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Karuizawa Station (軽井沢駅, Karuizawa-eki) is a railway station in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan, operated jointly by the JR Group company East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the third-sector railway operator Shinano Railway.

Lines

Karuizawa Station is served by the JR East Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed line from Tokyo to Kanazawa via Nagano. On the Shinkansen line, it is located 146.8 kilometers from Tokyo Station. It is also a terminal station for the 65.1 kilometer Shinano Railway Line which operates between Karuizawa and Nagano.

Station layout

The JR portion of the station has two elevated island platforms, serving four tracks, with the station building underneath. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office.^[2] The Shinano Railway portion of the station has one ground-level island platform serving two tracks, connected to the JR East portion of the station by a footbridge.

JR East platforms

Shinano Railway platforms

History

The station began service on December 1, 1888, as the terminal of the Japanese Government Railways between Naoetsu (near the Sea of Japan coast) and Karuizawa. The line was extended from Karuizawa to Yokokawa through the Usui Pass on April 1, 1893, completing the trunk line between Takasaki (connecting to a Nippon Railway line to Ueno Station in Tokyo) and Naoetsu, which was later named the Shinetsu Main Line. At Karuizawa, all trains were coupled with or separated from helper locomotives that were required for all trains to go through the Usui Pass section.

When the Japanese National Railways (JNR) were divided and privatized on April 1, 1987, Shinetsu Main Line became a part of the system of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). On October 1, 1997, JR East opened the Nagano Shinkansen with a stop at Karuizawa. At the same time, JR East ceased to operate the conventional Shinetsu Main Line between Yokokawa and Shinonoi, of which, the section between Yokokawa and Karuizawa (Usui Pass) was closed permanently and the remaining section was transferred to Shinano Railway. Since then, Karuizawa Station has been shared by JR East and Shinano Railway.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2015, the JR East portion of the station was used by an average of 2,889 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).^[3]

Surrounding area

• Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza
• Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort

Hotels

• Karuizawa Prince Hotel
• Mampei Hotel
• Mikasa Hotel

Bus routes

Track 1

• Seibu Kanko Bus
  • For Manza-Kazawaguchi Station
  • For Manza Onsen and Shirane Kazan

Track 2

• Kusakaru Kotsu
  • For Kita-Karuizawa
  • For Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station
  • For Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal

Track 3

• Seibu Bus and Chikuma Bus
  • For Kawagoe Matoba, Nerima Station and Ikebukuro Station
  • For Tamagawa-Josui Station and Tachikawa Station
• Tokyu Bus
  • For Shibuya Station and Futako-tamagawa Station
• Kintetsu Bus
  • For Namba Station

Track 4

• Community bus
  • Around Karuizawa Town

Track 5

• JR BUS KANTO Usui Line
  • For Yokokawa Station
    • This bus route passes through Megane Bridge during autumn.

North Exit

• Shoei Kotsu
  • For Nagano Station and Suzaka Station
  • For Shinjuku Station and Tokyo Station

Gallery

• 
  South Exit, September 2022
• 
  Shinkansen fare gates, October 2021
• 
  Shinkansen Platforms 1 and 2, October 2021
• 
  Shinkansen Platforms 3 and 4, October 2021
• 
  Conventional gates, with locker and coin lockers for rent on the left, October 2021
• 
  Old station building, July 2016
• 
  Nameplate of the station, July 2011
• 
  Station structure, 2007

See also

• List of railway stations in Japan

References

External links

Media related to Karuizawa Station at Wikimedia Commons

• JR East Karuizawa Station (in Japanese)
• Shinano Railway Karuizawa Station (in Japanese)