Kusatsu Onsen "Yubatake"

Overview

At the heart of Kusatsu Onsen, one of Japan's most celebrated hot spring resorts, lies the Yubatake — literally "hot water field" — an extraordinary open-air thermal source that has defined the town's identity for centuries. Situated at around 1,200 meters above sea level in the mountains of northwestern Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu draws roughly four thousand liters of scalding spring water per minute from its main source, channeling it through seven wooden sluices before it cascades into collection pools below. The result is a perpetual cloud of sulfurous steam rising from the pale blue-green water, visible from nearly every corner of the resort and impossible to ignore. What makes Yubatake genuinely remarkable is the water itself. Kusatsu's hot springs carry a pH level of around 2 — among the most acidic in Japan — and this intense acidity has long been credited with powerful therapeutic properties. Historically, ailing lords, literary figures, and early Western travelers made the arduous journey to Kusatsu specifically to bathe here. The stone-paved promenade encircling the Yubatake, said to have been designed by avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto, blends sinuous modernist curves with the traditional wooden facades of the surrounding inns, creating an atmosphere that is at once ancient and alive. The site transforms with each season. Autumn is particularly dramatic: the forested slopes surrounding the town turn crimson and gold while the white steam of the Yubatake drifts across the scene like ink through water. Winter, when heavy snow blankets the stone walkway and the thermal mist glows under evening illuminations, is arguably even more evocative. Whatever the season, the Yubatake is best appreciated in the early morning hours, when the steam is dense and the crowds have not yet arrived.

Access

📍 Address: Kusatsu, Kusatsu-machi, Agatsuma, Gunma

Take a JR bus from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station (JR Agatsuma Line) — approximately 25 minutes. By car, about 60 minutes from Shibukawaiko IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. Parking fills quickly during peak season.

Map

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