Gunma Prefecture

Kusatsu

Do
Soak in Japan's three classic hot spring towns
Kusatsu, Arima and Gero have been called Japan's three finest hot springs since the 1600s, and each town has public baths you can use on a day visit without staying overnight. The water is different in each: strongly acidic in Kusatsu, rust-brown and salty in Arima, smooth and alkaline in Gero. Arima is about an hour from Osaka, while Kusatsu and Gero are better with a night at a ryokan.
Do
Compare the waters of five hot spring towns
These are five of Japan's best-known onsen towns: Kusatsu, Gero and Arima, the classic three, plus Beppu, which has more hot spring water than anywhere else in Japan, and Dogo, one of the oldest. Each has its own water and a landmark at its heart, from wooden channels of steaming water to a bathhouse where you are buried in warm sand. They are spread across Japan, so pick the one that fits your route; Arima is the closest, about an hour from Osaka.
Do
Sip coffee with your feet in a warm foot bath
An ashiyu is a foot bath: a shallow pool of warm water, often from a hot spring, where you sit and soak only your feet. At a foot-bath cafe you order a drink or a sweet and keep your feet in the water while you eat, a good rest after a day of walking. Several are at hot-spring inns, but anyone can drop in without staying, and rolled-up trousers are all you need.
Town
Kusatsu
An onsen town that cools its water with song
In the middle of Kusatsu, hot spring water runs steaming down wooden troughs called the yubatake, or "hot water field," to cool before it reaches the baths. Nearby, performers stir the water with long wooden boards while singing a folk song, a cooling method called yumomi, and the public baths around the square welcome day visitors. It is about 3 hours from Tokyo by limited express and bus.

Explore More Areas

Gunma Prefecture
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
Kusatsu Onsen Yubatake
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
ティールームゆきうさぎ
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津温泉 西の河原露天風呂
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
Nishi no Kawara Park
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
Lucky Bagel
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津熱帯圏
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
湯畑・湯けむり亭
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津山 光泉寺
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
こごみパン
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津温泉ホテルヴィレッジ
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津温泉スキー場
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
地蔵カフェ 月の貌
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
喫茶去
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
ノイエポスト ダイニング（2F）
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
茶房ぐーてらいぜ
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津温泉プリン
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津片岡鶴太郎美術館
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
環境体験アミューズメント
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
ベルツ記念館
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
やぐらベーカリー
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
熱帯大ドーム
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
ＣａｆｅＢａｒＲ
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
社会交流会館
Google
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
ふれあい館
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
湯滝
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
千代の湯
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
徳川将軍御汲上の湯枠
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
熱乃湯
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
湯滝の灯篭
Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture
草津穴守稲荷神社