A June day in Karuizawa, with hot dogs, greenery and two Tsuruya stops
Haruru invited a friend on a mystery outing, then gave the destination away before they arrived: the motorway signs pointed to Karuizawa. What followed was a long day of eating, talking and filling shopping bags among the fresh June leaves.
A personal day trip on the first Sunday of June.
An early arrival and breakfast among the leaves
She picked up her friend a little after six in the morning. It was her friend's first visit to Karuizawa, and the surprise destination made her happy even after the signs revealed it. They arrived earlier than expected, before the breakfast venue opened, and passed the time with a walk nearby.
At GAFLO CAFE, named on the sign in Haruru's photographs, the fresh green surroundings made a strong impression. Her pictures show hot dogs and drinks on a wooden terrace facing the trees. She enjoyed the hot dog and wanted another, but held back with lunch still ahead.
Flowers to admire and two things to bring home
A lovely flower shop tempted her, but she decided against buying flowers because they would be returning late. At a shop selling household objects and plants, she did find things to take home: a houseplant and a tin ornament that caught her eye.
She especially liked the plant's unusual shape and leaves. Looking around all the objects was part of the pleasure, and the visit stretched to about an hour.
Pizza, pasta and a sweet stop at Harunire Terrace
Lunch at Harunire Terrace brought pizza and pasta. Her photographs show the plates and the IL SOGNO sign outside a restaurant among the trees. She and her friend also bought bread and dango, then enjoyed gelato.
Their gelato came in cups marked HARVEST NAGAI FARM, a sweet pause before the main shopping stop.
One Tsuruya visit became two
Tsuruya was a main purpose of the outing. Haruru introduced her friend to some favourites, and the purchases grew to include vegetables, sweets, jam, dressing, oyaki, bread and nozawana.
Only afterwards did she realise that this was a different Tsuruya from the one she usually visited. Her usual store was close enough to add another stop, so they went there too and bought a little more. She was thoroughly satisfied with the shopping.
Dinner and a long soak closer to home
To work around the traffic, they had decided to leave the bath until they were closer to home. They headed to a hot-spring facility in Kawagoe, ate dinner and took their time in the bath.
The outing lasted about seventeen hours. For Haruru, the day added up to plenty of food, conversation, shopping and laughter. Her closing thought was to do another mystery outing together.
Sources for this account
Haruru's personal June day-trip account, edited and shared with her permission.