Karuizawa Is the Perfect Mountain Retreat in Japan — and It's Not Far From Tokyo

"Tied to the town's history and straddling a geological fault line, Hoshinoya Karuizawa began as a simple ryokan and onsen more than a century ago and remains the aesthetic paragon of a new wave of hotels; it was the first outpost of what became the Hoshino Resorts brand and has passed through four generations of the same family. The property is a sprawling collection of riverside pavilions with a natural onsen and a minimalist, traditional-ryokan feel; we spent our arrival swathed in robes, roasting mochi on our own hibachi, soaking in the baths, walking the nature preserve and enjoying the quietly curated dining and bento-box breakfast offerings." - Katie Kitamura