Kusatsu Onsen Travel Guide: One of Japan’s Three Legendary Hot Springs: Enjoy Onsen Culture and Local Food

“Kusatsu Onsen” is full of local specialties and has many tempting shops.
Here, we’ll introduce two: “Yubatake soba” and “pork shabu-shabu.”
Yubatake soba, made with hot spring water, is known for its firm, smooth texture—and it’s outstanding with local maitake mushroom tempura.
Gunma’s specialty pork shabu-shabu enjoyed with soba-yu (buckwheat broth) is also recommended as a Kusatsu-only local favorite.
And be sure to enjoy eating as you stroll through the town streets.
For example, the classic onsen manju (hot spring buns), a popular souvenir, varies by shop in its craft and character, making it fun to compare.
The mellow “Kusatsu Onsen pudding” and the nostalgic “Yukemuri cider” also come in thoughtfully designed packaging—perfect as a trip memory.

Experiencing traditional Japanese culture is also one way to enjoy “Kusatsu Onsen.”
Two especially popular options are the “Yumomi Show” and “Kusatsu Onsen rakugo.”
Yumomi is a Japanese tradition that dates back to the Edo period (1603–1868), created as a way to lower the high temperature of the source water without adding water (so the benefits aren’t reduced).
You’ll be amazed watching performers stir the water with long wooden boards to the tune of the famous folk song “Yumomi-uta,” which begins with “Kusatsu yoi toko ichido wa oide.”
Now a beloved new Kusatsu specialty, “Kusatsu Onsen rakugo” starts at 8:00 pm every day, 365 days a year, letting you end your day with a relaxed performance of traditional storytelling.
The stage is the same venue as the “Yumomi Show,” with its distinctive atmosphere, and most visitors are first-time rakugo listeners—so don’t worry.
There are also many facilities around Kusatsu Onsen where you can experience Japan in unique ways, so be sure to try them firsthand.

Onsen hopping in a yukata might just be the biggest charm of “Kusatsu Onsen.”
Onsen hopping means visiting day-use bath facilities (public bathhouses) to enjoy different hot springs.
Strolling through the atmospheric onsen town while enjoying baths with different benefits and styles is a true highlight of a Kusatsu Onsen trip.
With a yukata rental service, you can wear one even without staying overnight, and there are plenty of styles—so pick your favorite.
“Kusatsu Onsen” has many public baths, so we hope you’ll visit the ones introduced next.

“Gozanoyu” recreates a public bathhouse from the Edo to Meiji era, and the carefully crafted wooden exterior and tradition-respecting interior are truly moving.
It features two different bathing areas—“Kino-yu” and “Ishi-no-yu” (men and women alternate daily)—and the big draw is enjoying two source waters at once: the sharp “Yubatake source” and the gentle “Bandai source.”
If you compare them, you should be able to feel the difference on your skin.
Main benefits include neuralgia, beautiful skin, and bruises.
On the second floor, there’s a large tatami-floored rest hall (Yugen-no-ma) where you can relax, and the spectacular view of Yubatake from here is also a must-see.

“Sainokawara Rotenburo” is proud of its open-air bath, one of the largest in Japan.
Its biggest appeal is the open feeling, with 360-degree views of Kusatsu’s rich nature, and you can enjoy different scenery each season, like fresh spring greenery, autumn leaves, and winter snow.
It uses the same “Bandai source” as “Gozanoyu,” and benefits are expected for neuralgia, bruises, and chronic digestive disorders.
It also underwent its first major renovation since opening in 2015, which is a nice bonus as the facility is clean.

The largest day-use bathing facility, “Otakinoyu,” lets you soak in the precious “Nikawa source,” which isn’t used by other hotels and ryokan.
The “Nikawa source” is known for its very high temperature and clear water with little cloudiness. Famous as a “beauty bath,” it’s said to help with neuralgia, sprains, and burns.
At “Otakinoyu,” a key attraction is experiencing Kusatsu’s traditional “Awaseyu,” where you enter baths from lower temperatures in order.
With a spacious layout and many washing stations, it’s recommended for those who want to take their time.
It’s also the only day-use bathing facility with a restaurant, making it perfect for wrapping up your sightseeing.

Located just near “Yubatake,” “Shirahata-no-yu” is a representative public bathhouse, with a legend that Minamoto no Yoritomo discovered it.
It features rare, hot, milky-white water—unusual even within “Kusatsu Onsen”—and you’ll often see plenty of yunohana (mineral deposits).
This cloudy water contains a lot of sulfur and is said to help with skin conditions, insomnia, and joint pain.
“Shirahata-no-yu” is the largest public bathhouse (capacity: 4–5 people) and is relatively easy to try, so it’s recommended for beginners.

Built from wood and full of old-fashioned charm, “Chiyo-no-yu” is a small public bathhouse with a capacity of around three people.
Because the tub is small, the water is always fresh, and compared to other bathhouses, the sulfur scent is softer and feels pleasant.
At “Chiyo-no-yu,” we recommend trying Kusatsu’s traditional therapeutic bathing method, “Dentoyu (Jikan-yu).”
“Dentoyu” refers to a sequence like this: “yumomi → pour around 10 bowls of water over your feet → pour around 30 bowls over your head → bathe for 3 minutes at the leader’s command → rest.”
It’s said to have benefits such as promoting health, easing muscle pain, and relieving joint pain.

“Jizo-no-yu,” renovated in 2022, is a hidden-gem public bathhouse that blends newness with atmosphere.
It features slightly milky water called “Jizo source,” and with its high ceiling, the breeze blowing in from outside feels refreshing.
It’s been said since long ago to help with eye conditions, and the “Mearai Jizo” statue also stands nearby.
It also has footbaths, handbaths, and a facial bath, so even those without time for a full soak can easily experience “Jizo-no-yu.”
Relatively rare nationwide and unique to “Kusatsu Onsen,” the facial bath is popular for feeling great and benefiting your eyes and skin.

Yubatake, the symbol of Kusatsu Onsen. “Ichii,” located right in front of it, is a hot spring hotel with over 300 years of tradition, founded in the mid-Edo period.
At the large public bath “Ishidono,” renovated in 2021, the hotel draws the precious “Yubatake Mae Shirahata source,” which only around 10 properties near Yubatake can use.
With multiple baths available, you can choose the temperature you like.

“Hotel Sakurai,” on a hill in the center of Kusatsu Onsen, is a hot spring inn known for being one of the largest in Kusatsu.
It’s proud of its baths supplied by three sources: in the large public bath—one of the biggest in Kusatsu Onsen at 98 feet (30 m) long—you can enjoy a blended spring of “Sainokawara source” and “Bandai-ko source,” while the open-air bath also includes “Wata-no-yu source,” letting you soak in 100% natural source water without added water from all three.
The festival plaza inside the building is a lively entertainment space.
Every day, they hold two event shows: Kusatsu Onsen’s traditional “Yumomi,” which you can join in on, and the powerful “Sakura Taiko” drum performance.

La Vista Kusatsu Hills opened in 2021 on the hills of Kusatsu Onsen.
In an atmosphere reminiscent of an elegant Western-style mansion, this resort hotel lets you enjoy views worthy of the name “La Vista (view),” including Kusatsu Onsen’s first top-floor bath facility at an onsen inn.

The hot springs use water drawn from three sources: Yubatake source, Bandai-ko source, and Yukawa source.
In addition to the top-floor scenic bath with open-air and indoor baths plus barrel baths, you can also look out over a grand panorama of Kusatsu’s mountains and the onsen town from four different private open-air baths, each with a different style, such as rock and ceramic.

Located upstream along the Shima River, which originates in the Mikuni Mountains, Shima Onsen sits in a lush national park and is a famous hot spring with over 1,000 years of history.
Its top benefit is for “stomach and intestinal disorders.” It has been selected as one of Japan’s “Three Great Hot Springs for Stomach and Intestinal Disorders.”
Because it’s located near Kusatsu Onsen, it’s also long been famous as “Kusatsu’s finishing bath.”
This name came from the tradition of bathing in Kusatsu’s strongly acidic waters for hot spring therapy, then soaking in Shima Onsen’s sulfate springs—known for moisturizing and brightening effects—to complete the regimen.

The 18 hot springs scattered across the southern slope of Mount Tanigawa, in the heart of the Joetsu border mountains, are collectively known as the “Minakami 18 Hot Springs.”
With the Joetsu Line and the Kan-Etsu Expressway running nearby, it developed as a convenient hot spring destination, growing alongside Kusatsu and Ikaho.
Accommodations are built along a valley upstream of the Tone River, so you can enjoy views of the gorge and mountains from any inn.

Manza Onsen sits at an altitude of 5,906 feet (1,800 m), at the foot of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane towering in the prefecture’s northwest.
As a highland resort within Joshin’etsu-kogen National Park, it’s an appealing hot spring destination year-round, with summer escapes and winter skiing.
Its hot springs contain some of Japan’s highest sulfur content, are high-temperature at Approx. 176°F (80°C), and boast a daily output of 1.43 million gallons (5.4 million liters). With over 20 different source springs, the range of benefits is wide.

Ikaho Onsen has been loved since ancient times—so much so that it appears in the Manyoshu—and is also said to have been cherished by literary figures like Takehisa Yumeji and Tokutomi Roka.
The town’s symbol is its 365 stone steps, lined on both sides with craft shops and local product stores.
The number 365 reflects a wish that “the onsen town will be lively 365 days a year,” and part of the steps is engraved with the poem “Ikaho no Machi” written by Akiko Yosano.