Kusatsu Onsen

We're back from our overnight stay in Kusatsu Onsen - it was our first time there, and I can't say how awesome it was. We went as part of our company's meeting/getaway, and we've already been talking about going back for a few days some time on a personal excursion. I can't believe we hadn't gone there before and now we have to make up for lost time!

Kusatsu Onsen is an onsen (hot spring) resort town in the mountains of land-locked Gunma Prefecture. Gunma is colder in winter than Shizuoka, and is famous for its many onsens with very hot natural water with a strong sulfur smell. Actually, the whole town smells of sulfur! There is nothing better than soaking in a super-hot outdoor bath in the brisk air in the snowy mountains.

We went there by chartered bus, and it took about six hours, including rest-stops. We stayed in the Hotel Ichii, which is in the heart of the town and overlooks the famous Yubatake - "hot water field". This is a photo of Yubatake (and the town) taken from my hotel room:



The white building is our hotel, and in the foreground is a footbath (with an early morning "bather"):


Another angle of our hotel and Yubatake:


The Hotel Ichii is a really nice hotel with it's own natural hot spring baths, of course. Before an amazing dinner served in a private "enkai jo" (large tatami room for parties and gatherings), several of us made sure to go to the hotel baths for a relaxing soak after the long bus ride. After dinner, we "hit the town" - which is actually very small!

Being an onsen resort, it is very natural to just walk around the town in the yukata provided by the hotels. Here are a few of my women co-workers as we are about to embark on an onsen adventure - extra lucky to enjoy a light snow:


The most awesome part of Kusatsu Onsen, at least for me, is the numerous free onsens that are scattered around the town. These look like plain wooden sheds, and you just go through the door marked with the appropriate kanji (女 for women, or 男 for men).



After finding a few free baths to enjoy, a few of us finished off our evening excursion by soaking our feet in a foot bath and a cool can of chu-hi.



The morning consisted of more baths, a great breakfast of grilled salmon with all the trimmings, and another brief stroll around town where we bought some Onsen Manju - the famous omiyage of the area - the bring back to the office for all to enjoy.

For more information about Kusatsu Onsen, visit these websites:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7400.html

http://www.kusatsu-onsen.ne.jp/eng/index.html