[Family 3-Day Itinerary] Karuizawa & Eastern Nagano Castle Route | Tatsuoka, Komoro, Ueda, the Sanada Homeland and Shiraito Falls by Shinkansen + Rental Car

Over the Obon holidays, from August 14 to 16, 2026, my wife, our 8-year-old son and I spent 3 days and 2 nights visiting castles in Karuizawa and the Toshin area (eastern Nagano Prefecture). We took the Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station and rented a car at the station.

This article shares our actual itinerary with times, transportation, meals and lodging. It also covers one lesson we learned after staying there: if castles are your main goal, choose your hotel differently.

Summary: Key Points of This Itinerary

• Shinkansen + rental car from Karuizawa Station: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Karuizawa and rent a car in front of the station. This lets you cover the Toshin castles in one trip.
• 3 castles + the Sanada homeland in 3 days: Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku (Continued Top 100 Castles No. 129), Komoro Castle (Top 100 Castles No. 28), Ueda Castle (Top 100 Castles No. 27) and the Sanada Clan Residence Site.
• Day 3 is for Karuizawa sightseeing: Shiraito Falls first thing in the morning, then shopping at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza (outlet mall) before heading home.
• We stayed 2 nights in Kita-Karuizawa (Gunma Prefecture), but we don’t recommend it for castle hopping: We had to drive about an hour each way to the castles. If castles are your focus, staying near Ueda or Komoro Station is more efficient.

Basic Information

Item	Details
Dates	August 14 (Fri) – 16 (Sun), 2026, 3 days / 2 nights
Travelers	Dad, Mom, son (8)
Transportation	Tokyo–Karuizawa: Hokuriku Shinkansen / Local: rental car from Karuizawa Station
Castles visited	Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku, Komoro Castle, Ueda Castle, Sanada Clan Residence Site
Lodging	Villa Kitakaruizawa L-Wing (Naganohara, Gunma), 2 nights
Other spots	Shiraito Falls, Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza

Day 1: Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku → Komoro Castle (Kaikoen)

Time	Plan
Morning	Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Karuizawa Station; pick up a rental car
Lunch	Teibiki Soba Raian Hagiwara in Saku City
~14:30	Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku (30 min – 1 hr)
~16:30	Komoro Castle (Kaikoen) (about 40 min, until closing)
Evening	Drive to the hotel in Kita-Karuizawa; dinner at the in-house yakiniku restaurant, hot spring bath and sauna

Lunch: “Mizumoe Soba” at Raian Hagiwara

We had the signature “Mizumoe Soba” at Teibiki Soba Raian Hagiwara in Iwamurada, Saku City. Thick soba noodles are served in clear water, and you eat them with salt. The salt brings out the sweetness and aroma of the buckwheat.

Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku: One of Only Two Star-Shaped Forts in Japan

Tatsuoka Castle is one of only two star-shaped forts in Japan, along with Goryokaku in Hakodate. Admission, the stamp (at the Deai-no-Yakata visitor center) and parking are all free. A walk around the visitor center and the moat takes about 30 minutes.

See our Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku guide for details.

Komoro Castle (Kaikoen): A “Sunken Castle” in the Evening

Komoro Castle is a rare “sunken castle” whose main enclosure sits lower than its own castle town. We arrived around 16:30, too late for the small zoo and amusement park. If you want your kids to play there, aim to arrive earlier. In exchange, the stone walls and the Chikuma River in the evening light were beautiful. Our son even found a female stag beetle on the stone path and was thrilled.

See our Komoro Castle guide for details.

Day 2: Ueda Castle → Sanada Clan Residence Site (Sanada Homeland)

Time	Plan
7:30	Breakfast at Komeda’s Coffee Ueda Midorigaoka
9:00–13:00	Ueda Castle Park (turrets, Sanada Shrine, matchlock gun posing experience)
~13:30	Lunch at Wafu Tonkotsu Ramen BUREN in Ario Ueda
~14:20–15:20	Sanada Clan Residence Site and Sanada Clan History Museum
Late afternoon	Shopping at a local supermarket, then back to the hotel

Ueda Castle: Go First Thing in the Morning

Because the hotel was far from Ueda, we left early and had breakfast at Komeda’s Coffee in Ueda from 7:30 before heading to the castle. Arriving at 9:00, both the parking lot and the castle grounds were quiet, and we could take our time.

Ueda Castle has plenty for kids: posing with a matchlock gun inside a turret, “samurai warlord fortunes” at Sanada Shrine (our son drew Tokugawa Ieyasu), and photos with the costumed Omotenashi Busho-tai. August 15 is the anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan, so our family also rang the Bell of Peace in the castle park.

We explain the Sanada clan’s battle tactics and the terrain in our Ueda Castle guide.

Lunch: BUREN at Ario Ueda

We had ramen at Wafu Tonkotsu Ramen BUREN in the Ario Ueda shopping mall, just a short drive from the castle. It’s a soy-sauce ramen with a Japanese-style seafood broth and back fat, and it was delicious. The mall has a big parking lot, so it’s an easy place to take a break with kids.

Sanada Clan Residence Site: Home of the Sanada Clan

The Sanada Clan Residence Site in Sanada-machi, a drive northeast of Ueda Castle, is where Sanada Yukitaka, Masayuki and their family lived before Ueda Castle was built. At the Sanada Clan History Museum next door, a statue of Sanada Yukimura on horseback greets visitors.

From the exhibits, we learned that actor Masao Kusakari played Yukimura in the old NHK drama “Sanada Taiheiki” and later played his father Masayuki in “Sanada Maru.” At Kodai Shrine on the residence site, curtains with the Sanada family crest, the “six coins” (rokumonsen), were hanging.

Visiting together with Ueda Castle helps you understand the story: the Sanada clan started here and later built their castle in Ueda.

Column: Local Supermarkets During Obon Are Fascinating

Before returning to the hotel, we stopped at a local supermarket. Because it was Obon, there were “tempura manju” (deep-fried sweet buns) on the shelves. In Nagano and some other areas, people eat them during Obon and at funerals, and we heard that buns offered to ancestors are fried and eaten afterward.

The Obon corner also sold “kanba” (white birch bark) and straw for lighting the welcoming and send-off fires for ancestral spirits. We also bought “oyaki” filled with walnuts. Visiting a local supermarket instead of a tourist spot shows you the daily life and culture of the area.

Day 3: Shiraito Falls → Karuizawa Outlet → Home

Time	Plan
~9:40	Shiraito Falls
~11:00	Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza (lunch and shopping)
Afternoon	Return the rental car and take the Shinkansen home from Karuizawa Station

Shiraito Falls: Bring a Light Jacket Even in Midsummer

Karuizawa gets crowded during Obon, so we went to Shiraito Falls first thing in the morning.

What surprised us was how cold it was, even in midsummer. According to the sign at the site, the water temperature is 11.8°C. The air around the falls was chilly, almost too cold for short sleeves. Bring a light jacket even in summer.

Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza: Very Crowded During Obon

The outlet mall was very crowded. We had hamburgers on a terrace for lunch.

Shopping means more bags, so we debated using a coin locker. Instead, we made a deal with our son: we’d buy him the “Mokeke” plush toy he wanted, in place of the locker fee, as long as he carried the bags. He carried them well, and we saved the locker fee. A handy negotiation trick for parents!

Lodging: 2 Nights at Villa Kitakaruizawa L-Wing

We stayed both nights at Villa Kitakaruizawa L-Wing in Kita-Karuizawa.

What We Liked

• Spacious rooms: The room was big and comfortable. Our son loved it.
• Large public bath and sauna: There’s a big bath, and the hot spring and sauna helped us recover after a day of walking around castles.
• Cool even in summer: Kita-Karuizawa is high up, so it was comfortable even in midsummer.
• Dinner on-site: There are almost no restaurants nearby, so having a yakiniku restaurant inside the hotel was helpful. The food was good.
• Close to Shiraito Falls: Convenient for visiting the falls on the morning of Day 3.

What to Keep in Mind

• Nothing nearby: It’s not a place where you can easily walk to a convenience store or restaurant.
• Far from the castles: Kita-Karuizawa is on the Gunma side, and we drove about an hour each way to Komoro and Ueda Castles every day.

You can check availability and prices on the booking sites below.

For Castle Hopping: Stay Near Ueda or Komoro Station

After doing the trip, we felt that if castles are your main goal, staying near Ueda Station or Komoro Station is more efficient.

• Ueda Castle, the Sanada Clan Residence Site and Komoro Castle are all about 30 minutes away
• There are restaurants and convenience stores around the stations, so dinner is easy
• It’s easy to visit Ueda Castle first thing in the morning

On the other hand, L-Wing, with its spacious rooms and large bath, was a place where both kids and adults could relax. It suits families who want to spend one day on castles and relax in the highlands, or who also want to see Shiraito Falls and Karuizawa.

FAQ

Q. How long does it take to drive from Karuizawa to Ueda Castle?
A. About 1 hour (via the Joshin-etsu Expressway).

Q. Can you visit Tatsuoka, Komoro and Ueda Castles in one day?
A. It’s possible, but rushed. We did Tatsuoka and Komoro on Day 1 and Ueda and the Sanada Residence Site on Day 2. With kids, we recommend splitting them over 2 days.

Q. What time should I arrive at Komoro Castle?
A. The exhibition facilities are open until 17:00, the zoo until 16:30, and the amusement park ticket machine until 16:00. If you want your kids to play, arrive by around 15:00. You can still walk around the park after 17:00.

Q. Is Shiraito Falls cold in summer?
A. Yes. The water is 11.8°C, and it’s chilly around the falls even in midsummer. A light jacket is a good idea.

Q. Can I do this trip by train only?
A. Komoro Castle and Ueda Castle are within walking distance of Shinano Railway stations. A car is more convenient for Tatsuoka Castle, the Sanada Residence Site and Shiraito Falls.

Q. Is it fun for kids?
A. Yes. The matchlock gun posing and fortunes at Ueda Castle, bug hunting at Komoro Castle and shopping at the outlet mall kept our 8-year-old entertained to the end.

Summary

For castle hopping in Karuizawa and Toshin, the easiest way is to take the Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station and drive a rental car. With 3 days, you can enjoy Tatsuoka, Komoro and Ueda Castles and the Sanada Residence Site, plus Shiraito Falls and the outlet mall.

When choosing a hotel, pick based on your goal: near Ueda or Komoro Station for castles, or Kita-Karuizawa if you also want Karuizawa sightseeing and time to relax in the highlands.

Castles We Visited on This Trip

• [Continued Top 100 Castles No. 129] Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku
• [Japan’s 100 Fine Castles No. 28] Komoro Castle (Kaikoen)
• [Japan’s 100 Fine Castles No. 27] Ueda Castle