My mother and I visited Karuizawa to reconnect with our family history.
We were surrounded by forest, gentle drifts of snow, and a rare and delicious quiet.
Hovering over the landscape was stately Mount Asama, its summit tipped with white.
From left: Shigeru Ban’s Shishi-Iwa House No. 1; the shared lounge at the Ban-designed Shishi-Iwa House No. 2.Credit:Max Houtzager
I had heard about Karuizawa for what felt like the entirety of my childhood.
It was the place where my mother had gone on vacation when she was a child.
Some years later, after my older brother was born, my grandfather purchased a weekend home there.
From left: A forest path near the Hoshinoya resort; riverside villas at the hotel.Max Houtzager
Karuizawa has long been known as a retreat for wealthy families fleeing Tokyos summer heat.
Its where, in 1957, the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko famously met playing tennis.
My grandfather was a self-made man who built a successful business in the 1960s and 70s.
A seasonal mushroom hot pot at Hoshinoya, a century-old resort in the town of Karuizawa, Japan.Max Houtzager
Since the Karuizawa property opened, Hoshino has passed through four generations of the same family.
Driving through the forests ringing Mount Asama, we saw second homes modeled after Swiss chalets.
But we also saw strikingly modern structures: assemblages of concrete and glass peeking out from among the trees.
From left: The dining room at Hoshinoya; the hotel’s bento-box breakfast.Max Houtzager
Shishi-Iwa House also has Shola, what some consider to be the best restaurant in Karuizawa.
The following morning, we visitedShiongama, the studio of ceramist Shion Tabata.
Soon we were driving up into the forest.
The Hiroshi Senju Museum Karuizawa, devoted to the artist’s watercolors.Max Houtzager
my aunt called out to the taxi driver, pointing to a shoulder of the road.
A stone staircase led up to a white house on a hill, half concealed by trees.
We stood in the road and peered up at it.
Lanterns on the river that flows through the Hoshinoya resort.Max Houtzager
They havent changed it, my aunt said.
Its exactly the same.
She spoke almost in a whisper.
From left: Ceramacist Shion Tabata outside her studio; ceramics inside the studio.Max Houtzager
I remember those stairs, my mother said.
Going up and down with a baby… She shook her head and laughed.
Should we go up?
A bedroom at Shishi-Iwa House No. 3.Max Houtzager
Its someone elses house now, she said.
We stood for a while longer and then, in near silence, got back into the car.
As we headed to the station, I reached out to touch my aunt on the shoulder.
How do you feel?
I asked her gently.
She was quiet, and then gave a firm nod of the head.
