Gunma travel guide: Kusatsu and Ikaho Onsen, Tomioka and Oze

Explore Gunma's hot-spring towns, Tomioka Silk Mill and Oze nature trails, with rail access from Tokyo, museum admission rules, regional food and dated festival information.

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  • 群馬
  • Hot springs
  • Day trips
  • Independent travel

Gunma Prefecture () offers more than hot springs, and transport access from Tokyo () varies according to what you want to visit. Kusatsu Onsen () is known for Yubatake and the yumomi hot-water-stirring tradition; Ikaho Onsen () offers a hot-spring town lined with stone steps. Tomioka Silk Mill () and Oze () offer industrial heritage and nature trails respectively. Using official pages checked on 2026-10-29, this guide covers each area’s features, transport connections, established admission rules and seasonal events. Where official through-journey details for a particular day are unavailable, total costs and travel times are not estimated.

Key points

  • Kusatsu focuses on hot-spring culture: Yubatake () and yumomi () are two ways to explore Kusatsu’s identity. Not all activities share a single ticket price.
  • Ikaho is known for its stone-step streetscape: Its hot-spring town and autumn foliage are worth considering, while actual walking and accessibility conditions on the steps need separate checks.
  • Tomioka has clearer visitor information: Adult admission, opening hours and last entry are officially stated and can be compared with the different information needs of a hot-spring town.
  • Oze is seasonal outdoor terrain: Summer nature trails are introduced officially, but snow-season restrictions and walking plans for a particular day cannot be inferred from general tourism descriptions.

Getting there

From the Tokyo direction, start by checking Takasaki Station () train schedules and Shinkansen connections. For Kusatsu Onsen, official tourism information describes the route via the Agatsuma Line () to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station () and an onward bus. This is the connection toward Kusatsu, not evidence that Takasaki Station is the final stop for all attractions in Kusatsu, Ikaho, Tomioka and Oze.

Travel theme Where to find transport information What needs separate verification
Kusatsu Onsen and Yubatake Shinkansen connections toward Takasaki, Agatsuma Line, Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station and onward buses Rail and bus connections and prices for the specified date
Ikaho Onsen Ikaho destination information on Gunma’s official tourism website Actual local connections and walking conditions around the stone-step street
Tomioka Silk Mill Official Tomioka Silk Mill visitor information Opening, admission and closure dates
Oze nature trails Prefecture-wide nature and seasonal information on Gunma’s official tourism website Mountain connections, snow season and trail conditions

For visitors, choosing between hot-spring culture, stone-step streets, industrial heritage and nature walks changes the type of information to research. Kusatsu requires a bus after the train; for Tomioka, begin by checking site opening and entry conditions. Oze also depends on season and weather. Without complete official through-journey data, these four choices should not be ranked directly by travel speed or cost.

Main sights and experiences

Name Features Official notes (checked 2026-10-29)
Kusatsu Onsen () The Yubatake hot-spring town and traditional yumomi, combining scenery and hot-spring culture Inns and different yumomi experiences have no single common official admission charge. Check the planned facility.
Ikaho Onsen () Stone-step street, hot-spring town walking and autumn foliage Check steps and walking conditions at the time; a general attraction description is not an accessibility guarantee.
Tomioka Silk Mill () A cultural facility about silk-industry history and factory buildings Regular adult admission 1,000 yen; 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30. Officially closed 29 to 31 December.
Oze () Summer nature trails and highland scenery Check snow-season restrictions, trails and transport before leaving; summer descriptions cannot be treated as year-round access information.

Local food

Name Officially described features
Gunma wide noodles () A Gunma regional dish characterised by wide noodles.
Grilled manju () A local Gunma snack, part of the area’s culture beyond hot springs.

Neither is a recommendation of a specific restaurant, and general descriptions do not establish individual menu prices or business hours.

Seasons and events

Month or season What to see Official dates or type of information
Summer Nature trails and highland scenery in Oze An officially described seasonal activity; it does not mean specific trails remain open all year.
Summer Kiryu Yagibushi Festival () 2026 dates: 7 to 9 August. At the time of verification, formal 2027 dates had not been announced.
Autumn Foliage around Ikaho Onsen Officially described seasonal scenery; foliage and the best viewing period vary with the year’s weather.

What to check before departure

Official sources include the Kusatsu, Ikaho and four-seasons pages of Gunma’s official tourism guide, Tomioka Silk Mill’s official visitor information and Kiryu City Government’s Yagibushi Festival notices. For transport, start with JR East’s Takasaki Station timetable and relevant operators.

Before leaving, recheck train and bus services toward Kusatsu, tickets for yumomi experiences and individual hot-spring facilities, Tomioka’s opening and closure rules, and actual trail conditions in Oze. If attending the Kiryu festival, confirm dates in the organisers’ announcement for that year. The 2026 dates are not a guarantee for 2027.

Further reading

Sources