Karuizawa (軽井沢町, Karuizawa-machi) is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2025, the town had an estimated population of 21,834 in 11,285 households, and a population density of 139 persons per km. The total area of the town is 156.03 km (60.24 sq mi).
Originally, there was a stage station (shukuba) called Karuisawa-shuku on the Nakasendō. The Shin'etsu Line opened in 1888 and the town became popular as a Western-style hill station around that time.
Curling at the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Karuizawa, who had hosted the equestrian events at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The 1998 Nagano Olympics marked the first time that curling was held as an official Olympic sport. It was the first time the same city hosted events for both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Yamanouchi (山ノ内町, Yamanouchi-machi) is a town located in Shimotakai District in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2019, the town had an estimated population of 12,403 in 5020 households, and a population density of 47 persons per km. The total area of the town is 265.90 square kilometres (102.66 sq mi).
Yamanouchi, located in the Japanese Alps, includes Shiga Highlands, one of the largest ski resorts in Japan. The town of Yamanouchi hosted three venues during the 1998 Winter Olympics: Snowboarding Half-pipe events were held at Kanbayashi Snowboard Park and the technical events of Alpine skiing were held at Mount Higashidate and Mount Yakebitai. The town of Yamanouchi is a gateway to Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park via Route 292, the Shiga-Kusatsu-Kogen Highway. This route is a mountain-ridge which connects Yamanouchi to Karuizawa in the south.
A ryokan (旅館; pronounced [ɾʲokaɴ]) is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. during the Keiun period, which is when the oldest hotel in the world, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, was created in 705 A.D. Another old ryokan called Hōshi Ryokan was founded in 718 A.D. and was also known as the world's second-oldest hotel. Such inns also served travelers along Japan's highways.
Ryokan are hard to find in Tokyo and other large cities because many are often much more expensive compared with modern hotels and hostels. Although hotels have become standard in Japanese urban tourism, some major cities do offer ryokan with competitive rates. Traditional ryokan are more commonly found in areas with natural hot springs, and in recent years, many ryokan have been redeveloped to their original style, particularly by resort chains Hoshino Resorts, whose first ryokan opened in Karuizawa in 1914.