Kusatsu Onsen is one of Japan’s most popular onsen areas situated at an attitude of 1200 meters above sea level. It has the largest volume of hot spring water in Japan, with its temperatures around 55 degree Celsius and high acidity, it’s famous of curing every illness. It is chosen by the Japan’s top travel agents as country’s No.1 hot spring for 20 consecutive years!
How to get there
Route 1:
Trains travel from Tokyo’s Ueno Station to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station (around 2.5 hours) and then transit bus to Kusatsu Onsen (30 minutes). Please check schedule in advance as only around 3 round trips a day.
Route 2: By Train and Bus
Train from Tokyo to Karuizawa (70 mins) and then take a bus to Kusatsu Onsen (80-100 minutes).
What to do in Kusatsu Onsen
Yubatake is a series of seven wooden slides built in the middle of the Kusatsu town, it is to cool down the 55°C hot spring water, after the water passes over the slides and is cooled.
Yumonmi Tranditional Dance Performance, it is located next to Yubatake, they run 6 Dance Performance every day (9am, 10am, 10:30am, 3:30pm, 4pm and 4:30pm). You can see they use traditional technique to further cool down the hot spring temperature.
Public Baths
With the sulfurous, highly acidic waters, Kusatsu considered having the best among Japan. It is definitely worth to stay in a Ryokan and visit their public baths.
Sainokawara Rotemburo : The most prominent public baths and largest outdoor pool inside the Sainokawara Park.
Otakinoyu ,one of my favorites, known as the “hot spring of beauty”. The onsen has special “cloudy water” on the second and fourth Satusday of each month when the hot spring deposits are cleaned from the piping mechanisms. With its traditional wooden pillars reaching up to the ceiling, you can try one after one, and each hotter than the last.
Gozanoyu – located in the center of Kusatsu town, with a beautiful Edo and Meiji style of architecture, stunning view of the Yubatake onsen fields.
Staying in an Ryokan hotel, Kusatsu Onsen Boun
Highly recommend to stay in Ryokan when you are in Kusatsu, recharging with the rich mineral waters, beneficial for a variety of conditions, such as muscle pain, bruise, more beautiful skin. I stayed in Kusatsu Onesen Boun just 5 minutes walk from Yubatake, with 6 onsen baths indoor and outdoor. Providing half-board meals with Kaiseki cuisine, the dinner is absolutely a highlight of the stay, they are elaborate, multi-sources with variety of dishes and ingredients that are artfully, locally and seasonally.
Address:- 377-1711 433-1 Kusatsu-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma, Japan