Let’s experience Gunma!
Magazine
ReleaseFebruary 20, 2020
Only 1 hour from Tokyo by shinkansen. Have a special “experience” of Gunma in spring, which you cannot do in Tokyo.
Experience the grand view of flowers!
You will be mesmerized by the field of flowers spread across a vast expanse of land.Let’s visit Gunma filled with beautiful flowers!
Akagi Nanmen Senbonzakura-matsuri Festival (Maebashi City)
Early ~ mid-April
Enjoy a long sakura tunnel stretching about 1.3 km from north to south, along with a beautiful field with vivid yellow canola blossoms.

Location: Akagi Nanmen Senbonzakura at Miyagi Senbonzakura-no-mori Park
Fujioka Fuji-matsuri Festival (Fujioka City)
About 2.3 ha of the huge park is beautifully decorated with 45 kinds of wisteria blossoms. After sunset, the 250-meter wisteria tunnel is illuminated, creating a fantastical view.



Location: Fuji-no-saku-Oka, Fuji Fureaikan
Access: About 15 min. by free courtesy car from JR Shinmachi Sta./ about 10 min. from Fujioka IC
Ota Shibazakura-matsuri Festival (Ota City)
The expansive hill is beautifully covered by pink, white, and red shibazakura (moss phlox). In the park, you can also enjoy other flower fields with beautiful blossoms, such as baby blue eyes (nemophila) and poppy blossoms.

Location: Hachiojiyama Park
Experience the powerful wilderness!
Fill your lungs with fresh air and feel Gunma throughout your body.Get exciting and beautiful experiences unique to and only available in Gunma, where rich natural environments remain.
Minakami (Minakami City)
Located upstream of Tone River, Minakami Town is referred to as a “holy site for outdoor activities,” where you can enjoy various water activities that take full advantage of great nature and unique landforms.
Rafting
A popular river sport, in which you travel down a rapid stream on a large rubber boat while using a paddle. There is higher water flow due to snowmelt from April to June, making rafting more thrilling!

Canyoning
A sport which involves descending canyons by sliding down waterfalls and cliffs and jumping into deep pools. Completely feel the great wilderness and refresh yourself!


Lake Shima and Lake Okushima
These two artificial dam lakes are famous for their amazing cobalt blue color which locals refer to as “Shima blue.” Canoeing is a popular activity, which allows you to fully enjoy the great landscape.
*Canoeing is subject to fees.




Access:
About 60 min. from Shibukawa Ikaho IC.
Experience history and culture!
The history of world-class silk industry in Gunma. Touch and feel Gunma’s textile culture heritage, which is still being practiced until today.Tomioka Silk Mill (Tomioka City)
Constructed as a government-operated silk mill in 1872, this facility supported Japan’s sericulture and silk-reeling industry for 115 years as a cutting-edge pioneer in the silk-reeling industry. As a heritage site with precious history and culture, Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites was registered on the World Heritage List in 2014.


Fee: 1,000 yen for adults
Time: 9:00~17:00 (16:30 for last entry)
Access: About 15 min. on foot from Joshu-Tomioka Sta. on the Joshin Line.
About 15 min. from Tomioka IC.
Audio guide is available in English, Chinese, Korean, and French during your visiting.
*Rental fee for an audio guide device: 200 yen
World Heritage Visitor Center, Gunma “SEKAITO” (Silk Powered Innovation Incubator)
An exhibition facility scheduled to be open on April, 2020. Various kinds of exhibitions, including a VR guide video on a large screen, panels, and other videos, will allow a range of people —from first-time visitors to those who want to know more— to enhance their understanding of raw silk while having fun.


Time: 9:00~17:00
Access:
About 1 min. on foot from Joshu-Tomioka Sta. on the Joshin Line.
About 10 min. from Tomioka IC.
Kiryu Textile
A specialty product of Kiryu City, a famous textile-producing region. There are seven weaving techniques to create Kiryu textiles using various materials such as silk.
“Enjoy strolling in kimono!”
Would you like to take a stroll around Kiryu, a town with many historical buildings, dressed in kimono?
(The service is offered every Saturday. Reservation is required)


Fee: 3,500 yen (including rental and dressing fees)
Location: Yamamoto Kimono Gakuin (Tomoe-cho 2-1810-17, Kiryu City)
Time: 9:00~12:00 (for rental), Rental items should be returned by 16:00.
Access: 3 min. on foot from Kiryu Sta. on JR Ryomo Line
Experience ultimate healing!

A visit to Gunma will not be complete without taking an onsen bath. Take a look at numerous onsen resorts and find the best one for you!
Kusatsu Onsen
One of the best onsens in Japan with the largest volume of natural spring water in the country. The quaint townscape centering around “yubatake,” a huge area where the water from the source is divided and cooled, is one of the charms of the area.

Ikaho Onsen
An onsen town with 365 stone steps at a steep slope. Enjoy two kinds of hot water, “Kogane-no-yu” and “Shirogane-no-yu,” with different spring qualities.

Shima Onsen
An old-style onsen town stretching along the Shima River. This onsen is also famous for “insen (drinking spring water),” which is said to be good for your stomach.


Minakami 18 Toh
Due to the municipal merger involving a large area, 18 major onsen areas in Minakami were collectively named “Minakami 18 Toh.” The onsen towns undergoing renovation have also been attracting attention.

Manza Onsen
Located 1,800 meters above sea level, this onsen is also referred to as “unjo-no-yu (hot spring water above the clouds).” It is a high-temperature sulfur spring, with abundant water output of 5.4 million liters per day.

*The information herein is as of February 2020.