Hi, thank you for visiting this blog!
Today, we want to introduce a fantastic place called ‘GUNMA‘.

Have you ever heard of this place?
It is a prefecture in Japan, located in Kanto region.

We want to advertise Gunma in this blog because the writers are both from Gunma prefecture!!
We were born and raised in Gunma for 18 years, therefore we know many good things about this place.

Gunma..? I Haven’t Heard of It!

There might be many people who have this feeling.
According to Japan’s company ‘Brand Research Institute Inc.’, the data of ‘most appealing prefecture in Japan’ has been collected every year.
The result of 2018 was like this:
1. Hokkaido
2. Kyoto 
3. Tokyo
4. Okinawa
5. Kanagawa

43. Gunma
44. Saitama
44. Saga
46. Tokushima
47. Ibaraki
(https://rocketnews24.com/2018/10/16/1127992/)

Gunma was 43rd appealing prefecture in Japan (out of 47)… which is not a very good result.
Every year, Gunma’s rank is below 40.

Gunma is still relatively unknown prefecture. We thought this is the reason why Gunma is less appealing compared to the other places.
Therefore, we decided to introduce some popular and interesting tourist spots and local foods in Gunma.

Best places to visit/ good local foods in Gunma

<Onsen>

Do you know “Onsen”?
It is a Japanese hot spring, where people can relax both physically and mentally. There are a lot of hot springs across Japan, and nowadays, it is one of the most popular tourist spots in the country not only for Japanese people but also for foreign visitors.

If you are visiting hot springs in Japan, we recommend you to visit Gunma Prefecture, where you can find many great “onsen” and we are sure that you can find your favorite!!

Lists of hot springs in Gunma:

• Kusatsu-Onsen
• Ikaho-Onsen
• Shima-Onsen
• Minakami-Onsen
• Manza-Onsen
• Akagi-Onsen
• Sarugakyou-Onsen
• Oigami-Onsen
• Yujyuku-Onsen
• Tanigawa-Onsen

and more!!

This time, we would like to introduce you Kusatsu hot spring.

>Kusatsu-Onsen

Kusatsu-onsen resort is popular not only with its high quality nature of the spring, but also with its history and atmosphere of the onsen town, delicious foods, and so on. Let’s learn about Kusatsu hot spring and see what we can enjoy there!

~ High quality of Hot spring water ~
Kusatsu-onsen is selected as one of the top three hot springs in Japan. It discharge 32,300 liters of hot spring water per minute, which is the greatest amount among all Japanese hot springs. This enables visitors to enjoy 100 percent free-flowing natural hot spring (hot spring water supplied directly from the hot spring source)! Moreover, it is selected as one of the top three “Kusuriyu” (medicated bath) that can help your recovery from fatigue and promote your overall health.

~ History & Atmosphere ~
“Yubatake” (wooden facility to moderate thermal temperature of hot spring water) is the symbolic place in Kusatsu, which is located in the center of this hot spring resort. Also, “Yumomi” (method to cool down the temperature of water) is another feature in this hot spring resort that has been passed down since Edo-period. Visitors can actually experience “Yumomi” in “Yumomi Show”.

Extra tips!
For upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the city changed the notation of “Kusatsu-onsengai” to “Kusatsu onsen town” in February, 2015 and Kusatsu was the first Japanese hot spring resort to make this kind of change.

~ Foods & Sports~
Kusatsu is also known as the birthplace of “Onsen-manjyu” (a traditional Japanese steamed bun stuffed with sweet azuki-bean paste). There are other popular foods, such as onsen tamago (egg cooked in onsen hot springs), udon noodles, fresh fruit and vegetables. They are very delicious, so you all should try them!

Additionally, you can enjoy various activities in Kusatsu hot spring resort throughout the year, such as golfing, mounting board, skiing and hiking. You can fully enjoy bathing in hot spring after exercising!

~ Location ~
Kusatsu, Kusatsu-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma

(Yubatake)

(Yubatake at night)

(Yumomi show)

(Onsen-manjyu)

 

<Konnyaku (Konjac / Devil’s tongue)>

Konnyaku, also known as devil’s tongue is a Japanese traditional food made from Konjac potato.

By the way, did you know that Gunma prefecture is the largest producer of Konnyaku in Japan?(2016→97.5%, 2017→92.3%)

If you want to eat Konnyaku in Gunma, we recommend you to visit Konnyaku Park where you can take a tour of Konnyaku factory, experience in making Konnyaku and eat various kinds of Konnyaku dishes.
Konnyaku factory tour offers clear explanation of Konnyaku, so anyone can be an expert of Konnyaku after taking this tour!!
Moreover, you can have an experience of making Konnyaku or Konnyaku sweets that children can enjoy with their friends or their family members.
Additionally, you can also enjoy Konnyaku buffet for free of charge. There are many other things that you can enjoy in this factory and it is worth visiting!

~ Location ~
204-1 Obata, Kanra-machi, Kanra-gun, Gunma

(Konnyaku Park)

(Factory line)

(Konnyaku buffet)

 

<Tomioka Silk Mill>

Near Konnyaku park, there is a place called Tomioka Silk Mill.
Tomioka Silk Mill is a only world heritage in Gunma.

Tomioka Silk Mill is a first silk mill build in Japan in the Meiji period (1872).
It played an important role in innovating and spreading silk industry on those days.

Now, the silk mill is not working.
We can observe the machines and inside the building what was like in the Meiji period.

~ Souvenirs in Tomioka Silk Mill ~

1. Mayukomori

It is a popular souvenir in here.
It is Kuzuyu (arrowroot tea), type of Japanese beverage.
You can drink it by pouring hot water and mixing with Mayukomori in the cup.
It is sweet, pale colored tea. The texture is similar to honey. It was one of the popular hot desserts during winter in the past period.

2.Silkworm sweets

SURPRIZED!? (Sorry, indeed)

Actually, this is not a real silkworm. Fake silkworm sweets taste good.
These silkworm chocolates, marshmallows, and cookies are also popular souvenirs in Tomioka silk mill.
You can surprise your friends when you give this as a souvenir.

~ Location ~
1-1 Tomioka, Tomioka city, Gunma

~ Entrance Fee~
Adult 1000yen
High school/ University students 250yen
Elementary/ Junior high school students 150yen
Preschooler Free

     (Tomioka Silk Mill)

In the End…

As we mentioned, there are a lot of fascinating and attractive things in Gunma Prefecture!

Visit and experience Gunma, you will definitely enjoy!

This is the end of our blog and we hope you all enjoyed reading it!

Thank you very much!!

　＊This character is Gunma’s official ‘Yuru-kyara’ (mascot character) named ‘Gunma-chan’.
He/She (Actually Gunma-chan has no sex) won a grand prix in 2014 Character Contest in Japan.
You can also meet him/her in Gunma!!!