Great hotel close to nature, birding, and food!
LOCATION: We spent two nights here in late May. The location is great. The hotel is just a 20-minute walk from the Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest, one of the top birding spots in Japan. We had the forest to ourselves and also saw tons of birds right next to the hotel. The forest itself is next to Harunire Terrace, which has amazing food and shops (try Il Sogno). There is a lovely temple and cemetery down the street from the hotel where we got some great pics.
HOTEL: Our room was clean and quiet with a private bathroom. There is also a big deck and garden with flowers, bird boxes, and a feeder. Chris, the owner, was so accomodating and fun to talk to. He picked us up from Karuizawa station and helped us navigate the area. Since this was our first visit to Japan and we only had a few days, it was nice to be able to talk to someone in English. Would definitely stay again!