For non-German speaking persons, me included, rühe comes from the German word for silence. Now, you may wonder why one would choose to eat at a restaurant with a German name when visiting Japan. Let me try to convince you to take a break at this place.
Access to Cafe Rühe is very convenient from Naka-Karuizawa station. You can choose to take a bus that will take you in about ten minutes to Kazakoshi park bus stop and from there, it's only a five-minutes walk away on the main road. For those who have a car, a big parking area is available. You could also rent a bicycle at Naka-Karuizawa station and enjoy the surroundings while on your way to the cafe. Either option you choose, what you will notice is that the closer you get to the cafe, the more you will find yourself surrounded by nature and quietness. This is the first reason why Cafe Rühe has been given this name.
The cafe serves two types of dishes for lunch or dinner: sandwiches for the European part, and meals based on rice for the Japanese part. However, hints to both continents can be found in every dish. If you order a sandwich for example, it will come with a salad of raw vegetables with some, like lotus roots, (renkon in Japanese) that can't be often tasted in Europe. All vegetables and fruits, if you also decide to go for a freshly made juice, come from local farms, which probably explains why they are so tasty.
As for the desserts, you can make your choice among a range of chocolate cakes and fruity pies that are as delicious as they look. My only complaint would be that I wish there were also some Japanese desserts to try.
Cafe Rühe has been given this German name because it is located in the middle of a peaceful forest, but not only that. It is situated directly next to Karuizawa Erz Toy Museum where you will find hundreds of beautiful wooden toys that, for the majority, have been imported from Germany. As it is forbidden to take photos inside the museum, I recommend anyone who comes to Karuizawa to visit it after a lunch break at Cafe Rühe!
