Interesting Locales: Kusatsu Onsen

Posted on 08/30/2023 Last updated on 01/11/2024

One of the places I always recommend people to visit is Kusatsu Onsen located in the Gunma prefecture. Hot springs are an important and popular part of Japanese culture and many foreigners have been exposed to them through anime and there are many places in Tokyo where people can experience hot springs, but sometimes it’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and enjoy the beautiful, quiet, and relaxing countryside of Japan.

Kusatsu is close enough to Tokyo that you can travel there on the cheap but far enough away that you can see a totally different side of Japan, a side that will leave a lasting impression on you. In this article I will explain why you should visit Kusatsu Onsen, and I will be using my own personal experiences to support my claims. Including pictures!! So please enjoy.

Traveling to Kusatsu

Sometimes Japan can be expensive especially when it comes to traveling, though the shinkansen is an extremely convenient and fast way to travel the tickets are often quite expensive. This is the reason than many foreign travellers prefer to use the express bus (or coach if you’re from England like me) it offers an affordable and comfortable way to travel to various places in Japan.

I used the express bus when I travelled to Kusatsu you can catch the bus from Shibuya or Shinjuku station, and it usually costs around 4-5000 yen which is very cheap, but it does take quite a long time to get to Kusatsu. When I travelled to Kusatsu it took me around 5 hours to get there but on the plus side we were able to stop at a shopping centre so we could stretch our legs and buy snacks or use to toilet etc (though there is a toilet located on the bus).

There are other advantages to taking the bus other than the fair price, the bus is extremely comfortable the seats feel great there is also free Wi-Fi so you can bring your Nintendo switch or laptop to kill some time. But for me the biggest benefit of taking the bus was the fact that I was able to see some unbelievable sights it was interesting to see the scenery change from the big city of Tokyo to the smaller town and villages then seeing mountains and jungles as far as the eye could see. I was also able to see some local wildlife I saw wild monkeys in the trees I also saw deer while we were driving.

Yubatake

Kusatsu Onsen is recognised as one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan which automatically makes it a must-see location for those who have an interest in Japan and Japanese culture.

Which is why I can’t talk about Kusatsu onsen without mentioning Yubatake as it is the symbol of Kusatsu, and as such it is impossible to miss because it is located directly in the middle of the town. It is an amazing sight and is surrounded by restaurants and souvenir shops which makes it a great place to walk around and explore and because it is in the middle of town it is easy to access from any of the many hotels in Kusatsu.

The best thing about Yubatake is its beauty I enjoy taking picture so yubatake is a great photo location another interesting fact is that the place a different atmosphere depending on if you go there in the day or the night. In the daytime it is beautiful and full of people shopping and visiting the many places available to eat. But when I visited the area, I was surprised for a few different reasons, firstly there were many people walking around wearing yukata I didn’t see this when I visited in the daytime.

Also, at night the place is illuminated with many colourful lights which makes the already beautiful location unforgettable, it’s great for a late-night walk!

Yumomi

While in Kusatsu you can see a unique and beautiful Yumomi show. Yumomi is a style of colling down the hot spring water without diluting it so it can keep its special health benefiting qualities.

This is done using wooden paddles and is performed by women wearing traditional Japanese yukata this performance also includes a traditional song and dance, which is truly spectacular I can’t recommend it enough for people who travel to Kusatsu. There is a limited number of spaces, but the show is held 6 times a day at 09:30, 10:00, 10:30 15:30, 16:00, and 16:30. For adults it costs 600 yen and reservations are not needed

Sainokawara Park

Sainokawara park is one of my highlights in Kusatsu it is a beautiful place that is located about 5 minutes away from the town centre. It is an area that is surrounded by nature and there are many seating areas where people can enjoy the sights and talk.

There are also many natural lakes and streams that have hot spring water the park also contains the largest open-air bath in Kusatsu here you can relax and enjoy the beauty of Kusatsu when I visited the open-air bath the staff were very friendly though they didn’t speak much English there were foreigner friendly options available the assured me that it was ok to visit the bath even if I had tattoos which I know many foreigners have so that was nice to know. The price of the bath was cheap at only 800 yen, since this was my first time using any onsen or bath in Japan the experience was very comfortable.

For those that would like to enjoy the hot spring water without necessarily going in the baths as I stated earlier Sainokawara park has many natural streams and lakes in the area, there are also several footbaths which are free to use and comfortable. I saw many people using the footbaths while talking with friends so this is another option for people who may be a little shy around others

Bonus

I know that Japanese culture is popular in many places in the world and one of the most popular kinds of Japanese culture worldwide is anime and manga. It is because of anime and manga that many people travel to Japan and why many foreign visitors learn Japanese. Kusatsu onsen is a great place to relax there are many restaurants and cafes where people can eat delicious food.

There is a manga café in Kusatsu that was the best manga café I have ever been to. The café is called manga dou and is split between 2 buildings, the first building is a traditional café they serve a variety of foods and beverages including tea and coffee, I recommend the lemon and ginger tea the scones are also delicious.

The second building on the other hand is a full a manga café the buildings are separated because visitors cannot bring food inside the manga café, but it is beautiful the café have a huge variety of manga spanning many different eras and decades. The manga are organised in sections going back as far as the 1970s all the way to many titles that are popular today. There is even a section of books in English I highly recommend for people that love manga.

Conclusion

Kusatsu is a wonderful place where you can enjoy a totally different side of Japan to what many people come to expect or to the images of Japan foreigners are often familiar with. It is close to tokyo and we can travel there for cheap really there is no reason for you not to visit and please use this article as a guide for some of the interesting things you can do when you do visit. Thank you for reading.

Photo Credits:

Top photo: s sena on PhotoAC

All additional images taken and provided by the original author, used with permission.