SUMMARY

Alex from Tokyo Portfolio tours a $10 million luxury villa in Karuizawa, Japan's elite mountain retreat, showcasing its architectural curves, natural stone features, and serene forest views as an escape from Tokyo's summer heat.

STATEMENTS

Karuizawa, located two to three hours north of Tokyo by car, serves as Japan's equivalent to the Hamptons, a mountain playground for the rich and famous popularized as a summer resort in the late 1880s by a Canadian missionary.
The town offers cooler temperatures, consistently 10°F (5°C) below Tokyo's, making it an ideal summer escape, and features high-end dining like Soba Spot Kawakamian, bakery Sawamura, and the exclusive Nas restaurant led by a former Noma chef.
The $10 million property spans 3,335 square feet (309 square meters) with three bedrooms, three and a half baths, designed during COVID with an entry sink for sanitation and a curved architecture to maximize sunlight and hilltop views.
The main bathroom includes a spacious dual vanity, towel warmer, open toilet, and a large bath resembling a public onsen, equipped with a traditional Japanese shower setup using buckets and lined with rare Tōdaishi stone that turns blue when wet.
Heated floors and a large sauna with panoramic forest views ensure comfort in the cold winters, while the design separates hot bath and cold plunge areas within the stone enclosure.
The master bedroom features space for a king-size bed, built-in storage, an en-suite shower with the same color-changing stone, and a loft area ideal for relaxation or reading with 180-degree views.
An adjacent office in the master suite provides a serene workspace overlooking the forest, complete with convenient power outlets for remote work.
The playroom includes plush orange carpeting, games like Jenga, a TV for screening, and electric curtains, facing the garden rather than the forest for a cozier indoor feel.
The second bedroom mirrors the master with a loft but upgrades to a larger en-suite bathroom featuring a dual vanity, automatic toilet, and shower with forest views and privacy blinds.
The open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area boasts a curved island, dual sinks with garbage disposal and vegetable sprayer, two Miele ovens including a plate warmer, a large pantry fridge, Bosch dishwasher, Vermicular rice cooker, and wine fridge, all integrated with floor-to-ceiling windows up to 18 feet tall.

IDEAS

Karuizawa's mountain perch provides a natural air-conditioning effect, 5°C cooler than Tokyo, turning a simple elevation into a strategic summer haven for Japan's elite without relying on coastal vibes.
The Tōdaishi stone's color-shifting property from gray-green to blue when damp adds an interactive, almost magical element to bathrooms, sourced exclusively from northern Japan for a premium sensory experience.
COVID-era design integrates practical hygiene features like entry sinks and waste bins seamlessly into luxury aesthetics, blending health precautions with high-end hospitality.
Curved architecture throughout the house, from walls to the fountain, optimizes sunlight and views on a hillside, demonstrating how form follows both function and environmental harmony.
A built-in sauna with reclining space and wooden pillows elevates routine relaxation into a panoramic forest therapy session, fitting four or five people for social saunas.
Loft spaces in bedrooms double as hidden retreats for yoga, reading, or movie nights, turning vertical real estate into multifunctional personal sanctuaries with unobstructed nature gazes.
Dual Miele ovens—one with microwave and plate warmer functions—cater to gourmet hosts by maintaining dish temperatures without energy waste, a subtle nod to efficient entertaining.
Rare garbage disposals in Japanese homes highlight this property's adaptation of Western conveniences, paired with a vegetable-spraying faucet for effortless prep in a culture of fresh cuisine.
Floor-to-ceiling windows exceeding earthquake standards in Japan flood the open living space with light, creating an illusion of boundless indoor-outdoor living amid dense forest.
Furniture inclusion and child-friendly playroom details suggest the home is primed for family vacations, where luxury meets play without the hassle of outfitting a second residence.

INSIGHTS

Elevating everyday routines like bathing into immersive experiences with color-changing stones and saunas reveals how architecture can deepen one's connection to nature and tradition in fleeting escapes.
Curved designs in hillside homes not only enhance views but symbolize adaptability, mirroring how affluent lifestyles bend to environmental rhythms for sustained well-being.
Integrating post-pandemic hygiene without compromising elegance underscores a broader shift in luxury toward resilient, health-conscious spaces that prioritize safety alongside indulgence.
Multifunctional lofts and offices in bedrooms transform compact vacation homes into versatile havens, emphasizing mental recharge through panoramic immersion over mere square footage.
High-end kitchen redundancies like dual ovens and specialized appliances reflect a philosophy of effortless hospitality, where technology frees hosts to focus on relationships rather than logistics.
Exceeding seismic norms with tall windows illustrates innovative engineering's role in defying urban constraints, allowing rural retreats to rival city comforts while embracing natural serenity.

QUOTES

"This is a very special stone that they only have in northern Japan. It's called toadishi. Tuadai is this kind of like off green kind of grayish stone. Uh but it has a very very interesting feature in that if it gets a little bit wet or damp it'll start turning blue."
"You're in the middle of a forest, guys. Look at this. While this is the best place to work in this house, I would say there's a better place to play."
"These are over 5 m or about 18 ft tall. That's insane to me, right? And you don't find places like this in Japan, especially in Tokyo, just due to how the earthquake standards are."
"This sink does actually have a garbage disposal built into it. You just don't find these in houses. You may see them in apartment buildings, but almost never in houses."
"This probably takes the cake for the best view in a sauna that I've shown on the channel. That's for sure."

HABITS

Maintain cleanliness upon entry by using the dedicated sink and waste bin, fostering a hygienic start to home time as a COVID-inspired ritual.
Shower before bathing in the traditional Japanese style, using buckets or modern setups to rinse off before soaking, promoting thorough personal care.
Utilize heated floors and saunas daily in winter to combat cold, integrating thermal comfort into morning or evening routines for sustained warmth.
Incorporate reading or yoga in loft spaces during downtime, leveraging natural views to build contemplative habits away from digital distractions.
Prep vegetables efficiently with the spraying faucet and store wines in the dedicated fridge, streamlining meal preparation for frequent home entertaining.

FACTS

Karuizawa was popularized in the late 1880s as a summer resort by a Canadian missionary, becoming Japan's mountain equivalent to the Hamptons for the wealthy.
The town is consistently 10°F (5°C) cooler than Tokyo due to its northwest Nagano elevation, ideal for escaping urban summer heat.
Tōdaishi stone, exclusive to northern Japan, changes from gray-green to blue when wet, used extensively in the property's bathrooms for its unique aesthetic.
Japanese homes rarely feature garbage disposals, which are more common in apartments, making this kitchen a notable exception adapted from Western standards.
Floor-to-ceiling windows over 18 feet tall comply with Japan's strict earthquake regulations, a rarity achieved through advanced engineering in this hillside design.

REFERENCES

Soba Spot Kawakamian (high-end soba restaurant in Karuizawa).
Bakery Sawamura (prestigious bakery known for artisanal breads).
Nas restaurant (exclusive venue led by a former Noma chef from Denmark).
Miele ovens and appliances (premium German kitchen brand with dual models including microwave and plate warmer functions).
Bosch dishwasher (full-size integrated unit for efficient cleaning).
Vermicular rice cooker (Japanese brand's top-line model for superior rice preparation).

HOW TO APPLY

Select a hillside location and incorporate curved architecture to capture maximum sunlight and panoramic views, ensuring every room aligns with the terrain's natural contours.
Install color-changing Tōdaishi stone in wet areas like bathrooms to create dynamic, mood-enhancing visuals that respond to moisture and light.
Design entryways with built-in sanitation sinks and waste bins to promote immediate hygiene, especially in post-pandemic vacation homes shared among family or guests.
Add lofts in bedrooms for multifunctional use, equipping them with simple furnishings like bean bags or bookshelves to encourage relaxation and light activities.
Equip kitchens with redundant high-end appliances, such as dual ovens and specialized faucets, to facilitate seamless meal prep and entertaining without workflow interruptions.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Karuizawa's $10 million villas blend innovative design, natural luxury, and serene escapes, redefining affluent summer retreats in Japan's mountains.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Invest in color-shifting natural stones for personal spaces to infuse daily routines with subtle, interactive beauty drawn from local materials.
Prioritize curved, view-optimizing architecture in rural builds to harmonize with landscapes, enhancing both aesthetics and livability.
Include earthquake-compliant tall windows in open-plan designs for immersive indoor-outdoor connections, even in seismically active regions.
Outfit vacation kitchens with specialized tools like vegetable sprayers and plate warmers to elevate casual cooking into effortless gourmet experiences.
Designate lofts as quiet retreats in family homes to foster isolated recharge zones, promoting work-life balance amid scenic surroundings.

MEMO

In the misty embrace of Nagano's mountains, Karuizawa unfolds as Japan's whispered Hamptons—a verdant haven two hours north of Tokyo's sweltering sprawl. Here, where a Canadian missionary first carved out a summer idyll in the 1880s, the elite flock to dodge the heat, their villas perched like elegant sentinels against the summer haze. Alex, the affable guide from Tokyo Portfolio, leads us through one such sanctuary: a $10 million curve of modern luxury, 3,300 square feet of thoughtful indulgence priced at 1.45 billion yen. It's not just a home; it's a manifesto on escaping the ordinary, where every arch and stone whispers of respite.

Step inside, and the pandemic's shadow lingers subtly—a gleaming sink at the threshold, a nod to cleaner days, flanked by a discreet bin for damp towels. But opulence quickly asserts itself in the main bathroom, a spa-like expanse rivaling public onsens. Dual vanities gleam under heated floors, an open toilet offers privacy at a touch, and the centerpiece: a vast tub lined with Tōdaishi stone from northern Japan. This rare granite shifts from muted gray-green to ethereal blue when kissed by water, turning ablutions into alchemy. A cold plunge abuts the hot bath, while a capacious sauna—room for five, with wooden pillows for reclining—frames the forest beyond, its steam carrying panoramic promises of winter warmth and summer cool.

The house arcs gracefully along its hillside perch, a deliberate bow to maximize light and vistas, even curving its outdoor fountain in harmony. Bedrooms unfold as suites of serenity: the master, with space for a king bed and woven wall art, ladders up to a loft for yogic repose or literary escapes, all gazing over 180 degrees of untouched woodland. An adjoining office, plugs at the ready, tempts remote workers with verdant inspiration. The second bedroom echoes this, but amplifies the en-suite with dual sinks and a shower that peers into the trees—blinds descend at a button if avian audiences intrude. A dedicated playroom, carpeted in plush orange and stocked with Jenga and cards, faces the garden, its electric curtains whispering shut for cozy movie nights.

The heart pulses in the open living-dining-kitchen, where a sinuous island defies convention, twin sinks—one with a rarified garbage disposal and vegetable sprayer—flank Miele ovens that warm plates without waste. A Bosch dishwasher hums beside a Vermicular rice cooker, while a wine fridge beckons beside the fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling windows, towering 18 feet and defying Japan's seismic strictures, dissolve boundaries, bathing the included furnishings in dappled light. At $10 million, this two-bedroom (plus playroom) retreat isn't vast by American measure, but its intimacy amplifies the thrill: a forest office for dawn emails, a sauna vista for twilight unwinding. In Karuizawa, wealth buys not square footage, but slices of elevated living—cooler, quieter, profoundly alive.

For the discerning buyer, it's a portal to Japan's refined excess: high-end haunts like Nas, helmed by a Noma alum, or Sawamura's breads, all within reach. Yet the true allure lies in the design's quiet innovations—hygiene woven into elegance, nature as co-architect. As Alex signs off amid the pines, the message lingers: in these mountains, $10 million purchases not a house, but a rhythm of renewal, where urban frenzy yields to the slow poetry of the wild.