Karuizawa, Nagano
Geography. Karuizawa is located in eastern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Gunma Prefecture to the north, east and south. The town is located on an elevated plain at the foot of Mount Asama, one of Japan's most active volcanoes. The mountain is classed as a Category A active volcano. A small eruption was detected in June 2015, a more significant eruption spewing hot rocks and a plume of ash occurred in February 2015. Mt. Asama's most destructive eruption in recent recorded history took place in 1783, when over 1,000 were killed. The volcano is actively monitored by  scientists and climbing close to the summit is prohibited. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Karuizawa has been increasing over the past 50 years. Climate. Karuizawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Dwb") with warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Karuizawa is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Precipitation is much heavier in the summer than in the winter. History. The area of present-day Karuizawa was part of ancient Shinano  Province, and developed as Karuisawa-shuku, a post station on the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo period. Economy. Since one of the origins of the Seibu Group is in Karuizawa (see also Yasujiro Tsutsumi), Seibu is still developing big businesses in this town such as Prince Hotels. Hoshino Resorts is headquartered in Karuizawa. Education. Karuizawa has three public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school is operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education. The UWC ISAK Japan international school is also located in the town . Local attractions. A Beautiful landscape at an elevation of 1,000 m (3,281 ft) and a cool summer climate similar to Europe, Karuizawa was founded as a European-style resort town by English-Canadian missionaries, and many foreigners visited from all over the country to escape the heat of summer and enjoy vacations. Therefore, a lot of Western culture remains in this town, which is in harmony with traditional Japanese culture. And now, this town has also become a popular year-round resort offering many outdoor sports, hot springs and recreational activities. Convenient road and rail access from central Tokyo, has  ensured Karuizawa's popularity as a location for second homes and resort hotels since the Meiji era. The town is known for its historic shopping street known as "Ginza dōri" or "Kyū-dō" (Ginza Street, or the Old Road) and association with both Japanese royalty and visitors such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Karuizawa hosted equestrian events in the 1964 Summer Olympics as well as curling in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Since 1997, Karuizawa has been accessible via the JR East Nagano Shinkansen. New high speed rail links has resulted in modest population growth and the development of large  outlet style shopping malls.