Tsuruya Ryokan is a historic Japanese inn in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, with a history stretching back several centuries. Originally established as the Hatago Tsuruya during the early Edo period, the inn has witnessed the transformation of Karuizawa from a post town along the Nakasendo highway into one of Japan’s best-known summer resorts.
Since the Meiji period, Tsuruya Ryokan has also been closely associated with writers, poets, artists, and other prominent figures. For generations, it has served not only as accommodation but also as a place where people gathered, exchanged ideas, and created works of literature and art.
Although several accounts exist regarding its exact founding date, Tsuruya Ryokan is believed to have originated around 1624, when the Sato family opened a resting and lodging establishment called Tsuruya at Karuizawa-juku on the Nakasendo.
For generations, members of the Sato family used the name Nakauemon and held important positions in the local community. Among their responsibilities were the management of rice storehouses and armories under the Tokugawa shogunate.
Tsuruya was also known for its distinctive local cuisine. Dishes included matsutake mushroom rice, chestnut rice, Saku carp soup, shippo soba, and chicken cooked over an open flame, along with game dishes featuring mountain birds and pheasants.
The inn even operated its own watermill to grind buckwheat flour for soba. These traditional features later proved appealing to the foreign visitors who began arriving in Karuizawa as the town developed into an international summer resort.
In 1886, Tsuruya made the transition from a traditional hatago inn to a modern ryokan. The facilities incorporated elements of Western style while retaining the character of traditional Japanese architecture.
Two years later, in 1888, Canadian missionary Alexander Croft Shaw built a summer villa in Karuizawa with the assistance of Tsuruya’s proprietor, Sato Nakauemon. This villa is regarded as the first summer villa in Karuizawa.
The event became an important turning point in the development of Karuizawa as an international summer resort. Tsuruya Ryokan thus played a role in the early history of the resort culture that continues to define Karuizawa today.
From the Taisho period through the early Showa period, Tsuruya Ryokan became a lively gathering place for writers and poets. It was sometimes described as a “summer salon” where literary figures could meet, exchange ideas, and enjoy the cool Karuizawa climate.
Works and calligraphy by figures including Hakucho Masamune, Hakushu Kitahara, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Toson Shimazaki were once preserved at the inn. Much of this material, however, was lost in the 1971 fire.
The inn also embraced new forms of hospitality, including publishing guidebooks and serving Western-style cuisine. At its peak, the purely Japanese-style inn could accommodate approximately 80 guests and was widely known among visitors to Karuizawa.
Immediately after the end of World War II, Tsuruya Ryokan became known as the first lodging establishment in Karuizawa to accommodate an advance unit of the U.S. military.
A major fire in 1971 destroyed the historic buildings. The following year, in 1972, a new reinforced-concrete main building was constructed. While modern in structure, the new building was designed to preserve as much of the atmosphere and character of the former inn as possible.
The ryokan originally operated mainly during the summer season. As golf and skating became increasingly popular in Karuizawa, however, demand grew throughout the year, eventually leading Tsuruya to become a year-round establishment.
The main building reconstructed after the 1971 fire uses modern reinforced-concrete construction while retaining the warm atmosphere and traditional character expected of a Japanese inn.
The Okukan area includes three distinctive buildings known as Usuisho, Kashu-an, and Yomogi. These buildings were inherited from a former villa once favored by Sadanji Ichikawa II, a renowned kabuki actor.
The Okukan is open only during the summer season, offering guests an especially atmospheric way to experience Karuizawa’s traditional resort culture.
The watermill at Tsuruya dates back to the Edo period and was once used to grind flour for shippo soba. It was known as Sakubei-goya and was traditionally managed by retired members of the Sato family.
Along with their responsibilities for the local rice storehouses and armories, the family played an important role in the community. The watermill is a rare reminder of the practical traditions that supported life at the historic post town.
The celebrated writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa stayed in the room known as Fuji on the second floor of the main building. Letters from the period describe his interactions with others at the inn, including moon-viewing excursions toward the Usui Pass.
During his stays in Karuizawa, Akutagawa was particular about where he spent his time, choosing different places for lodging, dining, and taking tea. Tsuruya was an important part of this literary life in Karuizawa.
Hiroko Katayama, a translator of Irish literature, also had a close connection with Tsuruya Ryokan. She wrote a poem inspired by the inn and is said to have spent the end of World War II there.
The literary connection between Tsuruya and Tatsuo Hori is particularly notable. The “inn on the edge of the village” depicted in his novel “The Beautiful Village” is said to have been modeled on Tsuruya Ryokan.
Scenes of the inn’s garden and the children around it are woven into the novel, creating a lasting literary connection between Tsuruya and the landscape of Karuizawa.
Poet and writer Saisei Muroo introduced fellow literary figures to Tsuruya Ryokan and helped expand the circle of writers who gathered there. Stories involving a waitress known as Ochiyo-san are also associated with his stays at the inn.
Tsuruya Ryokan was not limited to the literary world. It is also known as a place where Fumimaro Konoe worked on plans for forming a cabinet.
Other notable visitors included kabuki actor Sadanji Ichikawa II, statesman Yukio Ozaki, and educator and Christian thinker Joseph Hardy Neesima, along with many other influential figures from political, business, and cultural circles.
Today, Tsuruya Ryokan continues to welcome guests in the heart of Old Karuizawa. The inn combines the atmosphere of traditional Japanese hospitality with the comfort expected by modern travelers.
Its story stretches from the Edo-period Nakasendo post town to the international summer resort of the modern era. Through centuries of change, the spirit of hospitality cultivated at Tsuruya has continued to attract travelers, writers, artists, and cultural figures.
For visitors interested in the history, literature, and traditional culture of Karuizawa, Tsuruya Ryokan offers a unique opportunity to experience the town through the atmosphere of one of its oldest establishments.