Miyamaso Swiss Legation Karuizawa
Miyama-so

In an effort to preserve the history of Karuizawa, the town will be introducing a blue plaque scheme similar to those used in the United Kingdom. The signs will be affixed to buildings and homes considered to be of historical importance to the resort town.

The town’s Board of Education has made a list of 100 important buildings, and, with the permission of the property owners, will affix plaques in the next year.

One of the shortlisted historic buildings is the Miyama-so Villa. Built in 1943 for a Japanese businessman, the house was later used as the Legation of Switzerland and was is said to be the place where a telegram was sent in 1945 declaring Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. The house was at risk of being demolished by a previous owner until the town acquired it in 2007 for 210 million Yen.

Up until now, the Karuizawa National Trust has been the only group actively seeking to preserve the town’s heritage. Historical preservation efforts usually focus on listing properties as cultural assets, which requires the full co-operation of the owner. A heritage listing may result in limitations over what the owner can do with a property, which means many owners refuse to be listed. The blue plaque scheme will not have any restrictions or obligations for property owners, and it is hoped that it will make it easier to obtain permission from owners.

The importance of protecting some of Karuizawa’s historic buildings is slowly beginning to be recognised. Unfortunately many property owners place little to no value on some of these old buildings and they can be left to rot. Some residents are also opposed to the idea of making these historic sites a tourist attraction as it could attract noisy visitors into otherwise quiet neighbourhoods.

About Karuizawa:

Karuizawa is a popular and wealthy summer resort area just 70 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo. In the Edo period it was a small town with lodgings for travellers passing by alongside the Nakasendo (Central Mountain Route) which connected Tokyo and Kyoto. It wasn’t until two foreigners, Canadian missionary Alexander Shaw, and English professor James Dixon, wrote about the town after visiting in 1886 that it drew attention as a holiday destination. Shaw built his own holiday home in the area, and within a few years 20 foreigners had moved to the area.

Two years later Karuizawa Station went into service with the opening of horse-drawn carriageway connecting Karuizawa to Yokogawa Station in Gunma Prefecture. Trains were eventually introduced, and the Shinkansen train line opened in 1997.

The very first vacation home to be built for a Japanese person was the Hatta Residence built in 1893 for naval captain Yujiro Hatta. The early residents of the town included foreign diplomats and businessmen, Japanese nobles, politicians and wealthy industrialists.

In 1894, the Kameya Hotel (later renamed as the Mampei Hotel) opened, followed by the Mikasa Hotel in 1906. By 1903 there were already over 100 holiday villas. In the 1960s, this number had swelled to over 4,000 homes, and by the late 1980s there were over 10,000 homes in the town.

Mikasa Hotel Karuizawa
The Mikasa Hotel (c1906).

In 1912, Zenshiro Handa acquired around 38 hectares of land and began subdividing it for resort homes. Genjiro Nozawa followed suit, selling resort land in 1916. In 1918, Yasujiro Tsutsumi, founder of Seibu Group, began subdividing and selling land in the Sengataki holiday home area. This area is still managed by Seibu Group.

During the forced evacuation of foreigners in the early 1940s, many embassies and foreign residents relocated to Karuizawa.

When it received its designation as a town in 1923 it had a population of 5,000 residents. In 2013 the population exceeded 20,000 residents.

Karuizawa Suikyuso
The Suikyu-so Villa. Designed by William Merrell Vories and built in 1931.

Notable past and current residents and holiday guests:

  • The current Emperor of Japan
  • Robert Guillain (1908-1998), French journalist and author
  • John Lennon who spent summers with his family at the Mampei Hotel
  • Yoshimura Junzo, architect
  • Eloise Cunningham, musician

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun, August 15, 2015.

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