Forest of MUSE Karuizawa is a museum park in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, where art, culture, and the natural beauty of the highlands come together. Covering approximately 20,000 square meters, the site is surrounded by a peaceful forest and provides a relaxing cultural experience for visitors of all ages.
The complex includes the Karuizawa Picturebook Museum, the picturesque natural garden at its heart, and the Erz Toy Museum of Karuizawa. Each facility offers a different cultural experience, while the surrounding woodland creates a sense of harmony between the museums and nature.
“Forest of MUSE” is the collective name for the entire area rather than a single museum. Each individual facility requires its own admission ticket, and there is no separate admission fee covering the entire site.
Opened in July 1990, the Karuizawa Picturebook Museum is dedicated to the history and culture of picture books from Europe and North America. The museum occupies approximately 15,000 square meters, with several exhibition buildings, a picturebook library, and event spaces scattered throughout the forest.
Rather than feeling like a conventional indoor museum, the complex encourages visitors to walk through the woodland from one building to another, discovering exhibitions and quiet corners along the way.
Exhibition Building 1 houses collections including the Shinichi Yoshida Library and introduces the historical and cultural value of picture books.
Exhibition Building 2 hosts seasonal special exhibitions, presenting different aspects of picturebook culture through changing themes and displays.
Exhibition Building 3 provides additional exhibition space and expands the museum’s range of presentations.
The Picturebook Library offers a large selection of books that visitors can browse freely. It is a particularly welcoming space for families, allowing children and adults to sit down and enjoy picture books together.
Mori no Ie, or “Forest House,” serves as a conference and event space where workshops and other programs are held.
The museum also includes a picturebook shop and the café Ruhe, making it easy to take a break during a walk through the grounds.
The buildings were designed by the architectural firm Ruisei Keikaku Shitsu, with careful attention paid to their relationship with the surrounding landscape. The architecture blends naturally into the woodland, allowing the experience of the museum to continue seamlessly between indoor and outdoor spaces.
At the center of the Karuizawa Picturebook Museum is the Picturesque Garden, a natural-style garden designed in 2010 by renowned British garden designer Paul Smither.
The garden uses plants in arrangements that feel close to their natural growing environments rather than creating a formal, highly structured landscape. Seasonal flowers, trees, and changing colors give the garden a different character throughout the year.
Walking through the garden provides a peaceful way to enjoy Karuizawa’s highland nature while taking a break between museum exhibitions.
Opened in April 1998, the Erz Toy Museum of Karuizawa introduces the traditional wooden toy culture of the Erz Mountains region of Germany. The museum has a close relationship with the Erzgebirge Toy Museum in the town of Seiffen, Germany, with the two institutions serving as sister museums.
The museum building was also designed by the architectural firm Ruisei Keikaku Shitsu, continuing the Forest of MUSE’s philosophy of integrating architecture with the surrounding natural environment.
The main exhibition facility, Leben, is divided into several exhibition spaces introducing the history and craftsmanship of traditional Erzgebirge toys.
Exhibition Room A displays traditional toys such as nutcrackers and Christmas pyramids. Visitors can also see a recreation of a traditional toy workshop and learn how wooden toys were made.
Exhibition Room B explores the historical development of toys from the Erzgebirge region, particularly the traditions of Seiffen.
Exhibition Room C presents works by contemporary master craftsmen as well as rotating special exhibitions, showing how traditional wooden toy craftsmanship continues to evolve today.
The museum includes the café Ruhe, where visitors can relax with light refreshments, and the shop Baum, which offers wooden toys and other souvenirs.
Blüte Forest Lifestyle Shop is another popular stop, offering carefully selected products inspired by a comfortable and enjoyable way of living.
The facilities are generally open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. From December through January, opening hours are shortened to 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The complex is closed from mid-January through February. During the main operating season, it is generally closed on Tuesdays, although it remains open throughout the Golden Week holiday period and from July through September.
From Naka-Karuizawa Station on the Shinano Railway, take the local community bus for approximately 10 minutes and get off at Shiozawa Lake, followed by a walk of about 2 minutes. Alternatively, get off at Fukakoshi Park and walk for approximately 8 minutes.
From Karuizawa Station, served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen and Shinano Railway, a seasonal Karuizawa Museum and Sightseeing Circulation Bus takes approximately 20 minutes to the Forest of MUSE stop.
Forest of MUSE Karuizawa is surrounded by other cultural and recreational attractions, making it easy to create a full day of sightseeing.
Nearby Karuizawa Taliesin includes the Karuizawa Kogen Bunko literary museum, the Koko Fukasawa Museum of Wildflowers, and the Peynet Museum. Together, these attractions offer a broad introduction to the literature and art associated with Karuizawa.
Fukakoshi Park is also nearby and features sports facilities and a botanical garden. By combining Forest of MUSE with these neighboring attractions, visitors can enjoy a relaxing day surrounded by nature, art, literature, and recreation.
Forest of MUSE Karuizawa offers a distinctive way to experience Karuizawa. Instead of simply moving from one indoor exhibition to another, visitors can walk through the forest, discover picture books and traditional toys, enjoy a natural garden, and take time to relax in cafés and shops.
For families with children, the picturebook museum and wooden toys provide an especially enjoyable experience, while adults can appreciate the history, craftsmanship, garden design, and architecture. It is a peaceful cultural destination where the imagination of picture books, the warmth of handmade toys, and the beauty of Karuizawa’s forest come together.