Enjoy a Cup of Finely-brewed, Karuizawa-created Coffee on a Comfortable Terrace

Maruyama Coffee brings people together through coffees that have been selected during visits to coffee-producing areas around the world. The company, founded as a small coffeeshop in Karuizawa by the owner Kentaro Maruyama, has since branched out to a dozen or so shops in both Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, as well as the metropolitan Tokyo region. It has even produced several world-class baristas—such has been its excellent progress. Its special-blend products, offered exclusively by local supermarkets and hotels, have also garnered great popularity. The popular Harunire Terrace café, shown here, is the only one in the network of its shops to be a ‘book café’. On clear days, you can enjoy a relaxing time in the open-air listening to the babbling stream that flows in front of you, as well as the chirping of wild birds. Not only is the store a great favorite among tourists, but also among locals, who use it as a community space to relax and exchange information.

The serving style employed by all the stores of Maruyama Coffee is the French Press, in which a metal filter is used to thoroughly extract all the oils of the coffee, as much of its flavour is contained there. Another must-have that goes well with the coffee is the desert selection, such as Swiss rolls and Blancmange puddings, both supplied by local patisseries. Twenty or so single-type varieties of coffee are always on sale on the original menu, each of which is distinct in its personality. Comments include, ‘A white-wine aroma, with a feeling of syrup on the tongue, resulting in a taste like bitter caramel’. By choosing a favourite cup of coffee according to your feelings on that day, and sipping it in the fresh air, you can enjoy a moment of luxury unattainable in the city.