Travel / Tourism Spots in Western Area Area

  • Yamada Kamachi Museum of Art, Takasaki
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gunma Pref. Takasakishi Kataokamachi 3-23-5
    "This art museum is located one minute on foot from the City loop bus’s Shorinzan route ""Yamada Kamachi Bijutsukan iriguchi (Museum of Art Entrance)"" bus stop, accessible from the JR Takasaki Station's Nishi-guchi (West Exit). The museum displays and seeks to introduce the charms of the works of Yamada Kamachi, a talented artist who died prematurely at the age of 17. The museum displays all of his drawings and poems from his early childhood to his final work and looks back on the life he led. His works are exhibited by their themes and include collections of pictures and records relating to music, pencil drawings and novel crayon paintings, watercolor paintings, crayon drawings and poems."
  • Takayama-sha Sericulture School
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Fujiokashi Takayama 237
    "This school was the home of Chogoro Takayama, the founder of the Takayama Sericulture Reform Company, which was an institution for research and education of sericulture. It is located approximately 20 minutes from the Joshin-etsu Expressway Fujioka Interchange. It is the place where Takayama's sericulture technique of ""Seioniku"" was researched and taught, and the entire site, including the silkworm room of the time (the sericulture house) and the other affiliated sites have been designated as a World Heritage Site, as part of the Tomioka Silk Mill and the silk Industry Heritage Group. Visitors can view the inside of the site and look around while listening to explanations about Takayama's company and the history of sericulture."
  • National Site of Scenic Beauty Rakusan-en
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Kanragunkanramachi Obata 648-2
    This Daimyo Garden is part of the Daimyo's residence in the Obata Domain, now Kanra Town, Kanra County, Gunma Prefecture. It is a landscape garden designed for walking around the pond and was created as a Sengoku Busho Garden transitional work. In addition to the beauty of the spaces incorporating various aspects such as the Okawa River, Mt. Momiji and Mt. Renseki, the garden path is also adorned ingeniously with several tea houses. Of these, Ryountei is most often used as a rest area and for drinking tea.
  • Third generation Darumaya Mashimo
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Takasakishi Yachiyomachi 2-4-5
    "This specialty Daruma shop is located in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. It sells a number of different Daruma, including traditional Takasaki Daruma, original Daruma and Daruma based on famous characters. There are also plenty of unique products, such as ""Make-your-own Daruma"" where customers can draw their own beard onto the Daruma, and ""Limited Design Daruma"", which come with colorful florets. Customers can also request their own choice of writing to be drawn on the Daruma."
  • Mt. Osutaka
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Prefecture Tano-gun Uenomura
    This is a 1,639 meters high mountain in Ueno Village, Tano County in Gunma Prefecture. The south side of the mountain borders Nagano Prefecture and Mt. Osutaka stands at the border with the mountain ridge on the Gunma side. At the summit is a third-class triangulation point called Mt. Taishaku. The mountain neighbors three other mountains called Mt. Takamagahara, Mt. Suwa and Mt. Ogura, all rated as intermediate level mountains to climb. Also, the memorial monument for the Japan Airlines 123 flight crash that occurred on August 12 in 1985, stands at the point known as “Osutaka-no-One”.
  • Ueno Village Forest Experience Hall
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Tanogunuenomura Narahara 310-1
    This is a facility that plans and manages various experiences for the purpose of “regional promotion” in Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture. There are outdoor experiences such as watching the night sky and walking in the forest, one of the areas of the source of the Kanna River that was approved as a clean river by several water quality examinations. Hometown experiences where you can interact with the local people while eating local cuisine, and indoor experiences such as woodcraft and leathercraft are held. There are also miso making experiences in winter, and the miso will be ready the after the end of the following summer.
  • Nidoage Pass
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Prefecture Takasaki City
    This is a pass on the border of Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture and Naganohara Town, Agatsuma County, opened with an altitude of about 1,380 meters and rich in nature. It is recommended for those visiting Asama-Otaki Falls and Asama Ranch as there is a car park for climbers. The view of Mt. Asama from Nidoage Pass is spectacular, especially during autumn when you can enjoy the scenery of the changing colors of the leaves. The beautiful scenery makes it a popular course for those driving or motorbike riding to Kita-Karuizawa.
  • Tsuchitohinosato Park
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Fujiokashi Kamihino 2240
    This workshop experience facility is located on the riverside of Ayukawa River in Fujioka City's Hino Valley in the Mikabo mountain range. There are three workshops, dyeing, glass-making and pottery, and anyone can enjoy crafting things under the guidance of the experts here. There are a variety of relatively short and simple experience workshops, such as indigo dyeing and the sandblasting experiences, up to full-blown pottery experiences such as making cups and bowls using a potter's wheel. Visitors can also enjoy meals at the facility's tea house or at the barbeque area.
  • Hanadaka Flower-Viewing Hill
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Takasakishi Hanadakamachi 1400
    This scenic spot is located approximately 30 minutes from the Kan’etsu Expressway Takasaki Interchange, where flowers bloom colorfully throughout the year. From a hill overlooking the city of Takasaki, flowers such as rape blossoms in the spring, sunflowers in the summer and cosmos in the autumn can be seen with the Three Mountains of Jomo in the background. During the spring, the rape blossom festival has approximately 300,000 rape blossoms, as well as nemophila, pansies, tulips and others. In the autumn, the Cosmos Festival is held, and visitors can enjoy buying local vegetables from direst sales outlets and various events such as the potato digging experience.
  • Jukkoku Pass
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Prefecture Tano-gun Uenomura
    This mountain pass is 1,351 meters in height and is located between Ueno Village, Tano County in Gunma Prefecture and Sakuho Town, Minamisaku County in Nagano Prefecture. This name of the pass originates from a long time ago when 1,500 kilograms (Jikkoku) of rice had to be carried every day from the Shinshu region to the west of Joshu region where rice could not be harvested. In addition to rice, miso paste and soy sauce from the Shinshu region and coal from the Shinshu region was transported. The folk song, “Jikkoku-Mago-Uta”, sung by the horsemen is passed down to this day. At the Jikkoku Pass, there are car parks, toilets, and a tower observatory with a magnificent view, that can be entered freely. Please be aware that the mountain pass is closed during winter.
  • Haruna Plum Grove
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Takasakishi Kamisatomimachi
    This plum grove located in Haruna Town, Japan’s largest plum producer, is about 40 minutes by car from the Takasaki Interchange on the Kanetsu Expressway. The area, incorporating Takasaki City's “Misato Plum Grove” and Annaka City's “Akima Plum Grove”, is known as “Gunma’s Three Major Plum Groves”. About 120 thousand plums, mainly white, are planted on the extensive area of land. When the plums flower the whole hillside is enveloped in white and the fragrance of plum blossom. The Cultural Center Ecole, surrounded by plum groves, holds the “Haruna Plum Festival” and all sorts of plum related events, during the blossom season. The best time is from the beginning to the end of March.
  • Sandan Falls
    Travel / Tourism
    Around 1264 Minamimaki-mura, Ganura-gun, Gunma Prefecture
    "This waterfall is part of a river in Nanmoku Village, Kanra County, Gunma Prefecture. The cascade drops 50 meters, falling over three levels, ""sandan"" in Japanese. It's accessible via a parking lot on Prefectural Route 108. A walkway leads to the waterfall with a few kilometers' hike. It's not entirely flat, so you need to be careful. Along the valley leading to Sandan Falls you'll encounter numerous other cascades both large and small."
  • Shimonita-machi History Museum
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Kanragunshimonitamachi Shimosaka 71-1
    This history museum showcases the culture of Shimonita Town. It has displays on the town's history as well as the changes of its citizens' lives over the years. You can also learn about kozo mulberry and mitsumata, cultivated in Shimonita Town to make traditional washi paper. From the late Meiji period to the early Showa period, the area was also an important sericulture center that gave rise to the Tomioka Silk Mill. The museum has materials related to the Arafune Cold Storage which used naturally chilled air to preserve silkworm eggs. It was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2014.
  • Lake Nyuko
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Tomiokashi Shimonyu 459-2
    This man-made lake located in Shimonyu, Tomioka City was formed by Nyu Dam. It offers beautiful natural scenery such as the reflection of Mt. Myogi in the lake's surface and the cherry blossoms on the lakeshore. It is also known for its great Japanese crucian carp and Japanese pond smelt fishing (the managed fishing area is currently closed). There is also a sunflower field next to the lake that blooms with some 110,000 sunflowers.
  • Shizuoka Prefecture Forest Park Sakura no Sato
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Kanra-gun Shimonitamachi Kamiosaka 1258
    Situated a 20-minute drive from the Matsuida-Myogi Interchange on the Joshin-etsu Expressway, this park was opened in 1983 to serve as a space for prefectural residents to relax and refresh as part of an event celebrating 30 years of local government autonomy. Entry is free. The 47 hectare grounds are equal in size to 10 Tokyo Domes. There are 5,000 cherry trees on the park's grounds spanning some 45 varieties such as Yoshino cherries, and during the blooming season in spring the park bustles with families. Seasonal events are also held here, and visitors can participate in things like cherry blossom viewing parties, cherry blossom photography sessions, and vegetable dyeing classes.
  • FRUIT ON THE HILL
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gunma Takasaki-shi Yoshiimachi Ogushi 750-5
  • Ueno Sky Bridge
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Tanogunuenomura Kawawa 665
    This suspension bridge hangs in “Sky Corridor” —a resort area in Ueno Village, Tano County, Gunma Prefecture. It connects the “Mahoba no Mori” cottage resort with “Kawawa Natural Park,” home of the limestone cave “Fijido” —itself famous as a tourist spot. It boasts a bigger scale than most pedestrian suspension bridges in the country, at 225 meters long and 90 meters tall. You can walk almost as if in air and gaze at the grand mountain scenery. From April to November, soap bubbles are blown every half hour.
  • Kogonji Temple
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Tomiokashi Shimodakase 731
    This Soto Zen Buddhist temple is in Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture. Visitors first pass through the heavy temple gate, climb the long stone stairway, and enter the precincts through the karamon gate. The main temple just ahead has become famous in recent years as the filming location of the SFX drama series Kamen Rider Ghost. Currently the temple also manages a nursing home and a nursery school. It is popular with the locals.
  • Takasaki White Robed Daikannon, Jigenin Temple
    Travel / Tourism
    Gunma Pref. Takasakishi Ishiharamachi 2710-1
    Set atop the Mt. Kannon in Ishihara Town, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, a statue of a white robed large kannon rises to 40 meters high, and is a Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. 20 buddhas are enshrined within the statue, and a view of the city can be observed from the shoulder level within the statue. The Mt. Takasaki Kannon is also known for its cherry blossoms. Every year, at their peak, the Yoshino blossoms in full glory surrounding the huge Kannon statue.
  • Uchiyama Pass
    Travel / Tourism
    Nagano Pref. Sakushi Uchiyama
    A pass known as the trailhead of Mt. Arafune located on the border between Kanra County, Gunma Prefecture and Saku City, Nagano Prefecture along National Route 254. Visitors can view picturesque rock formations such as Himeiwa Rock, Byobuiwa Rock, and Napoleon Rock as well as lush natural, seasonal scenery, and the pass has been selected as possessing one of the 100 most picturesque sunsets in Nagano.

Gunma Areas

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Gunma prefecture is synonymous with onsen. Natural hot spring water sources throughout the prefecture have given rise to a series of small onsen towns, each set among luscious mountains. At Kusatsu, Ikaho, and Minakami, traditional indoor and outdoor bathing experiences are served hand in hand with irresistible onsen-themed food, including steam-cooked eggs and custard pudding.

Gunma Photo Album

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