Wood Stove Culture

Wood Stove, displayed in the Asama Stove showroom in Kyu Karuizawa

    When I told my colleagues and friends that I moved to Karuizawa, I was very often asked by them, like "Oh, do you have Maki (wood) stove in your house?" or "Are you going to install a wood stove in your new house?"  Actually then, I did not know that having the wood stove in a house was a kind of well known stereotype of Karuizawa people for Tokyo people.   After having lived here for three years, I have noticed that the wood stove is a part of important culture of Karuizawa residents, especially winter villa and cottage owners.

    I personally do not have it in my house unfortunately.  However, when I saw wavy flame in a furnace in Karuizawa houses a couple of times, I felt unconsciously relaxed.  Having the wood stove in a house would give you such experiences everyday in the severe winter time.  It must be a luxurious moment.

    Wood stove was reportedly introduced to the town by foreign residents.  When I visited Asama Stove showroom in Kyu Karuizawa this week, there are some American made products being displayed.   Other stores in town seem to sell Japanese made products as well as Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish made ones.  I understood this area is still dominated by western cultures.

     If you have some interests, I recommend to stop by some of those shops in town.  I end my post with the store information of Asama Stove.


Asama Stove Karuizawa showroom

354-7, Oaza Karuizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Nagano, 389-0102, JAPAN

Tel: 0267-31-6613