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A textile producing
center hemmed in by mountains. Renowned hot-spring resorts, such as
Kusatsu, Ikaho and Minakami
Gumma, situated in the northwest of the Kanto plains, abounds with
celebrated mountains and hot springs, having the Ashio and Taishaku
Mountain Regions to the east and Mt. Nikko-san, Mt. Shirane-san and
Mt. Hotaka-yama volcanic clusters and a number of hot-springs to the
northeast. Across the prefectural borders with Niigata and Fukushima
expands Oze-ga-hara, an elevated marshland. This scenery of mountains
has produced many poets and novelists prominent in the history of
literature. With the arrival of modern times, the sericulture industry
flourished to produce prosperous textile towns such as Maebashi City,
the center of prefectural administration, Kiryu, Tomioka and other
places.
There are many fine hot springs frequented by many tourists all the
year round, including Kusatsu-onsen Hot Spring known for its
traditional yumomi (hot spring stirring) dance and rich yubatake
(field of hot water), the spa of Ikaho lined with hot-spring quarters
along the stone stairways called "Ishi-dangai" and an overhanging
stretch of Japanese styled hot-spring inns along the Minakami Valley,
and last but not least the noted Minakami-onsen Hot-Spring long loved
by men of letters in particular. Gumma is also blessed with places
known for their scenic beauty, such as Yugama, a crater lake of Mt.
Shirane-san with unique milky green water in it, magnificent Mt.
Tanigawa-dake equipped with a ropeway that carries you up to the
summit and the Watarase Valley in which you can enjoy a magnificent
view of nature from a slow-moving sightseeing train.
Getting there
Two hours and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Tokyo Station
by the Tokaido Shinkansen Line. It is an hour ride from Tokyo Station
to Takasaki Station by the JR Joetsu Shinkansen Line, then 10 minutes
from Takasaki Station to Maebashi Station by the JR Ryomo Line.
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Hanashiki and Lake
Nozori-ko
About 300 kinds of alpine plants - Lake Nozori-ko, 1,545 meters
above sea level
Lake Nozori-ko, in the north of Kuni-mura Village, located in
the northwestern part of Gumma, is an alpine lake, 1,545 meters
above sea level. It is a man-made lake with 12 kilometers in
circumference, created in the middle of the 20th century accompanied
by the construction of a dam for a power station, and now is a
source of the Nakatsu-gawa River. About 300 kinds of alpine plants
are known to be growing around the lake. There are campsites,
bungalows, and lodges around the lake, which can accommodate as many
as 3,000 people. The place is also known to anglers as a good
fishing spot of trout and carp.
In the center of Kuni-mura Village, there are three hot springs,
Hanashiki, Shiriyaki, and Yunotaira, which used to be called
Fuyusumi-no-sato (A village to live in during the winter), because
formerly the heavy snow prevented the workers in Kusatsu from
moving, so that they had to stay there waiting for the winter to
end. The conditions at that time can be learned from the materials
exhibited in Fuyusumi-no-sato Shiryokan Museum. At Akaiwa district
in Kunimura Village, there is a hot spring called Onsen-Center
Chouei-no-Kakureyu, run by the village, where the villagers enjoy
bathing. The bathhouses for men and women command fine views in all
seasons, and tourists can also enjoy them. At Yama-mura Square,
which faces Bade-Rokugo (the spa facility), the hometown snow
festival is held in winter.
Getting there
Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station is 2 hours 30 minutes from Ueno
Station by the JR new limited express Kusatsu. Then take a bus from
Naganohara-Kusatsu Station to Hanashiki-onsen, which takes 30
minutes (the service to Lake Nozori-ko is not available in winter).
Tokyo Station is 2 hours 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by the
JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line. Ueno Station is 7 minutes from Tokyo
Station by the JR Yamanote Line.
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Ikaho-onsen Hot
Spring and Mt. Haruna-san
Located on a highland slope at the northeastern foot of Mt. Haruna-san,
Ishidan-gai of 360 steps lined on both sides with souvenir shops and
inns
Ikaho-onsen is a hot spring resort located on the highland
rising 720-820 meters above sea level at the northeastern foot of
Mt. Haruna-san in the central part of Gumma. The hot spring is said
to have been found in the 7th century. The spring is of sulfate and
of carbonic acid, and its concentration is so high that it sometimes
dyes towels red. The source of the spring is somewhat back of the
town, at a spot 850 meters above sea level, and each inn draws from
it.
The point worthy of note is Ishidan-gai (the stone steps street)
consisting of 360 steps that stretch 300 meters between Ikaho On-sekisho
Checkpoint and Ikaho-jinja Shrine. The checkpoint is said to have a
history of about 400 years. There are souvenir shops and inns
standing along both sides of the stone steps, and there are also
four observation points on the way, from which you can watch,
through pieces of glass, the hot spring flowing to each inn. Hara
Museum Arc (modern art museum) and Ikaho Sistina Trick Art Museum
are also some other popular spots.
Mt. Haruna-san is a dual volcano. It is also one of the Jomo Three
Mountains, the other two being Mt. Myogi-san and Mt. Akagi-san. In
the caldera, it is flat, and Haruna-Fuji at the central volcanic
cone and Lake Haruna-ko, a crater lake, are points worthy of note.
On the lake, you can enjoy boating, skating, and anazuri fishing of
pond smelt, and you can also enjoy cycling around the lake.
Getting there
Shibukawa Station is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Ueno Station
by the JR Joetsu Line new limited express. Then take a bus from
Shibukawa Station to Ikaho-onsen, which takes about 30 minutes.
Tokyo Station is 2 hours 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by the
JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line. Ueno Station is 7 minutes from Tokyo
Station by the JR Yamanote Line.
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Kusatsu and Shirane
Hot spring found by a German doctor - Highland routes for hiking
Kusatsu is located at the southeastern foot of Mt. Shirane-san
in the northwestern part of Gumma. The city became well known about
120 years ago when Dr. Balz, a doctor of medicine from Germany,
found its hot spring to be very effective. In Kusatsu-onsen Hot
Spring, there are eighteen public baths. Each bath has a different
effect and different fountainhead. Most of them operate twenty-four
hours a day.
In the center of the hot spring town, Yubatake, one of the
fountainheads, and Netsu-no-yu, where yumomi (stirring hot water
with paddle-like wooden boards to cool it down) demonstrations are
shown, are crowded with many tourists throughout the year. There are
many places for tourists to visit where they can learn a lot about
the nature and the hot spring. The Kusatsu Alpine-Plant Museum and
the Kusatsu Hot-Spring Museum are but two of these. Mt. Shirane-san
is the generic name for the active volcanoes Mt. Shirane-san, Mt.
Hon-Shirane-san, Mt. Komenashi-yama and Mt. Yokote-yama, all of
which belong to the Nasu Volcanic Zone. The crater on the
mountaintop consists of Yugama, Kogama, and Mizugama, and from their
slopes columns of smoke rise. Near the mountaintop, Shiga-Kusatsu-kogen
Route is available for tourists to enjoy hiking, and this is also a
popular ski resort. Manza-onsen Hot Spring, at the western foot of
the mountain is well-known as a hot spring of high quality
milky-white water.
Getting there
Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station is 1 hour 10 minutes from Ueno
Station by the JR new limited express Kusatsu. Then take a bus from
Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station to Kusatsu-onsen, which takes 30
minutes. Then take another bus from Kusatsu-onsen-bus terminal to
Shirane-kazan, which takes 35 minutes. Tokyo Station is 2 hours 30
minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line.
Ueno Station is 7 minutes from Tokyo Station by the JR Yamanote
Line.
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Minakami-onsen and
Mt. Tanigawa-dake
A hot spring resort, where you can also enjoy outdoor sports - Mt.
Tanigawa-dake perpetually covered with snow
Minakami-onsen Hot Spring Resort, located in the northern part
of Gumma, is said to have been founded in the 16th century, and is a
generic term for Minakami, Yubiso, Tani-gawa, Unose, Takara-gawa,
and Yuno-koya Spas. Minakami Town, which includes Minakami-onsen Hot
Spring, commands very fine views of Mt. Tanigawa-dake, Mt.
Hotaka-dake, and Mt. Shibutsu-san. The town has several scenic spots
such as Lake Fujiwara-ko, Lake Togen-ko, and Lake Okutone-ko. The
town is also known for ski resorts such as Tenjin-daira. You can
also enjoy outdoor sports such as rafting.
Mt. Tanigawa-dake is a mountain located in the northwestern part of
Gumma, on the border with Niigata. The mountain belongs to the
Joshinetsu-kogen Highland National Park. It consists of two peaks,
Tomano-mimi and Okino-mimi, also called two mimi (two ears). It is
also known as the lowest mountain in Honshu (the main island of
Japan) to have perpetual snow. It takes about 10 minutes to cover
the 2.3 kilometers between Tanigawa-Doai-guchi and Tenjin-daira,
1321 meters above sea level, by the Tanigawa-dake Ropeway. You can
enjoy the grandeur of the Tanigawa Mountains out of the window of
the ropeway, an always fascinating sight.
Getting there
Jomo-kogen Highland is 1 hour 20 minuets from Tokyo Station by
the JR Joetsu Shinkansen Line. Then take a bus from Jomo-kogen
Highland to Minakami-onsen, which takes 10 minutes. To Mt.
Tanigawa-dake, take another bus from Jomo-kogen Highland to the
Tanigawa Ropeway, which takes 55 minutes. Tokyo Station is 2 hours
30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen
Line.
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Mt. Akagi-san
A crater lake near the mountaintop - A base for outdoor recreation
and nature observation
Mt. Akagi-san, one of the Jomo Three Mountains, located in the
eastern part of Gumma, is the generic name for mountains including
Mt. Kurobi-san and Mt. Jizo-dake. The inside area of the outer rim
of the mountain is designated as Akagi Prefectural Park. Near the
mountaintop, between the central crater and outer rim, there is a
crater lake, called Ono.
At Lake Ono, you can enjoy camping and boating in summer, and in
winter you can bore holes in the frozen surface of the lake and
enjoy fishing for pond smelts through the ice. Around May, you can
enjoy observing the flowers of mizubasho, skunk cabbage, a rare kind
of plant growing in swamps and irises as well as Nikko-kisuge,
yellow alpine lily. Around Lake Ono, there is a 4-kilometer hiking
course, and you can enjoy the nature there to your heart's content.
At Mt. Akagi-san, besides the Akagi Nature Park, there are leisure
facilities such as Gumma Flower Park and Akagi-kogen Highland
Pasture, and Kronenberg, which is a reproduction of a German theme
park. Asahi-no-taki Falls, 20 meters high, flowing from the
Arato-gawa River, is another point worthy of note, around which
there are outdoor baths available for day-trippers.
Getting there
Takasaki Station is 1 hour from Tokyo Station by the JR Joetsu
Shinkansen Line. Maebashi Station is 10 minutes from Takasaki
Station by the JR Ryomo Line. Then take a bus from Maebashi Station
to Akagi-san-Visitor, which takes 28 minutes.
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Oze
High moor abounding in as many as 400 shallow pools - Creeping pines
growing in stands and virgin forests of beeches
Oze, forming the boundaries among the three prefectures of
Gumma, Niigata, and Fukushima, is the generic name of the areas
surrounded by the mountains of Oze-ga-hara, Oze-numa, and other
nearby mountains such as Mt. Hiuchi-ga-take, Mt. Keizuru-yama, and
Mt. Shibutsu-san. It is one of the central parts of Nikko National
Park.
Oze, set on a plateau 1,400-1,700 meters above sea level, is the
largest high moor in Japan, which was created by the lava from Mt.
Hiuchi-ga-take which dammed up the Tadami-gawa River. About 400
shallow pools are spotted here and there. Rare bog plants such as
mizubasho (Japanese skunk cabbage) and nikko-kisuge(yellow alpine
lily) grow in patches, and floating islands of peat layers are
visible. Both creeping pines growing in stands and virgin forests of
beeches stretch to the nearby mountains, and all these areas were
designated as a special natural monument of Japan in 1960.
In the colonies of bog plants, trails of logs and wooden planks are
laid out as hiking tracks, and mountain huts are available. Lots of
travelers visit here especially when the blossoms of mizubasho are
at their best in summer and when the leaves turn red in autumn. On
the upper stream of the Kita-Tadami-gawa River, whose source is Oze,
there are scenic spots such as the grand falls of Sanjo-no-taki
Falls.
Getting there
Jomo-Kogen Station is 1 hour 20 minutes from Tokyo Station by
the JR Joetsu Shinkansen Line. Then take a bus from Jomo-Kogen
Station to O-shimizu, which takes 2 hours 10 minutes. Tokyo Station
is 2 hours 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by the JR Tokaido
Shinkansen Line.
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Information
provided by Japan National Tourist Organization.
