Karuizawa Part 1
Karuizawa Part 1
軽井沢 Part 1
Yesterday, I introduced you to the term hishochi (避暑地), which means cool places where people visit to avoid the summer heat.
昨日は「避暑地」という言葉を紹介しました。
Among various places called hishochi, Karuizawa (軽井沢) is one of the most famous and popular ones.
日本の避暑地として代表的なものに「軽井沢」があります。
Karuizawa flourished as a post station in the past, but it declined with changes in transportation conditions.
軽井沢はかつて宿場町として栄えた土地ですが、交通事情の変化に伴って衰退しました。
However, in 1885, things changed when a Canadian Anglican missionary incidentally visited Karuizawa — his name was Alexander Croft Shaw.
しかし、1885年、カナダ人の聖公会宣教師アレクサンダー・クロフト・ショーがたまたま軽井沢を訪れることで、一変します。
Shaw felt that the climate of Karuizawa was similar to his hometown, Toronto, and he built a villa and a church to make Karuizawa his lifetime summer resort.
彼は軽井沢の気候が故郷のトロントと似ていると感じ、生涯の避暑地とすべく別荘や教会を建てました。
To be continued.
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