Kusatsu Machi

Kusatsu is an onsen town, about 1,200 metres above sea level, beside several volcanoes including the active Mt. Kusatsu-Shirane (Shirane), and known for its healing waters. Water for the town originates from Mt. Shirane with a flow of more than 32,000 litres per minute. This is one of the largest natural outputs of hot spring water in Japan. The water is very acidic, having a sterilizing effect. A 6-inch nail is said to dissolve to only a small metal shard after 10 days.

During the Edo period, Kusatsu became famous for its therapeutic waters. One of the shoguns at the time was said to have shipped its waters to his castle to bathe. Then, in the Meiji period, a German court physician to the emperor, Dr. Erwin Bälz, popularized the healing effects of the water even more by researching and championing its healing properties. Today, Kusatsu continues to be a popular hot spring destination, with upwards to 3 million visitors a year.

Tourist information site:

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only portal site.

By rail:

Unusually enough for Japan, Kusatsu does not have a train station of its own. The nearest station is 1 Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station (長野原草津口駅) on the JR Agatsuma Line. The limited express Kusatsu runs twice in the morning (10:00 and 12:12) from Ueno Station in Tokyo, taking 2 hr 20 min and costing ¥5,070, from which you can take a connecting bus (25 min, ¥710) to Kusatsu. At any other time, you'll have to take the Shinkansen to Takasaki and transfer to local services (3 hours, ¥5,810), or the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa (about 70–80 minutes, ¥5,710) and arrange further transport, or take local trains with 2 or 3 transfers (3½ hours, ¥3,020).

By bus:

2 Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal JR operates the Jōshu Yūmeguri (上州ゆめぐり) direct bus to Kusatsu bus terminal several times a day (hourly) from Shinjuku (Tokyo) Expressway Bus Terminal, which takes around 4 hours and charges between ¥3,000 (in advance) and ¥3,600 (on board). Buses also connect from Kusatsu to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi (¥710) and Karuizawa (¥2240) to link with the rail lines.