JapanLiveNowLIVE
EN

Gunma travel: cultural sights or a hot-spring stay?

Choose Takasaki for a large Kannon statue, a former silk factory and history and art exhibitions. Choose Kusatsu for yumomi and a hot-spring rest. Takasaki courses start by ordinary train from Tokyo Station; Kusatsu courses start by direct bus from Busta Shinjuku. Explore separate courses for each base by trip length.

Show moreShow less

Cultural sights, daruma painting or hot springs?

Choose Tomioka Silk Mill for industrial buildings and displays, or Shorinzan daruma painting for a hands-on activity. Give art and history exhibitions separate days from Takasaki. For bathing and rest, choose among Kusatsu’s performance and three bath facilities. The Kannon interior and daruma workshop involve stairs; check access too.

See fees, hours and access for 12 attractions →

Itineraries by trip length

Explore Takasaki courses for the former factory, history and art exhibitions, and daruma painting. For yumomi and bathing, look at Kusatsu courses. The basic courses do not travel between the two bases. Choose your stay length around preferred facilities and your train or direct-bus departures.

2 days / 1 night

Give Takasaki Byakue Daikannon and Tomioka Silk Mill a day each, or enjoy a Kusatsu performance and one open-air bath. Sightseeing fits between first-day arrival and second-day departure, so choose return trains or direct buses before adding facilities.

Kannonyama, then Tomioka Silk Mill →Kusatsu yumomi, then an open-air bath the next morning →

3 days / 2 nights

The Takasaki cultural course gives the history and modern art museums a day each; Kusatsu adds a day at Gozanoyu’s indoor baths. Compare museum closures or bathing facilities before choosing.

Kannonyama, the history museum and modern art on separate days →Kusatsu: yumomi, indoor bathing and an open-air bath on separate days →

4 days / 3 nights

In Takasaki, add a daruma painting day between exhibitions. In Kusatsu, enjoy three bathing facilities on separate days. Check workshop reservations and stairs, and what the three-bath ticket covers.

Kannonyama, daruma painting, history and modern art →Enjoy Kusatsu’s three baths on separate days →

5 days / 4 nights

Stay in Takasaki and add the city art museum and Former Inoue Residence, or add a Kusatsu Nettaiken animal-watching day between baths. Choose return transport after your final-day visit or bath too.

Daruma painting and three exhibitions from Takasaki →Kusatsu’s three baths and tropical dome on separate days →

Where to stay

Takasaki · 高崎

Stay near Takasaki Station to give Kannonyama, Tomioka and Gunma no Mori’s cultural facilities a day each. One accommodation example is Hotel Metropolitan Takasaki, connected to the station. It lists check-in at 15:00, check-out at 11:00 and luggage storage before check-in and after check-out. Check storage conditions separately with your booked property.

Hotel Metropolitan Takasaki: station access to sixth-floor receptionHotel Metropolitan Takasaki: check-in and luggage storage FAQ

Kusatsu · 草津

Look for accommodation around Yubatake to enjoy yumomi performances and baths on separate days. Rest at your accommodation between walks around the square, performances and meals. Yubatake Souan is one accommodation example, about five minutes on foot from the bus terminal. Check whether meals are included and the conditions at your chosen property.

Yubatake Souan: walk from the terminalYubatake Souan: check-in, luggage storage and breakfast FAQ

Decisions before you travel

Choose Takasaki cultural visits or Kusatsu hot springs

In Takasaki, see Takasaki Byakue Daikannon and exhibitions, and set aside a separate day for a Joshin Electric Railway trip to Tomioka Silk Mill. In Kusatsu, walk around Yubatake, watch yumomi or relax at bathing facilities. For a short stay, choose accommodation in the area with your preferred facilities instead of travelling between the two.

Silk mill accessTakasaki Byakue Daikannon: interior fees and seasonal hoursPerformance and ticket-sale conditionsOpen-air bath fees and hours

Choose train departure stations and return buses first

For Takasaki museums, take an ordinary train from Tokyo Station to Takasaki, then change to a city bus. For Kusatsu, take a direct bus from Busta Shinjuku. Check outward and return services, seats and fares for your date. Winter open-air baths open at 09:00; if this does not fit a property’s 10:00 check-out, bathe the day before. To move accommodation from Kusatsu to Ikaho, separately check actual bus–JR–bus connections and hotel arrival. These courses do not travel between the two hot-spring towns.

JR East station and line timetables for your dateJR Bus operator route hub and linked current timetableOctober 2026 Joshu Yumeguri fare calendarOpen-air bath fees and hoursYubatake Souan: check-in, luggage storage and breakfast FAQ

Rail passes and bath tickets cover different things

The Tokyo Wide Pass covers rail travel over three consecutive days. Joshin Electric Railway is included, but facility admission, experiences and Gururin buses are separate. One pass does not cover an entire trip arriving from Tokyo on day one and returning on day five. Kusatsu’s three-bath ticket costs 2,100 yen for one visit to each of three facilities, with no expiry date. Compare it with 2,900 yen in individual admission if using all three. Course budgets retain individual tickets; discounts have not already been deducted.

JR Tokyo Wide Pass: routes, price and three consecutive daysKusatsu three-bath ticket: price, one visit each, validity and on-site sales

Plan meals around bathing; use cameras for outdoor views

On Takasaki visiting days, choose meal stops between the station and your attractions. Yubatake Souan, the accommodation example, does not serve dinner; check restaurant opening dates and last orders around Yubatake. Gozanoyu has no restaurant inside, so plan a meal around Yubatake separately. The camera towards Yubatake’s Yutaki shows one direction around the square. It does not show every street, hotel or bath interior; check the image time alongside actual facility information.

Gozanoyu: lockers, towels and facilities FAQOfficial Kusatsu live-camera location information

Place names

Gunma Prefecture · 群馬県

Plan Takasaki, Tomioka and Kusatsu access separately

Takasaki city buses, Joshin trains to Tomioka and walks in Kusatsu are different journeys. Even within one prefecture, distinguish your base and return transport.

Area and destinationStarting point and outward journeyReturn checks
TakasakiFrom the station, choose separate buses to Kannonyama, Shorinzan and Gunma no Mori. The history and modern art museums occupy different buildings in Gunma no Mori.Check Gururin route numbers, stands and operating days for each destination. Check closures separately for both exhibition facilities.
Tomioka · 富岡Take Joshin Electric Railway from Takasaki to Joshu-Tomioka, then walk about 15 minutes to the silk mill. Official guidance gives about 40 minutes for the train.After the mill, return to the same station for a Takasaki-bound train. Allow time for your connecting Tokyo-bound JR train too.
KusatsuOfficial guidance gives about five minutes on foot from the hot-spring bus terminal to Netsunoyu in front of Yubatake. Plan each bath’s walk separately from Yubatake.Allow time to walk back from the open-air bath to the terminal. For Shinjuku direct buses, check the departure location for your reserved date and service.

Silk mill accessKannonyama Line route 14: current outward timetableKannonyama Line route 13: current return timetableHistory museum access and facilitiesModern art museum access and return bus timetableOfficial accessOpen-air bath: walking, lockers and facilities FAQ

Try Takasaki pasta and Kusatsu onsen manju

Choose Gunma flour-based dishes and local snacks where you will be that day. Menus, prices and opening dates vary by shop.

Takasaki pasta

Official tourism information describes Takasaki as a city with many pasta restaurants. Shops have different specialities, such as thick meat sauces or seafood sauces. Compare them for lunch or dinner on your Takasaki visiting day, checking the location and route back to the station.

Official Gunma tourism: Takasaki pasta, Tomioka skewers and Kusatsu manju

Tomioka horumon-age

Despite its name, this is not fried offal: it is a local snack of breaded, skewered and fried chikuwa fish cake. Look for it on your silk-mill day. Check which restaurants sell it and choose where to eat separately.

Official Gunma tourism: Takasaki pasta, Tomioka skewers and Kusatsu manju

Kusatsu onsen manju

Onsen manju around Yubatake are described as steamed snacks made with brown sugar and red-bean filling. Choose a shop open before or after bathing. Plan lunch and dinner separately even if you have manju as a snack.

Official Gunma tourism: Takasaki pasta, Tomioka skewers and Kusatsu manju

Warm okkirikomi and yakimanju

Okkirikomi is a Gunma dish of broad wheat noodles and vegetables simmered in soy-sauce or miso broth. Yakimanju are skewered manju grilled with a sweet miso glaze. Check whether your chosen shop serves them.

Official Gunma tourism: okkirikomi and yakimanju

How should I compare rail passes and three-bath tickets?

Each course gives a reference subtotal of checked individual transport and admission tickets. If using a pass or combined bath ticket, replace the covered rail fares or bathing fees with its price. Do not add daruma workshop or locker fees already in the subtotal again. Calculate accommodation, meals, towels and extra experiences separately.

Tickets and costsChecked prices and conditionsFurther checks
Tokyo Wide PassThe adult pass costs 16,000 yen for three consecutive days. Joshin Electric Railway is included.Gururin buses, Shinjuku direct buses, JR buses, facility admission and daruma painting are separate. One pass does not cover all five days of a four-night trip.
Kusatsu three-bath ticketThe adult ticket costs 2,100 yen for one bath each at Gozanoyu, Otakinoyu and Sainokawara, with no expiry date.Buy the ticket at bathing facilities. Performances, accommodation, meals, towels and paid lockers are not included.
Individual admission to the three bathsGozanoyu 900 yen + Otakinoyu 1,200 yen + Sainokawara 800 yen = 2,900 yen per adult.Compare with the three-bath ticket if using all three. For a short trip with just one bath, compare individual admission first.
Museum admissionCheck exhibition dates and ticket coverage on each attraction card.For different dates, recalculate using the applicable exhibition fee. A course check date does not make its exhibition fee permanent.

JR Tokyo Wide Pass: routes, price and three consecutive daysJR Tokyo Wide Pass carriage conditions: JR buses excluded and reserved seatsKusatsu three-bath ticket: price, one visit each, validity and on-site salesGozanoyu: current fees and loungeOtakinoyu fees and operationOpen-air bath fees and hours

Frequently asked questions

Does seeing Yubatake count as bathing?

Yubatake is a walk around a hot-spring square. Bathe at your accommodation or a facility such as Sainokawara, checking fees and hours separately for each.

Open-air bath fees and hours

Can I visit Tomioka Silk Mill and return to Takasaki?

One-night course A uses Joshin Electric Railway for a Takasaki–Joshu-Tomioka return. Add about 15 minutes on foot from the station to the mill, then choose your Takasaki-bound train and connecting Tokyo-bound JR service after visiting.

Silk mill accessJoshin Takasaki: weekday outbound timetableJoshu-Tomioka: weekday inbound timetable

Do I need the three-bath ticket for just one Kusatsu bath?

For one bath, compare its individual admission first. The three-bath ticket costs 2,100 yen for one visit each to three facilities, whose individual fees total 2,900 yen. Performance tickets, towels and paid lockers cost separately.

Kusatsu three-bath ticket: price, one visit each, validity and on-site salesGozanoyu: current fees and loungeOtakinoyu fees and operationOpen-air bath fees and hours

Official sources and check dates