Tabelog ratingHermitage de Tamura sits in a glass-walled house in the woods near Naka-Karuizawa. The green views are best at lunch. Its summer signature is chilled white-peach soup served inside a whole hollowed, frozen peach. You drink the soup, then the peach stays beside you through the meat course and softens into a sorbet you scrape at. Staff sometimes pour a sweet wine over it. The restaurant has been selected for Tabelog's French EAST "Tabelog 100" in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Nearly every reviewer praises the cooking. Besides the peach soup, they single out these dishes:
- a foie gras sandwich amuse, paired with watermelon or chestnut
- charcoal-grilled eel with port sauce
- hamo (pike conger) beignets made with fish from a well-known ikejime specialist
- Kumamoto akaushi beef
Wine and sake pairings are repeatedly called thoughtful. English-speaking visitors report fluent English and warm service, and Chinese-language reviewers call it Karuizawa's best French restaurant.
The criticisms are about sales and pacing more than food. Several diners felt pushed when paid caviar and oyster add-ons were offered as soon as they sat down. One family was charged an unannounced ¥8,000 private-room fee. Other complaints were slow service on busy nights, a stated dislike of blue cheese that was ignored, an infant who was refused, and a chef who never came out.
Prices have risen steadily. Reviewers paid about ¥16,000 for the dinner course in 2023, ¥22,000 in 2024 and ¥24,000 in 2026. Lunch typically runs ¥10,000–15,000. On the children's à la carte, reviewers recently paid around ¥8,500 for a beef dish and ¥6,000 for fish. Bread rolls were charged at ¥400 each. Caviar, oysters and the October matsutake course cost extra, and a 10% service charge applies.
Value is good on the whole. The courses are generous and full of luxury ingredients, and many diners ask for smaller meat portions. Ask the price of every add-on before you agree to it.
- Getting there: about 10 minutes by taxi from Naka-Karuizawa Station (Shinano Railway), roughly ¥1,000. It is 20 minutes by taxi from Karuizawa Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen). The small sign is hard to spot at night.
- Booking: reservation only, so walk-ins are not possible. Book months ahead for peak season; lunch is easier. Changes and cancellations are by phone only (0267-44-1611), so ask your hotel to call.
- Payment: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex and Diners are accepted. Electronic money and QR payments are not accepted. A 10% service charge applies.
- Children: reviewers report an infant being refused. Confirm in advance, along with children's menu prices.
- Seats: 31 seats. Private rooms are available; confirm any room fee when booking. Private hire of the whole restaurant is not available.
- Smoking: fully non-smoking.
- Parking: available. It is 20 minutes by car from the Usui-Karuizawa Interchange.
- Seasonal: the peach soup is served in summer only. Some dates have an early 16:45 dinner seating.
