On the southwest of Lake Haruna, Haruna Shrine (榛名神社) has been looking after the region since the late 6th century. The 30-minute walk on the approach from the torii gate to the main worship hall is so mysterious that some sort of sacred power is gained just by taking a short journey! This is especially […]
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The Ikaho Stone Steps, or Ishidan Stone Stairway (石段街) in the center of Ikaho Onsen, is the town’s symbol. Along the Stone Steps, restaurants and souvenir shops line, so reaching the top surely won’t be a tiring task as you will likely be side-tracked at some point. While in Japanese, the stone steps are engraved
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Because a ropeway is expensive to build and maintain, it usually means at the mountain top station, magnificent scenery awaits. This is the case for Ikaho Ropeway. The panoramic view from Uenoyama Park next to the ropeway station is breathtaking. So when you visit Ikaho Onsen in Gunma Prefecture, allocate an hour or two away
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After soaking in Ikaho‘s golden hot spring and enjoying the food and games at the shops lining Ikaho Stone Steps, how about venturing out of the city to meet the farm animals and contemporary artworks in an art museum? Especially in early spring, Ikaho Green Bokujo and Hara Museum ARC are the must-visit spots in
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Although not as famous as Kusatsu Onsen, Ikaho Onsen (伊香保温泉) in Gunma Prefecture is a hot spring town well-known to the Japanese since ancient times. Appeared in the Man’yōshū (万葉集), the oldest extant collection of Japanese waka, the onsen town is a hidden gem filled with natural and cultural elements! So if you are after a
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If you plan to visit Ikaho Onsen in Gunma Prefecture, venture out to the Mizusawa region for the infamous Mizusawa Udon (水沢うどん) because it is one of Japan’s three most famous udons (the other two are Inaniwa Udon (稲庭うどん) from Akita Prefecture and Sanuki Udon (讃岐うどん) from Kagawa Prefecture)! The chewy and slightly thick noodles
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Mizusawa-dera (水澤寺), southeast of Ikaho Onsen, has been a highly regarded temple for centuries. The temple is filled with amazingly built buildings and Buddha statues. The Tendai sect temple has Eleven-faced thousand-armed Kannon (十一面千手観音) as the main image, so it is also referred to as Mizusawa Kannon (水澤観音). Aside from wishes for safe child delivery
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About 5km southwest of Ikaho Onsen, the Haruna area in Takasaki City is where many tourists would venture out to when they visit the hot spring town. In fact, it is the city’s most popular outdoor destination. The area is filled with stunning nature, suitable for various outdoor activities and a shrine with more than
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After visiting Kusatsu Onsen, you can drive up to Shiga Kōgen. The 43km-long scenic freeway connecting the two popular destinations is National Highway No. 292, also known as Shiga Kusatsu Kōgen Route (志賀草津高原ルート). The route goes as far as Shibu Onsen (渋温泉郷) in Nagano Prefecture, close to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. So if you
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If you are after a hot spring town close to Tokyo, consider Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture. Renowned as one of Japan’s leading hot spring resorts, it is blessed with large volumes of high-quality hot spring water with great medical benefits as well as a unique performance called Yumomi. Moreover, most parts of the onsen
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