The Karuizawa Hoshino Area will be hosting the ‘Karuizawa Autumn Foliage Library’ from 10 October to 15 November 2026, offering visitors the chance to enjoy autumn foliage and reading. In addition to stocking around 600 books at the venue, this year the event has expanded to include a terrace along the Yugawa River. A new space featuring around 100 books, complete with a raised seating area where visitors can take off their shoes, has been created in this waterside setting, surrounded by the clear waters of the Yugawa River and the autumn foliage. At the adjacent ‘Café Hungry Spot’, a ‘Maple Nut Latte’—the perfect accompaniment to your reading—will be available for a limited time. We offer a space where you can immerse yourself in the autumn of reading beneath the vibrant autumn foliage.
The ‘Larch Hill’ area: enjoy reading amidst vibrant autumn colours on an open hillside
The main area is ‘Larch Hill’, which covers approximately 2,000 square metres and stretches out beside ‘Hoshino Onsen Tonbo no Yu’. The venue will feature two wooden bookshelves, each approximately 10 metres long, as well as a ‘book tree’ where visitors can lie down and relax. The low bookshelves, positioned to follow the undulating contours of the hill, also serve as benches. Whether sitting on the bookshelves to enjoy a book or lying on the book tree to gaze up at the autumn foliage, this space offers a reading environment that makes the most of the open-air atmosphere of the square, surrounded by the autumn colours spreading out overhead.
Introducing the ‘Riverside Area’, where you can lose yourself in a book whilst surrounded by the murmur of the river and autumn foliage
This year, the venue is being expanded to include the terrace along the Yugawa River, which flows through the Hoshino Area. In this area, where the murmur of the river can be heard, wooden bookshelves displaying around 100 books have been installed. The bookshelves, which are the same height as the terrace railings, can also be used as counters to place drinks on, allowing visitors to relax whilst taking in the view of the autumn foliage and the Yugawa River stretching out before them.
‘Maple Nut Latte’ – a limited-time drink to accompany your reading
At the adjacent Café Hungry Spot, we are offering a limited-time hot drink: the ‘Maple Nut Latte’. It is a drink with a distinctly autumnal flavour, where the gentle sweetness of maple syrup blends with the toasty aroma of nuts. It is the perfect companion for a stroll on a crisp autumn day or for reading outdoors, creating a heart-warming moment.
‘Karuizawa Autumn Foliage Library’ Overview
| Dates: |
10 October – 15 November 2026 |
| Opening hours: |
10:00 – 17:00 |
| Admission: |
Free entry / Maple Nut Latte: 730 yen |
| Location: |
In the Karuizawa Hoshino Area, in front of ‘Karamatsu no Oka’ and ‘Karuizawa Villa Navi’ |
| Notes: |
Cancelled in the event of rain |
