When you have a kid, it’s tempting to just stay at home and stick to your daily routine because it is a lot of work. But still, for your own mental health, you should occasionally try to go out on a trip with your family, to shake things up and perhaps more importantly, stimulate the little one’s neurons. Hey, you’re not the only one who’s bored.

That’s why we recently decided to visit Karuizawa, a resort town located in Nagano prefecture. You may remember the name “Nagano” because the prefecture hosted the Olympics back in 1998. In any case, that should tell you that the weather is cooler than most urban parts of Japan, making it a popular getaway spot especially for those living in Tokyo during the hot and humid summer. During winter, skiing and hot springs (called “onsen”) are common activities enjoyed in this area.

We were very excited to go because none of us had been there before and it was our first trip with our little one.

Now, as a family with a 9 month old toddler, one of the most important things is to make sure our kid is accommodated for. That’s why we picked Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa, which is actually more of a resort than just a hotel. They not only had a package plan for families with babies, they also have an extensive playroom, comfortable breastfeeding rooms, and, an on-premise toy town called おもちゃ王国 (Toy Kingdom). Toy Kingdom is essentially an amusement park aimed at kids that’s filled with, you guessed it, toys of all kinds. It’s interesting because as adults, we’re used to amusement parks being filled with breathtaking rides, but often forget that kids are way more happy to spend a day trying and playing with all kinds of toys.

Since the resort prides itself in being baby friendly, if you choose the baby package plan, you can stay in a room that is child proofed. Also included in this plan are baby amenities such as diaper wipes, baby shampoo and access to kids playroom, tickets to Toy Kingdom, etc. We were also very pleased that the hotel buffet served baby food for different ages.

We were definitely able to travel light, which really helps when you have to hurl your toddler along with you.

Now, the other thing that’s really cool about this hotel is that it’s got a distinctive “European”, perhaps German flair to its design.

Throughout our stay, we were surrounded with German flags, posters declaring that there was a “German food fair” going on, and even a Skyway that had photos and promotions about various German towns and cities.

Photospheres

• At the entrance to our hotel 
• The lobby of the hotel 
• The “Skyway” bridge that connects the two main buildings of the hotel 
• The outdoor hot foot bath (the hotel has hot springs too) 
• View of the Skyway from the outside