With some terrific road trip options in the surrounding area, renting a car makes sense. Without one, it wouldn’t be half as easy to soak up everything that Karuizawa, 17 miles away, has to offer. Soak up the sights starting with Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort, Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza and Karuizawa Snow Park. Locals will also likely point you toward Chichibu, 19 miles away. If you only see one thing here, make sure it’s Mitsumine Shrine. (But we’re also big fans of Mt. Mitsumine and Road Station Arakawa.)