Kanto · Prefecture Guide
Japan's greatest hot spring resort, a UNESCO silk mill, wild alpine marshlands, and the birthplace of the daruma doll
Gunma is the onsen capital of Japan in the minds of many Japanese travellers — Kusatsu Onsen alone draws four million visitors a year with its famously acidic waters and the theatrical Yubatake hot water field at its centre. But the prefecture offers far more: a UNESCO World Heritage silk mill that tells the story of Japan's industrial revolution, the wild alpine marshlands of Oze National Park, photogenic Ikaho's stone-step hot spring town, and the highland caldera lakes of Mt. Akagi. For those who want Japan beyond the tourist trail — but still within 2 hours of Tokyo — Gunma delivers.
Gunma is accessible by Shinkansen to Takasaki (50 min from Tokyo), which serves as the main gateway for the whole prefecture. Kusatsu Onsen is a further 90 min by bus from Takasaki. Most rural attractions require either a local train connection or a rental car — Gunma is one of Japan's most car-friendly prefectures for independent travellers.
Deep-dive guides to help you plan every aspect of your visit — from top sightseeing spots to the best restaurants and seasonal events.
Japan's most celebrated hot spring resort — the iconic Yubatake (hot water field) at the town centre pumps 32,300 litres of acidic water per minute, surrounded by Edo-period bathhouses and lodgings.
📖 Read the Guide →
Japan's first modern silk mill (1872), now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — an extraordinary French-Japanese industrial complex with original brick filatures and a fascinating history of Japan's modernisation.
📖 Read the Guide →
A charming Meiji-era hot spring resort built on a steep hillside, with a famous 365-step stone stairway lined with ryokan, souvenir shops, and temples — one of Japan's most photogenic onsen towns.
📖 Read the Guide →
Takasaki produces 80% of Japan's daruma good-luck dolls. The Daruma Market in January is legendary, but year-round the town's shops and Shorinzan Darumaji temple celebrate this iconic red figure.
📖 Read the Guide →
Gunma's prefectural capital, known for its grand Akagi Shrine on the shore of Lake Akagi, the largest rose garden in eastern Japan, and lively local shotengai shopping streets.
📖 Read the Guide →
Steam-cooked buns (manju) made using the natural hot spring steam of Kusatsu — a beloved resort souvenir sold fresh from street stalls around the Yubatake, eaten while still warm.
📖 Read the Guide →
Gunma is a major cattle-raising prefecture producing premium Jomo Beef (上州牛). Yakiniku restaurants across Maebashi and Takasaki serve this highly marbled local wagyu at prices well below Tokyo.
📖 Read the Guide →
One of Japan's three great udon varieties — silky smooth flat noodles made with the pure water of Ikaho's mountains, served chilled on a lacquer tray with dipping sauce and sesame.
📖 Read the Guide →
The Agatsuma and Tone river valleys are lined with apple, pear, and plum orchards offering pick-your-own experiences from August through November — a popular autumn countryside outing.
📖 Read the Guide →
Gunma produces 90% of Japan's konnyaku (konjac jelly). Try it in traditional oden stew, grilled on a stick with miso, or as sashimi konnyaku — a surprisingly versatile local staple.
📖 Read the Guide →
Japan's largest high-altitude wetland spanning Gunma, Fukushima, and Niigata — golden skunk cabbage in June, wildflowers in summer, and crimson foliage in autumn make it one of Japan's top nature destinations.
📖 Read the Guide →
An ancient caldera volcano rising to 1,828 m with three crater lakes, ancient beech forests, and sweeping Kanto Plain views — superb hiking in summer and striking rime ice in winter.
📖 Read the Guide →
A remote hot-spring hamlet in a deep mountain gorge said to be the model for the setting of Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away — its old wooden bathhouses and bridge are hauntingly atmospheric.
📖 Read the Guide →
A serene caldera lake on Mt. Haruna's rim, famous for brilliant autumn foliage, winter ice fishing, and panoramic views of the surrounding peaks from the lakeside promenade.
📖 Read the Guide →
Known as the 'Niagara of the East' — a wide curtain of water tumbling over basalt columns on the Tone River, framed by cedar forest and vivid autumn maples.
📖 Read the Guide →
Kusatsu's waters are so hot (92°C at source) they must be cooled by the traditional yumomi method — large wooden paddles rhythmically churned through the bath to cool without diluting the minerals. Twice-daily performances at the Netsunoyu bathhouse, accompanied by folk songs, demonstrate this 400-year practice as theatrical art before visitors enter the actual bath.
📖 Read the Guide →
The Tone River gorge above Minakami offers some of Kanto's most accessible white-water rafting, with guided Class III runs through dramatic granite canyon walls just 2 hours from Tokyo. Spring snowmelt creates the most powerful flows (May–June), while summer offers warmer water for families. Bungee jumping and canyoning can be combined in the same trip.
📖 Read the Guide →
Japan's most celebrated hot spring resort — the iconic Yubatake (hot water field) at the town centre pumps 32,300 litres of acidic water per minute, surrounded by Edo-period bathhouses and lodgings.
📖 Read the Guide →
One of Japan's top ski resorts with reliable powder snow, 21 courses, and night skiing — and uniquely, ski-lift access from the hot spring town itself for a ski-and-onsen combination day.
📖 Read the Guide →
A free daily performance at the Yubatake-side bathhouse — local attendants perform the traditional 'jikan-yu' hot water stirring ceremony to cool the scalding 95°C spring water, set to folk song.
📖 Read the Guide →
A remote hot-spring hamlet in a deep mountain gorge said to be the model for the setting of Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away — its old wooden bathhouses and bridge are hauntingly atmospheric.
📖 Read the Guide →
A charming Meiji-era hot spring resort built on a steep hillside, with a famous 365-step stone stairway lined with ryokan, souvenir shops, and temples — one of Japan's most photogenic onsen towns.
📖 Read the Guide →
Drive through open enclosures where lions, tigers, bears, and elephants roam freely around your car — one of Japan's best drive-through safari experiences, an hour from Takasaki.
📖 Read the Guide →
The Agatsuma and Tone river valleys are lined with apple, pear, and plum orchards offering pick-your-own experiences from August through November — a popular autumn countryside outing.
📖 Read the Guide →
When Lake Haruna freezes over in January, hundreds of ice fishing tents appear on the surface for smelt fishing — a beloved Gunma winter tradition open to visitors with equipment rental.
📖 Read the Guide →
Takasaki produces 80% of Japan's daruma dolls — the round, eyeless papier-mâché good-luck figures purchased at New Year. The Shorinzan Daruma Temple fair (January 6–7) draws 400,000 visitors to browse thousands of daruma in every size, from ¥500 palm-sized to ¥30,000 giant versions, amid the largest concentration of daruma artisans in Japan.
📖 Read the Guide →
Kusatsu Onsen's winter festival combines dazzling snow illuminations around the Yubatake with fireworks bursting over the steaming hot spring field — one of Japan's most atmospheric winter events.
📖 Read the Guide →
Every June, Oze National Park's marshlands erupt in golden-white skunk cabbage (mizubasho) blooms across the highland plateau — a uniquely Japanese spring nature spectacle.
📖 Read the Guide →
One of Japan's largest traditional markets, held January 6–7 at Shorinzan Darumaji Temple — over 100 stalls selling daruma dolls of every size, drawing 200,000 visitors to greet the new year.
📖 Read the Guide →
Mt. Akagi's crater lakes and beech forests turn gold and crimson from mid-October, with viewing events, food stalls, and photography contests around Lake Onuma.
📖 Read the Guide →
An autumn celebration of Tomioka's silk-weaving heritage with traditional loom demonstrations, silk product markets, and guided tours of the UNESCO World Heritage mill complex.
📖 Read the Guide →
An energetic autumn festival where portable shrine (mikoshi) processions climb Ikaho's famous 365-step stone stairway, accompanied by taiko drumming and traditional dance performances.
📖 Read the Guide →
When Lake Haruna freezes over in January, hundreds of ice fishing tents appear on the surface for smelt fishing — a beloved Gunma winter tradition open to visitors with equipment rental.
📖 Read the Guide →
A one-night stay at a traditional ryokan in Kusatsu or Ikaho hot spring resorts is the quintessential Japanese travel experience: arriving to be met in yukata, served elaborate kaiseki multi-course dinner in your room, soaking in rotemburo (outdoor stone bath) under stars, sleeping on futon on tatami, and waking to a Japanese breakfast of grilled fish, tofu, and pickles.
📖 Read the Guide →Everything you need to know before and during your visit.
Compare prices across hundreds of hotels — from budget capsules to luxury ryokan.
Search Hotels on Booking.com →Book guided tours, day trips, cooking classes, and cultural experiences.
Browse Tours on Viator →Skip the queues — pre-book entry tickets, day tours, and local experiences.
Explore on GetYourGuide →Discover tickets, transport passes, and unique local experiences in Gunma with Klook.
Book on Klook →Pre-purchase your Japan Rail Pass online before you arrive — the easiest way to travel by Shinkansen across Japan.
Buy JR Pass on JRPass.com →