Stayed at Tsuruya for one night while walking the Nakasendo Way.||||The accommodation was booked by Walk Japan as part of their self-guided Nakasendo Way walk and is described positively in their guide including with references to it having opulent food.||||Tsuruya is well located for the Nakasendo and is close to a range of pleasant, French influenced, shops. Its external appearance is also appealing. The ground floor reception area is spacious and comfortable if rather old-fashioned (sort of a faded glory feel).||||The rooms are good sized and there are ensuites (albeit small), free WiFi and a safe.||||So, there are positives. ||||My Poor rating reflects the fact that Tsuruya feels tired and shabby. The room had two upright seats at the small window (nice because in a Japanese style room you don't have to necessarily sit at floor level). However, one of the two chairs was an old fashioned tired leather recliner arrangement with a tired hand towel draped over the headrest to protect the leather. I gather a similar arrangement applied in other rooms. A couch in the corridor was draped in a tired old bedspread. These are small things but they are reflective of the style of the place.||||The dining area is quite bleak and the Kaiseki style evening meal was the least inspiring I have had in a ryokan in several trips to Japan. It wasn't awful food it just wasn't up to usual ryokan standard. The breakfast, served in a different room, was a buffet style and similarly uninspiring.||||Service overall was efficient but not as warmly friendly as in most ryokans.||||So, in summary, not bad but certainly below average in my experience. My brief sense of Karuizawa is that it is a pleasant small town and worth a visit. Next time I would look for another accommodation option.