Tour ATraveling in Kusatsu, home to the famous Kusatsu hot springs
Kusatsu is one of the premiere locations in Japan for hot springs, and given its proximity to Tokyo, it is also a popular destination for sightseers. Kusatsu is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters, and the abundance and high quality of the hot spring water are points of pride. The area is home to a variety of lodging facilities and shops, all centered around the famous Yubatake, or "hot water field."
On this trip, stay at one of the long-established ryokans (inns) and enjoy a rejuvenating time in the relaxed pace of Kusatsu.
Trip Details
Times and train names are current as of September 2011. Because the times and train names are subject to change, they should be used for reference.
Day 1, Option A: Enjoy the Kusatsu area
dep.
10:00
Ueno Station
approximately 2 hour, 30 minutes on the limited express Kusatsu No. 3.
Traveling to Kusatsu Hot Springs aboard the limited express kusatsu
The Limited Express Kusatsu runs between Ueno and Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. It runs every day, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. This is an excellent choice for passengers who do not wish to take the resort trains.
Click here for further details on the Limited Express Kusatsu
The Limited Express Kusatsu
arr.
12:30
dep.
12:38
Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station
JR Bus
(approx. 30 minutes)
arr.
13:00
Kusatsu
Hot Springs
bus terminal
Lodging shuttle buses (2 to 5 minutes) or On foot (approx. 5 minutes)
arr.
14:20
Kusatsu Hot
Springs: Check in
at your lodging
On foot
(approx. 15 minutes)
Kusatsu Hot Springs is one of the three famous hot springs in Japan. Boasting a higher volume than any other location in Japan, Kusatsu produces 230,000 drums of hot spring water a day. This tremendous bounty of water is why the ryokans and other hot spring facilities of Kusatsu are able to divide the source water among themselves.
Kusatsu has many lodging facilities where you can enjoy the essence of the hot water to your heart's content. From among those many lodging facilities, we have selected a few to recommend:
Yubatake, the "hot spring field" in Kusatsu
Yubatake – a symbol of Kusatsu with rising steam
Located in the center of town, Yubatake, or "hot spring field," is the source of the hot spring water in Kusatsu and serves as its symbol. Every minute, 4,000 liters of hot water pours out, creating a great sound as it falls. The view of the hot water steam blanketing the surroundings is a well-known sight for Kusatsu and tourists throng the area to enjoy the spectacle. At night, Yubatake is lit up, creating a fanciful and magical world.
Yubatake at night seems mystical.
Yumomi – a traditional Kusatsu Hot Springs custom from days of yore
Since the Edo Period, Kusatsu has had a unique bathing tradition known as jikanyu.
The hot spring water at Kusatsu Hot Springs ranges from 51 degrees all the way to 94 degrees at its hottest and moreover is acidic, which strongly stimulates the skin. Jikanyu is an hot springs therapy developed to makes the most of these high temperatures. But because the human body cannot tolerate such high temperatures, yumomi was invented as a method of using wooden boards to "massage" the water and lower the temperatures without diluting with cold water.
Visitors try their hand at yumomi
Casual hot spring foot baths
Around Yubatake, there are locations provided with pure hot spring water. Because of the high temperature and acidity, Kusatsu hot spring water is said to have favorable effects on the body just by soaking your hands or feet in it for a few minutes. Because there is no need to change, you can just take off your socks, plunk your lower legs in the water and rejuvenate your tired feet. These casual foot baths are provided at no charge.
A visitor enjoys the healing effects of a foot bath.
Sai-no-Kawara Outdoor Hot Spring
About a 15-minute walk from Yubatake is a 500-square-meter, open-air bath named Sai-no-Kawara, filled with hot spring water. While enjoying the pristine air and surrounding greenery of Sai-no-Kawara Park, relax in the Sai-no-Kawara hot spring, Kusatsu's largest. Made of stone, this outdoor hot spring is 500 square meters, and surrounded on all sides by nature. Serenity in the bosom of nature!
Hours of Operation
- 7:00 to 20:00 – entrance closes at 19:30
Entrance Fees
- Adults: 500 yen
- Children: 300 yen
The spacious Sai-no-Kawara outdoor hot spring bath
Kusatsu Hot Springs:
Stay at your lodging
Day 1: Option B: Enjoy Karuizawa
dep.
9:52
Shinjuku Station
approximately 1 hour on the Asama No. 513 on the Nagano Shinkansen
dep.
10:56
Karuizawa Station
On foot
(approx. 15 minutes)
Take a stroll through Old Karuizawa with its Victorian feel
Passing from JR Karuizawa Station and Karuizawa Hondori Street, you will find, starting at the Kyu-Karuizawa traffic circle, the 800-meter-long Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza, the main street of Kyu or Old Karuizawa. This shopping district developed in the Meiji Period, and due to the influence of Europeans and Americans living there at the time, a great many shops that exude Western culture were built, including bakeries, jam shops and delicatessens. Kyu-Karuizawa is popular with sightseers.
You will also find such Western-style landmarks as a Victorian church and hotel. Take a stroll and see the town!
Kyu-Karuizawa Hotel
Karuizawa Outlet – lots of stores
Commonly known as the Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, the Karuizawa Outlet is a mammoth mall, one of the largest in Japan. Whereas outlet malls typically have about 100 stores, Karuizawa Outlet has more than 190, so you're sure to find a store you like. The mall has also become one of the best-known locations in Karuizawa.
Looking over a pond to the mammoth Karuizawa Outlet Mall
arr.
14:30
Karuizawa Station
Local bus (approx. 1 hour, 20 minutes)
arr.
15:46
Kusatsu
Hot Springs
Use the lodging shuttle bus (2 to 5 minutes) or walk (about 5 minutes)
Kusatsu Hot
Springs: Lodging
Kusatsu Hot Springs is one of the three famous hot springs in Japan. Boasting a higher volume than any other location in Japan, Kusatsu produces 230,000 drums of hot spring water a day. This tremendous bounty of water is why the ryokans and other hot spring facilities of Kusatsu are able to divide the source water among themselves.
Kusatsu has many lodging facilities where you can enjoy the essence of the hot water to your heart's content. From among those many lodging facilities, we have selected a few to recommend:
Yubatake, the "hot spring field" in Kusatsu
Day 2
On Day 2, you depart from the Kusatsu Hot Springs bus terminal and use the regularly running sightseeing buses (JR Bus Kanto) to see the many signs of Kusatsu. For information about the sightseeing buses, see the Travel Service Center at Narita or Haneda Airport or your nearest JR Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi).
dep.
9:00
Kusatsu
Hot Springs
bus terminal
JR Bus Kanto
(approx. 30 minutes)
arr.
9:30
Mount
Kusatsu-Shirane
On foot
(approx. 15 minutes)
arr.
9:45
dep.
10:10
Yugama
(Crater Lake)
JR Bus
(approx. 25 minutes)
The wondrous emerald green of Yugama
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane is an active volcano rising 2,161 meters in altitude. At its top is a crater lake known as Yugama, 300 meters across and 30 meters deep. Yugama is praised for its tranquility and its beautiful emerald green color. With a pH level of about 1.2, Yugama is the most acidic lake in the world, and no fish can survive in it. Every year, a great number of sightseers come to gaze on the beautiful emerald green color of the lake.
Nearby are Yumi Pond, marshy grasslands and other geographical features created from eruptions of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane, and the views and flowers have brilliant colors in each season. There are trekking routes, a great way to enjoy the mountain.
The emerald green color of Yugama
arr.
10:35
dep.
10:55
Tsumagoi Ranch
JR Bus
(approx. 25 minutes)
arr.
11:20
dep.
11:30
Kanbara
Kannon-do
Temple
JR Bus
(approx. 20 minutes)
arr.
11:50
dep.
13:00
Onioshidashi
Park
JR Bus
(approx. 15 minutes)
Onioshidashi Park – a work of lava art
Onioshidashi Park is the best-known sightseeing spot in Kita-Karuizawa. When Mount Asama erupted in 1783, lava poured out and solidified into a wide, dark black formation stretching some 5.5 kilometers to the northern foot of the mountain. Up to 2 kilometers wide, it is an incredible formation. You can walk among the lava rocks at Onioshidashi. The enormous size of some of these rocks indeed has a powerful effect when viewed up close. Mount Asama Kannon-do Temple is situated on a high rise in the middle of the lava formation, a memorial to the victims of the great eruption. The temple also provides a wonderful vista of not only Onioshidashi and Mount Asama, but the Asama Plateau and Mount Kusatsu-Shirane.
The incredible lava formation
arr.
13:15
dep.
13:30
Shiraito
Falls
JR Bus
(approx. 20 minutes)
Shiraito Falls – percolating from rock
When the meltwaters of Mount Fuji come gushing out from the rocks, they pour out and down in a narrow stream that looks like white silk, hence the appellation shiraito. At 3 meters in height and a breadth of some 70 meters, the water emerges from underground—unlike the water flowing in a river—and pours out in multiple layers that appear like thin threads.
With the limpid water, Shiraito Falls is both picturesque and charming in a way that is similar to a miniature Japanese garden.
The water of Shiraito Falls flows like strands of white silk.
arr.
13:50
Kita-Karuizawa
(the old Karuizawa
railway station)
JR Bus
(approx. 25 minutes)
arr.
14:15
dep.
14:30
Asama Sakagura
Sightseeing Center
(a sake brewery)
JR Bus
(approx. 5 minutes)
arr.
14:35
dep.
14:53
Nagano-Kusatsuguchi Station
approximately 2 hour, 30 minutes on the limited express Kusatsu No. 4.
More tourism information on Gunma
arr.
17:20
Ueno Station
Shinkansen
Trunk lines
On foot
Bus
Note:
- Buses do not run often, so if you are planning to use them, take care not to miss the bus. Inquire at the JR Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi) at your nearest station for detailed bus schedules.
Itinerary Map
- [Tour A] – Traveling in Kusatsu, home to the famous Kusatsu hot springs
- [Tour B] – A journey with fruit picking and traditional craft making
- [Tour C] – A trip with lots of outdoor sports
- [Tour D] – A hiking trip to Mount Tanigawa
Train Fares to Gunma
Train Timetables
