Karuizawa Station, Railway interchange station in Karuizawa, Japan.
Karuizawa Station is a railway interchange facility in Karuizawa, Japan, containing three island platforms at an elevation of 941 meters (3,087 feet) equipped with ticket counters and passenger service areas. The facility connects high-speed trains with local lines and offers covered waiting areas plus access routes to individual tracks.
The facility opened in December 1888 as a terminal of Japanese Government Railways, linking Naoetsu with Karuizawa before the line later extended to Yokokawa. Trains required helper locomotives at the steep Usui Pass until 1997 to manage the elevation change.
The facility serves as a gateway to a mountain region that draws visitors from the capital and provides access to highland recreation areas. Travelers use it as a starting point for excursions into the surrounding countryside and nearby hot spring resorts.
Travelers can reach Tokyo in roughly 65 minutes via the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen line, with trains departing regularly during daytime hours. Signage in multiple languages helps with navigation inside the building and toward the platforms.
The elevation of the facility once required special helper locomotives for operations at Usui Pass, one of the steepest sections in the Japanese railway network. This practice ended in 1997 with the introduction of modern technology on the route.
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