Kusatsu
Discover Kusatsu
Kusatsu (草津) is a famous hot-spring resort town in Gunma, Japan. It is one of the Three Famous Springs (三名泉) in the 17th-century ranking of Hayashi Razan, and remains highly rated and popular. Kusatsu is an onsen town, about 1,200 metres above sea level, beside several volcanoes including the active Mt. Kusatsu-Shirane (Shirane), and known for its healing waters. Water for the town originates from Mt. Shirane with a flow of more than 32,000 litres per minute. This is one of the largest natural outputs of hot spring water in Japan. The water is very acidic, having a sterilizing effect. A 6-inch nail is said to dissolve to only a small metal shard after 10 days.
What to Experience in Kusatsu
Taste of Kusatsu...
Not available
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Kusatsu.
There are several events in Kusatsu throughout the year.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsUnusually enough for Japan, Kusatsu does not have a train station of its own. The nearest station is 36.596138.56721 Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station (長野原草津口駅) on the JR Agatsuma Line. The limited express Kusatsu runs twice in the morning (10:00 and 12:12) from Ueno Station in Tokyo, taking 2 hr 20 min and costing ¥5,070, from which you can take a connecting bus (25 min, ¥710) to Kusatsu. At any other time, you'll have to take the Shinkansen to Takasaki and transfer to local services (3 hours, ¥5,810), or the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa (about 70–80 minutes, ¥5,710) and arrange further transport, or take local trains with 2 or 3 transfers (3½ hours, ¥3,020). 36.620922138.5963212 Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal JR operates the Jōshu Yūmeguri (上州ゆめぐり) direct bus to Kusatsu bus terminal several times a day (hourly) from Shinjuku (Tokyo) Expressway Bus Terminal, which takes around 4 hours and charges between ¥3,000 (in advance) and ¥3,600 (on board)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Kusatsu is not very big and major transportation is going to be bus or car. There is a Kusatsu town loop bus (¥100), which connects most of the major sights and big hotels within the town. Although hilly, most sights within the town centre can be explored by foot. There are also free hotel shuttles that ferry people from either the bus station or the yubatake area to surrounding hotels. A bus line is available from the bus terminal to connect with the ski area. The water in the Kusatsu hot springs is strongly sulphuric, and is famous for making the skin beautiful. (The flip side is that it smells like rotten eggs.) In addition, it is said that Kusatsu hot spring has beneficial effects on poor blood circulation, muscular pain, and so on. There are a variety of hot springs within Kusatsu for tourists to visit. Many accommodations will have onsen facilities present within their building. There are 19 public baths within the town, but not all of them are open to visitors.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Kusatsu
a water slide going down a river next to a building
A snow covered road with a black gate
A train traveling down tracks next to a snow covered street
A black and white photo of a snow covered tree
A black and white photo of a glass ceiling
A man and a woman standing next to each other
A street that has a bunch of traffic cones on it
A person walking through a snow covered park
A man walking down a sidewalk in front of a building
A group of people walking down a street next to tall buildings
a water slide going down a river next to a building
A snow covered road with a black gate
A train traveling down tracks next to a snow covered street