Gunma
群馬県
Start here
What to know about Gunma
From the World Heritage-listed Tomioka Silk Mill to Kusatsu, one of Japan’s most celebrated hot springs, and Oze, the largest highland marsh on Honshū, Gunma Prefecture’s many attractions are scattered across both mountains and plains. Just 50 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen, the prefecture lets you shape your trip however you like, whether it is a day trip or an extended stay at a hot spring inn.
Tomioka Silk Mill and Silk Industry Heritage
Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, the Tomioka Silk Mill was built in 1872 by the Meiji government under the guidance of French engineer Paul Brunat as a state-run mechanized silk-reeling factory. The reeling house is a timber-framed brick structure stretching roughly 140 meters in length. Its interior employs a truss design with no supporting columns, creating a vast open space where 300 French-style reeling machines once stood in rows. At the time, no silk mill of comparable scale existed anywhere in the world, and the facility is credited with elevating the quality of Japanese raw silk to international standards. After operations ceased in 1987, the Katakura Industries company preserved the buildings under a policy of “never sell, never lease, never demolish,” and thanks to this commitment, visitors can see the mill much as it looked when it first opened. The World Heritage designation also encompasses the Former Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm, the Takayama-sha Sericulture School, and the Arafune Cold Storage, allowing visitors to trace the full arc of the silk industry from silkworm rearing to thread production.
Kusatsu Onsen
Boasting a natural hot spring flow of over 32,300 liters per minute, the highest of any naturally flowing source in Japan, Kusatsu Onsen is ranked among the country’s three most celebrated hot springs alongside Arima Onsen and Gero Onsen. At the Yubatake, the steaming field at the heart of the town, roughly 4,000 liters of source water surge up every minute and flow through seven wooden channels that cool it naturally. The pride of Kusatsu lies in the ability to bathe in undiluted source water, with no added water to reduce the temperature. The spring has a strongly acidic pH of around 2.1 with potent antibacterial properties, and since ancient times it has been prized as a therapeutic bathing destination by warlords and literary figures for conditions such as skin ailments and neuralgia. The names of historical figures who visited Kusatsu, including Minamoto no Yoritomo and Maeda Toshiie, are carved into the stone railing that surrounds the Yubatake. Yumomi, the tradition of stirring the hot water with large wooden paddles to cool it to a comfortable temperature, is unique to Kusatsu. Visitors can join in the rhythmic paddle-stirring experience, moving the boards in time with traditional calls.
Oze
Accessed primarily from Katashina Village in Gunma, Oze is a national park spanning four prefectures: Gunma, Fukushima, Tochigi, and Niigata. Centered on Ozegahara, the largest highland marsh on Honshū, and Lake Ozenuma, a volcanic dammed lake, the park covers approximately 37,000 hectares. From late May to early June, white skunk cabbage blossoms blanket the marshland in what has become the defining image of this landscape. Summer brings fields of day lilies and cotton grass, and the autumn marsh grasses turning gold are equally breathtaking. No roads for cars lead into Oze; the only way in is on foot along wooden boardwalks from trailheads such as Hatomachi Pass and Ōshimizu. Walking through pristine nature in deep silence, catching hints of black bears and iwana char in their habitat, is an experience that belongs to the remote mountains of Gunma, far removed from the noise of city life.
Ikaho Onsen and the Stone Steps
Nestled in the hills of Shibukawa City, Ikaho Onsen is an ancient hot spring whose name appears in the Man’yōshū, Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry. The symbol of the town is its stone stairway of 365 steps, said to have been first laid out when the Sengoku-era warlord Takeda Katsuyori ordered the construction of a bathing facility for his wounded soldiers. Beneath the steps flows Kogane-no-Yu, a reddish-brown iron-rich source, and the system that distributes the water through small intake ports to each inn along the way is still in operation today. Verses by the poet Yosano Akiko are inscribed partway up the stairway, and the old-fashioned charm of shooting galleries and penny-candy shops lining the steps stirs a sense of nostalgia. Legend has it that the number of steps was set at 365 to wish for prosperity every day of the year, and the view of the hot spring town from Ikaho Shrine at the top of the climb is a fitting reward at the end of the walk.
Location
Where is Gunma?
Gunma Prefecture is situated in the northwestern part of the Kanto region, with Maebashi as its capital city. As of October 2024, the population stands at approximately 1.89 million, ranking around 18th nationwide. The prefecture covers roughly 6,362 square kilometers, placing it 21st in area across Japan. Forests account for about 67% of the land, and mountains reaching 2,000 meters line the northern and western borders, while the Kanto Plain spreads across the south. Surrounded by Tochigi, Saitama, Nagano, Niigata, and Fukushima Prefectures, Gunma is a landlocked prefecture with no coastline.
The Tone River, which boasts the largest drainage basin in Japan, runs through the heart of the prefecture. Long known by the nickname “Bandō Tarō,” this great river has served as a lifeline for water use and agriculture throughout the region. The northwestern area around Mt. Tanigawa and Oze is one of Japan’s heaviest snowfall zones, whereas the southern plains enjoy long hours of sunshine year-round and benefit from well-drained soil ideal for farming.
The climate is marked by sharp contrasts between summer and winter. In summer, cities like Maebashi and Isesaki are among the hottest in Japan, with temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius on some days due to the foehn effect. When winter arrives, dry seasonal winds sweep down from the northwest across the mountains, sending cold, powerful gusts racing over the plains. Known locally as Akagi-oroshi and Haruna-oroshi, these winds are a hallmark of Gunma life, famously immortalized in the Jōmō Karuta card poem: “Thunder and dry winds, honor and heart.” Snowfall on the plains remains light, yet the wind chill can be severe, and on some days swirling dust turns the sky a hazy yellow.
Loading map...
Access
Getting to Gunma
The Jōetsu Shinkansen offers the most convenient access from Tokyo, reaching Takasaki Station in approximately 50 minutes from Tokyo Station. Takasaki Station sits at the junction of the Jōetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines and serves as a transfer hub for JR conventional lines and private railways. On local trains, the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line and the Ueno-Tokyo Line run directly to Takasaki and Maebashi, providing a transfer-free connection to central Tokyo for those with time to spare. From Haneda or Narita Airport, the typical route is to head first to Tokyo Station or Ueno Station and then transfer to the Shinkansen.
Getting around within the prefecture varies considerably depending on your destination. Rail lines such as the JR Ryōmō Line and Jōmō Electric Railway connect the southern cities of Takasaki and Maebashi, but reaching mountain-area attractions like Kusatsu Onsen, Ikaho Onsen, and Oze often requires bus transfers, and services can be infrequent. If you plan to visit several areas efficiently, renting a car is well worth considering. Rental car agencies are clustered around Takasaki and Maebashi Stations, making either city a convenient base for exploring the rest of the prefecture.
In winter, heavy snowfall is common in the northern and western mountain areas, and icy roads demand caution. Snow tires or chains are essential when driving toward Kusatsu Onsen or Mt. Tanigawa. The southern plains see little snow, but be prepared for strong karakaze gusts and blowing dust on the roads.
Local pride
Specialty Products
Blessed with the fertile soil of the Kanto Plain and abundant sunshine, Gunma Prefecture has long been one of Japan’s leading wheat-producing areas, nurturing a deep-rooted flour-based food culture. The dramatic differences in elevation across the prefecture also support thriving agriculture, with highland areas producing summer and autumn vegetables on a scale that ranks among the highest in the nation. On the volcanic-ash slopes where drainage is excellent, distinctive root vegetables and fruits have been cultivated for generations. In livestock farming, the prefecture has a long history of raising beef cattle, making use of the clean streams of the Tone River system and mountain pastures, and has built a strong track record supplying high-quality beef to the Tokyo metropolitan area. Textile skills honed during the era when sericulture flourished live on as traditional crafts, and handcrafted goods such as silk textiles and daruma dolls remain iconic products of Gunma. With its abundance of hot spring resorts, the prefecture is also home to a rich variety of regional dishes tied to local food traditions.
Food
Crafts & Others
Through the ages
History of Gunma
The area now known as Gunma Prefecture was once called Keno-no-kuni, a name that evolved into Kamitsukeno-no-kuni and then, under the ritsuryō legal system, Kōzuke Province. During the Kofun period it thrived as a center of eastern Japanese culture, and more than 13,000 burial mounds have been identified within the prefecture. The Tenjinyama Kofun in Ōta City stretches 210 meters in length, making it the largest keyhole-shaped tomb in eastern Japan; Gunma is, in fact, the only place in eastern Japan where tombs of the 200-meter class exist. A substantial share of the haniwa clay figures designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties were unearthed here, testifying to the region’s deep ties with the Yamato court. Horse breeding began in the latter half of the fifth century, raising the military and economic value of Kōzuke Province. When the district name “Kuruma-gun” was changed to “Gunma-gun” during the Nara period, the new characters were chosen to evoke the image of a land where horses gathered in abundance.
In the medieval era, the region became known as the place where Nitta Yoshisada raised the banner of revolt against the Kamakura shōgunate. After the upheaval of the Northern and Southern Courts period, the Yamauchi Uesugi clan assumed the role of provincial governors over Kōzuke. The Sengoku period saw Kōzuke become the stage for a three-way struggle among the Takeda of Kai, the Uesugi of Echigo, and the Hōjō of Sagami, with local warriors repeatedly shifting allegiances as fortunes changed. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Odawara Campaign brought down the Hōjō, Kōzuke was absorbed into Tokugawa Ieyasu’s domain, and during the Edo period the province was divided among nine han, including Maebashi, Takasaki, and Numata.
With the Meiji Restoration came the abolition of the han system in 1871, and the area was briefly designated Takasaki Prefecture. To resolve the rivalry between the former Maebashi and Takasaki domains, the name was changed just three days later, borrowing from Gunma District to create Gunma Prefecture. No account of modern Gunma is complete without the rise of sericulture and the silk industry. The Tomioka Silk Mill began operations in 1872 and, as one of the world’s largest mechanized silk-reeling facilities, became a driving force behind Japan’s modernization. Its techniques spread to silk mills across the country. Together with the Kiryū weaving tradition and the daruma culture born among sericulture families, the memory of Gunma as a “land of silk” remains a source of deep pride for the prefecture today.
Continue exploring
Discover other areas and hidden gems across Kanto Region.
