Kusatsu Onsen
Japan's most celebrated hot spring resort โ 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.
Tomioka Silk Mill
Japan's first modern silk mill (1872), now a UNESCO World Heritage Site โ an extraordinary French-Japanese industrial complex with original brick filatures and a fascinating history of Japan's modernisation.
Ikaho Onsen
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 โ one of Japan's most photogenic onsen towns.
Takasaki Daruma Town
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.
Maebashi City & Akagi Shrine
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.