire for summer experiences.
  • TEL Please call 0267-48-3183
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Please refer to the official website for details on Experience course periods and fees.
Leatherworking work
Leatherworking work

The "Kirishitaori Workshop," where visitors can experience indigo dyeing, is also located on the same site, and visitors can also try their hand at leatherworking. The owner of the studio, who has been in Karuizawa for 40 years, will teach you in detail, so children and beginners can easily enjoy this workshop. You can try your hand at various leather crafts such as key cases, coin purses, double-wrapped bracelets, and smartphone cases, with the simplest items taking about 30 minutes to complete.

There are more than 100 types of engravings to be hammered into leather. Using cowhide leather, you can create your own original work of art by combining it with the engraving.

Local Guide Comment
There are various types of engravings to choose from.

Leather work that can be tackled with a free spirit

Sample of production
Sample of production

You can try your hand at what you want to make while looking at the samples for the Experience. In the studio, which is a log house built by the owner himself, handmade leather goods are displayed and sold, so if there is something you would like to make that is not on the samples, please consult with the owner.

The workshop has a retro "S.D.28" sewing machine from the 1920s, which is used for sewing leather, and many originally designed leather products using a variety of leather materials.

Leather Child Workshop
  • Address 1216-5 Hatsuji, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 25 minutes by bus from Karuizawa Station to Ogura-no-sato bus stop, 2 minutes walk from Ogura-no-sato bus stop.
  • Business hours Open 10:00-17:00
  • Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays (open all summer and national holidays)
  • Admission Fee Key chain 800 yen, coin purse 3,000 yen, double-wrapped bracelet 2,000 yen
  • TEL Please call 0267-48-3183
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Prices vary depending on the product, so please refer to the official website for details.

After a day of sightseeing, relax at a Hoshino Resorts inn. Karuizawa is the birthplace of Hoshino Resorts, which has three unique inns, all full of fun and surprises for your trip.

A day off from the modern world, staying in a village in the valley

The landscape created by the topography of the valley has a different look depending on the season and time of day.
The landscape created by the topography of the valley has a different look depending on the season and time of day.

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa, 70 minutes from Tokyo, is an ideal mountain retreat surrounded by clean air. Guest rooms are set around a waterfront garden, with terraces offering views of the changing seasons. The hotel offers hot springs that have been known since ancient times for their beautiful skin and loved by literary giants, cuisine for rest and relaxation that features ingredients from the mountains and rivers, spa programs that lead to relaxation of body and soul, and various activities that allow you to experience the four seasons with all your body and soul. Guests can fully enjoy their time resting from the modern world in the rich natural environment facing the "Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest."

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
  • Address 2148 Nagakura, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 15 min. by free shuttle bus from Karuizawa Station/Nakakaruizawa Station
  • Parking Available

A cosy hotel in Karuizawa loved by vacationers

Rooms are all independent cottages nestled among the trees.
Rooms are all independent cottages nestled among the trees.

Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court is a hotel where you can relax in body and soul, where you will be welcomed with the spirit of hospitality cultivated in Karuizawa's guest culture and food that enjoys rich nature and the seasons. In the main dining room, Bleston Court Yukawatan, you can enjoy French cuisine that expresses the uniquely Japanese world, using ingredients nurtured by the richness of nature and valuing the spirit of appreciating the seasons and nature. Breakfast at Restaurant No One's Recipe is a "French Breakfast" of course, featuring a Brittany-style crepe made with buckwheat flour. Enjoy it with a glass of cider in the authentic Brittany style.

Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court

More than an izakaya, less than a trip, a loose hotel

A courtyard with a wooden deck where the night breezes of the plateau are pleasant and shooting stars can be seen.
A courtyard with a wooden deck where the night breezes of the plateau are pleasant and shooting stars can be seen.

This is a loose hotel with loose rules and time constraints. Guests can freely arrange how to spend their time, playing board games or card games in the open space "TAMARIBA," which is available 24 hours a day, or simply enjoying being in the same space while reading a book of their choice.
Within walking distance are "Harunire Terrace" with its lifestyle stores, cafes, and restaurants, "Hoshino Onsen Tombo-no-yu," a hot spring with free-flowing spring water, and "Picchio," where you can enjoy "Musasabi Watching," a 90% sighting rate.

BEB Karuizawa BEB Hoshino Resorts
  • Address Hoshino, Karuizawa-cho, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from Nakakaruizawa Station
  • Parking Available

MAP

<Recommended Experience Spots in Karuizawa
<Unique lodging in the birthplace of Hoshino Resorts>.
Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
Return to article top
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.