Kusatsu

Nestled amid forested slopes of Gunma Prefecture at roughly twelve hundred meters above sea level, Kusatsu occupies a basin ringed by volcanoes: the still‐active Kusatsu‑Shirane (2 160 m) to the west and its dormant neighbours, Mount Motoshirane (2 171 m) and Mount Tengu (1 385 m). Spanning some 250 km² yet home to scarcely over six thousand residents, the town’s compact centre revolves around the Yubatake—“hot water field”—through which some thirty‐four thousand litres of sulfurous, acidic spring water bubble each minute. Beyond the Yubatake’s wooden channels, Kusatsu’s terrain rises swiftly into trails, crater lakes, and cascades, offering both the stark repose of winter snows and the vivid bloom of alpine flora.

Kusatsu’s altitude shapes a climate of marked contrasts. Summers remain mild, peaking around 23.7 °C in August, while winters average –1.4 °C in January, with heavy snowfall that blankets streets cleared not by ploughs alone but by diverted onsen waters. Annual precipitation totals roughly 1 711 mm, with September as the rainiest month. Conifer forests mingle with stands of Japanese rowan and rhododendron, and the valley floor retains heat from underground fissures—an interplay of fire and ice that has long drawn visitors in search of relief and renewal.

Local lore traces Kusatsu’s springs to the second century, crediting either the legendary warrior Yamato Takeru or ascetic monks with their discovery. While documentation is sparse before the late twelfth century, tradition holds that Minamoto no Yoritomo paused here in 1193, bathing at what is now called Yoritomo‑gū. The Kōsenji temple, erected around 1200, marks the earliest confirmed institution in the settlement that would grow around its steamy waters.

By the late sixteenth century, wounded samurai sought Kusatsu’s baths, and in 1595 Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself recommended the springs to rival lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Edo period, and especially its waning decades, Kusatsu’s reputation soared: visitors flocked to treat ailments ranging from joint pain to chronic digestive disorders. Legend records that the eighth shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, had onsen water piped to Edo Castle. A saying from this era, “Kusatsu sengen Edo gamae”—“a thousand shops, rivaling Edo”—attests to the town’s flourishing economy.

A devastating conflagration in 1869 razed much of Kusatsu. Reconstruction proceeded swiftly yet left many townspeople burdened by debt. Over subsequent decades ryokans and small enterprises collapsed, compelling former seasonal residents—once accustomed to returning to lowland homes each winter—to remain year‑round. The modern municipality emerged in 1889, consolidating Kusatsu with neighbouring hamlets; by 1900 the core village earned town status. Foreign scientists and physicians, most notably German internist Erwin Bälz, arrived to study the springs. Bälz’s research into their bactericidal and restorative properties introduced Western medical protocols and helped standardize bathing practices among Japanese clinics.

The early Taishō era brought amenities beyond the baths. In 1914 local enthusiasts formed a ski club; two years later, Mary Cornwall Legh, a British missionary, founded St. Barnabas’ Mission to care for residents afflicted by Hansen’s disease. Her church and adjacent park remain testaments to her work. A narrow‐gauge railway linking Kusatsu and nearby Karuizawa opened in 1926, and in 1948 Japan’s inaugural ski lift ascended Mount Tengu. While the St. Barnabas’ Hospital gave way to the government‑run Kuryu Rakusen‑en Sanatorium in 1941, Cornwall Legh’s legacy endures through memorials and place names.

Tourism constitutes roughly ninety per cent of local employment, yet in recent years Kusatsu’s civic life has been unsettled by a high‑profile dispute. In 2020, town councillor Shoko Arai accused Mayor Nobutada Kuroiwa of indecent assault; a recall election ensued. Subsequent legal proceedings, including Arai’s own indictment for false complaint, culminated in a January 2024 court decision finding no evidence of sexual activity and ordering Arai to pay damages. The episode exposed tensions between tradition, reputation, and the rights of women in small‐town Japan.

More than a hundred individual springs surround Kusatsu, yet none match the Yubatake for sheer volume: five thousand litres per minute pour forth at seventy degrees Celsius. As water cascades over rock shelves its mineral “flower” (yu no hana) forms deposits collected and sold as a granular souvenir, capable of re‑creating onsen conditions at home. Adjacent to the Yubatake stands Netsu no yu, with waters too hot for direct immersion; here the century‑old yumomi ritual cools the spring with wooden boards, accompanied by song and dance. Ōtaki no yu, the “great waterfall bath,” offers indoor and outdoor pools beneath a timbered roof, while Sainokawara Park’s 500 m² open‑air rotenburo can host over a hundred guests simultaneously. Modern complexes such as Therme Therme blend German spa concepts with local tradition, and the Bälz Onsen Center perches on a plateau overlooking distant peaks—favoured by skiers after a day on the slopes.

Above the town, crater lakes and waterfalls punctuate hiking routes. Yugama, at 2 100 m atop Mount Shirane, displays an acidic, emerald surface; nearby Yumiike—“bow lake”—sits at 2 000 m, its waters crystalline. Waterfalls like Ōsen no taki and Jōfu no taki tumble through cedar groves. Wildflowers carpet the alpine meadows: hare’s‑tail cotton grass (Watasuge), Japanese rowan (Nanakamado), several species of rhododendron, blue gentian (Ezorindō), and delicate Dicentra peregrina. A visitors’ centre in Sainokawara Park interprets these species and the volcanic forces that sustain them.

Kusatsu’s calendar reflects both Buddhist custom and local lore. In early May, children draw an elephant effigy through the Yubatake to mark Buddha’s birthday. June 1st sees the Ice‑cave festival, when tea brewed with ancient glacier ice is believed to ward off illness. The Onsen gratitude festival unfolds over early August days: costumed attendants enact the descent and ascent of the onsen deity at Kōsenji temple, symbolically renewing the springs’ benevolence. Late August features an international chamber‑music gathering often attended by members of the imperial household. Seasonal events range from bicycle races and snow‑wall hikes to soccer matches and ski‑school showcases.

Kusatsu fields no local high school but maintains elementary and junior high campuses, while its professional football team, Thespakusatsu Gunma, plays home fixtures in Maebashi. Since the 1914 ski club, winter tourism has propelled both community leagues and international competitions. The ski area on Mounts Tengu and Shirane now offers ten routes across eight kilometres of descent, served by a dozen lifts.

Unusually, Kusatsu lacks its own rail station. Visitors alight at Naganohara‑Kusatsuguchi on the JR Agatsuma Line and continue by bus or shuttle. Two morning limited‑express trains connect directly with Tokyo’s Ueno in about two hours twenty minutes; at other times travellers transfer via Takasaki or Karuizawa. A local loop bus links the Yubatake, major inns, and the terminal for just ¥100, while many hotels provide free shuttles.

Beyond onsen produce such as yu no hana, Kusatsu’s sweets reflect highland agriculture. Amanattō—sugar‑candied beans—depend on varieties that thrive above seven hundred meters. Manjū, steamed pastries filled with azuki paste, often carry the faint scent of sulfur. At souvenir shops, visitors encounter both German‑style kitschy wares and Japanese handicrafts, a testament to the town’s centuries‑long dialogue between East and West.

In its blend of elemental forces—volcanic heat, conifer‑shaded valleys, hot water and cold air—Kusatsu presents a singular landscape, one where community and commerce intertwine with ritual and reputation. Though its economy hinges on tourism, the town preserves layers of historical texture: from Yoritomo’s seat at Yubatake to the modern disputes over civic conduct; from samurai convalescence to ski‑lift mechanization. In every steaming pool and festival procession, Kusatsu bears its past lightly, even as it leans on that heritage for livelihood and identity.