Karuizawa, Peaceful Countryside

Tokyo is a city of movement, activity and stimulation. There is always something happening, whether it’s festivals, pop-up stores or national holidays. So much so that it can be hard to grab a moment of quiet. With all the advertisements and noise, it can be difficult to give your brain space to wander. Whilst this chaotic atmosphere can certainly be a lot of fun, I believe it is important for your health to be able to step away from the intensity, to spend some quality time with yourself, and with those you love.

With that thought in mind, this past weekend Lucia and I took a trip to Nagano, a primarily countryside prefecture of Japan, north of Tokyo. We took the shinkansen up to Karuizawa, which got us there in about an hour.

Immediately upon stepping out of the train, you can feel the difference in the air. It was crisp, cold and fresh. You could feel the chill on your face, and I was loving every second of it.

Outside of the Karuizawa Station was the Prince Shopping Centre, jam packed with large brand high-street shops like Gucci and Louis Vutton. Needless to say we were very priced out and left the area fairly quickly!

We grabbed a local train over to the main town of Karuizawa. Once we moved away from the station, thats when it hit me. There was something here that we had not experienced for our whole month in Tokyo.

Silence.

No cars, no adverts, no people rushing around. Just a refreshing breeze, Lucia’s hand in mine and a wonderful selection of trees dressed in all autumnal colours, from vibrant greens, to striking reds.

We saw a lot in Nagano, and i’m sure we will wrote more posts in the future about it, but what stuck with me the most was this feeling of true quiet. It felt as if we had space to think, and to breathe.

With the auburn forests around us, and the grand mountains in the distance, we were both awestruck, and filled with inspiration.