The other day we went on a weekend trip to Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It’s a summer resort destination known not only for its cool climate but also for a large (by Japanese standards) outlet mall.

The Karuizawa branch of Babbi. Mirrors make the cafe feel more spacious.

Cute, clear tea cup handles.
We had tea at Babbi Karuizawa; Babbi is the Italian confectionery brand whose shops’ bright red-and-white decor stand out in department stores in Japan. The Karuizawa branch is spacious and I very much enjoyed the pop style.

Bar stool at far right.
The red plastic chairs looked a little bit tacky up close, but it was within context and weren’t uncomfortable to sit on. The bar stools had an interesting shape, like an inverted goblet. A multitude of sphere-shaped, acrylic pendant lamps complete the look.
There was a friendly, pleasant server who asked that we fill out a customer satisfaction questionnaire, and gave us each a mini chocolate wafer bar in return (Yey!). I’m a sucker for all kinds of chocolate and thought of asking for a bag of them in exchange for my writing an essay about the store! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the courage to proposition, but I’m writing this one anyway because I think the place is worth a visit when you happen to be at the Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza. The shop has a Karuizawa-only menu (meaning that the lineup is not available at other Babbi stores in Japan) so be sure to check it out.

For this server it's service with a smile.
External Link
Babbi in Japan – store list
Books to Consider
nice! were they playing italian pop tunes? 😉 any luck figuring out who did the interior design for this shop?
If I remember correctly they were playing American pop/rock music 🙂 No, I still couldn’t put a name on the interior designer–maybe someone in-house from abroad? It’s a fairly new shop so I guess if I crawl through Shoten Kenchiku’s site I might just chance upon it.