Hoshinoya Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan

Hoshinoya Karuizawa is a modern ryokan-style retreat in a forested valley in the mountains of Nagano, around 1,000 metres up and about an hour from Tokyo by bullet train. Built beside the Yukawa River and a wild bird sanctuary, it is a village of low, simple pavilions among the trees, with onsen baths, quiet gardens and a gentle rhythm of morning stretches, forest walks and long soaks. It is the flagship of the Hoshino family's celebrated resorts.

Location: Karuizawa, Japan

Karuizawa is a mountain resort town in Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of the active volcano Mount Asama, long loved by Tokyo residents as a cool summer escape and a place of forests, lakes and hot springs. The Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train takes around an hour from Tokyo, making it one of the easiest mountain getaways from the capital.

Hoshinoya stands in a valley beside the Yukawa River, next to a forest and a wild bird sanctuary, around 1,000 metres above sea level. Trees were moved rather than cut down during construction, so the resort feels as though it has grown out of the forest.

Rooms at Hoshinoya Karuizawa

Rooms are arranged in clusters on the mountain, river and garden sides of the valley, in simple, modern buildings with ryokan touches: raised platform beds rather than futons, sofas rather than floor cushions, and wooden bathtubs. Large windows look out onto the forest, the water or the gardens, and many rooms have terraces. The mood is calm and minimal, designed for rest.

Facilities at Hoshinoya Karuizawa

The Meditation Bath, the resort's own onsen, has a bright room with frosted glass walls and a dark, low-ceilinged room of naturally warm water for deep relaxation, and the public Tombo-no-yu hot spring is a short walk away. Treatments, morning and evening stretching sessions and meditation are offered.

Kasuke serves refined Japanese cuisine based on seasonal mountain ingredients, and the Library Lounge offers coffee and tea. The nearby Harunire Terrace has cafés and shops along the river, and guided walks lead through the forest and the bird sanctuary.

The mountain moment

The defining moment is a snowy winter evening in the Meditation Bath, moving from the bright room into the dark, warm water as snow falls on the forest outside.

In autumn, walk through the valley as the maples blaze red and gold, with the sound of the river all around.

Why Hoshinoya Karuizawa is one of the best mountain hotels

Hoshinoya Karuizawa earns its place for its setting, its design and its sense of calm, offering a genuinely restorative mountain stay barely an hour from Tokyo. It is a perfect introduction to the Japanese art of slowing down.

For views of Mount Fuji, compare it with its sister Hoshinoya Fuji. For a traditional ryokan near Tokyo, see Gora Kadan in Hakone, and for powder skiing in Hokkaido, Higashiyama Niseko Village.

When to go to Hoshinoya Karuizawa

Every season is beautiful. Summer, from July to August, is cool and green, the classic escape from Tokyo's heat; autumn, from around mid-October to early November, brings spectacular foliage; winter is snowy and quiet, perfect for the onsen; and spring brings fresh greenery and wildflowers. Weekends and Japanese holidays are busiest, so weekdays are calmer.

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