Kusatsu

Kusatsu, a town in Gunma Prefecture, sits 1,200 meters above sea level near active volcanoes and thick forests. Its hot springs produce more water than any other in Japan. At the center of town, the Yubatake steams with water flowing through wooden troughs, cooling naturally. People come here to bathe in sulfur-rich pools said to help with muscle pain and skin conditions. You can watch staff perform Yumomi, a method of cooling water with wooden paddles, or walk through Sainokawara Park’s trails lined with stone statues and steam vents. Between December and March, skiers head to Mount Tengu’s slopes, and in summer, alpine flowers color the hillsides near the annual music festival.

Soaking in Hot Springs

The Yubatake delivers water at 70°C through wooden channels, creating a constant cloud of steam in the town center. Netsunoyu Bathhouse holds Yumomi performances twice daily, where workers use long boards to stir and cool the water while singing local songs. Free foot baths around the Yubatake let you test the heat before committing to a full soak. Sainokawara Rotemburo, an outdoor pool in the park, sits among volcanic boulders and bubbling vents. Thirteen public bathhouses operate across town, each with slightly different water temperatures and mineral mixes.

Skiing and Hiking

Kusatsu International Ski Resort opens from December to March with ten slopes on Mount Tengu and Mount Shirane. The longest run stretches 1.5 kilometers, and night skiing operates until 9 PM on weekends. From April to November, Mount Shirane’s trails lead hikers past Yugama Crater Lake, where sulfuric water stays bright blue year-round. In June, the Yoshigadaira Wetlands turn white with cottongrass blooms, and by September, maple trees near Manza Onsen glow red. The summer music festival in late August hosts orchestra performances in venues around town.

Festivals and Local Food

Every August, the Hot Spring Appreciation Festival fills the streets with dancers in traditional costumes and drum processions. The Bälz Museum displays medical tools and documents from the German doctor who popularized Kusatsu’s springs in the 1800s. Shops near the Yubatake sell glassware made using ash from the volcanoes, giving it a cloudy white appearance. Stalls serve onsen manju—steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste—and eggs slow-cooked in geothermal steam. You can join a free guided tour of the Yubatake’s water distribution system, offered twice daily.

Getting to Kusatsu

Direct buses from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station take four hours; trains require a transfer at Takasaki Station followed by a 25-minute bus ride from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station. Most attractions, including the Yubatake and Sainokawara Park, lie within a 15-minute walk of the bus terminal. Renting a car lets you visit Onioshidashi Park’s lava fields or Shiraito Falls, a 70-meter waterfall near Nagano. Winter drivers should use snow tires, as roads to Mount Shirane often close during heavy storms. Local buses run hourly to Manza Onsen, a smaller hot spring area at higher elevation.

Day Trips

Mount Shirane’s hiking trails reach three volcanic craters, including Yugama Lake, which emits sulfur fumes. Onioshidashi Park, an hour by car, shows jagged lava formations from Mount Asama’s 1783 eruption. Shiraito Falls splits into hundreds of thin streams cascading over a rock face. The Kusakaru Highway Bus connects to Karuizawa, a resort town with outlet shopping and ice skating in winter. Drivers can follow the Japan Romantic Road to Nikko’s temples or Ikaho, another hot spring town with stone stairways and pancake-shaped snacks called okaki.