Commongrounds, Karuizawa: A Forest Complex to Visit With Your Dog

Commongrounds sits in the woods on the Naka-Karuizawa side of town, a low scatter of buildings that feels like a hidden oasis. It opened in 2023 on the site of a former school dormitory and the design kept almost all of the original trees. The ground is laid with wood chips, the buildings are linked by soft forest paths, and the site is small enough to visit all the shops. For anyone out with a dog, it is one of the most pleasant places in Karuizawa to spend a slow morning.

Getting there

Commongrounds is about a 20-minute drive from Karuizawa Station and roughly 5 minutes from Naka-Karuizawa Station. If you travel in by train, it is also around a 15-minute walk from Naka-Karuizawa (which is one train station over from Karuizawa Station). Parking on site is free. The address is 1690-1 Toriihara, Nagakura, Karuizawa.

A complex built into the forest

The heart of Commongrounds is Karuizawa Bookstore (Nakakaruizawa), run by the team behind Tsutaya. It is part bookshop, part café, part coworking space, and part art gallery. Around it sit the rest of the shops, plus an international school, with tables and benches dotted between them. You can pick something up at one shop and eat it outside at another.

The shops and restaurants

SHOZO COFFEE Karuizawa. Coffee and scones from the Nasu-based roaster, plus croissants and baked goods, with a generous terrace. Across the forest path from the main building is SHOZO Coffee Store, a small baked goods-only cafe that is connected to SHOZO COFFEE KARUIZAWA.
PUBLIC食堂 (Public Shokudo). A breakfast-and-lunch diner from the people behind Naka-Karuizawa's Public Bar, with food direction by Miho Kawakami. The one-plate toast set is the thing to order. Counter seating, and some dishes are limited daily, so go early.
OSOBAR. Standing-style Shinshu soba made with buckwheat from the Yatsugatake foothills. Rarely have we visited and not seen a queue for this restaurant.
RK DAYS. Additive-free deli dishes and bento alongside a small range of homeware.
a Vin bio wine shop. Natural and organic wines, including a good Nagano selection, with red and white by the glass at the front terrace.
Karuizawa Iburu. Cold-smoked foods and seasonings to take home.

Hours and closing days vary by shop, and the site tends to close on Tuesdays, with seasonal changes through the year.

Visiting with a dog

Commongrounds is built for slow outdoor time, which is what makes it work for dogs. The forest floor and the shade between buildings mean there is always somewhere cool to stand, and the layout invites a wander with your companion.

Dogs on a lead are welcome throughout the grounds. The bookstore and SHOZO's café area allow dogs inside (they provide a few dog strollers for use), and the SHOZO terrace is roomy enough for a large dog to relax. Public Shokudo has welcomed dogs indoors too. At the shops with stricter indoor policies, the open-air setup works in your favour: order, carry it to one of the outdoor tables, and your dog stays beside you the whole time. Bring water and the usual lead.

Pair it with a Tsuruya run

Tsuruya, one of the two main supermarkets in Karuizawa, is only about three minutes by car away, which makes Commongrounds an easy first stop on a morning out. Coffee and a slow loop through the trees, then groceries on the way home. Much of what fills the shelves there - the apples, the root vegetables, the local pantry goods - comes from the same Nagano hills the forest grows out of.