Best Day Trips from Gunma 2026

100km from Takasaki

Tokyo (Shinjuku / Asakusa)

A full switch from Gunma's onsen towns and mountains to central Tokyo: Shinjuku for skyscrapers, department stores and nightlife, Asakusa for Senso-ji and the old shitamachi streets. The Shinkansen puts it within a single day trip from Takasaki, though the two districts are far enough apart (Shinjuku to Asakusa is roughly 30-40 minutes by train) that trying to do both unhurried is ambitious. Most visitors treat it as either a Shinjuku day or an Asakusa day, not both in full.

Highlights: Senso-ji, Asakusa - Tokyo's oldest temple, reached through the Nakamise-dori market street of snack and souvenir stalls · Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku - free observation decks with a skyline view, no ticket needed · Kabukicho, Shinjuku - the neon entertainment district, worth walking through even without going into any venue · Shinjuku Gyoen - a large park with Japanese, French and English garden sections, a break from the station crowds · Sumida River - boat piers near Asakusa run river cruises down toward Odaiba and the bay

80km from Maebashi

Nikko National Park

A mountain and shrine day trip built around two very different halves: the UNESCO-listed shrine complex in Nikko town, and the lake-and-waterfall scenery higher up around Lake Chuzenji. Doing both in one day is tiring given the drive up the Irohazaka switchback road, so most visitors either focus on the shrines or push on to the lake and Kegon Falls and treat the shrines as a shorter morning stop.

Highlights: Toshogu Shrine - the ornately carved mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, including the well-known carved sleeping cat and three wise monkeys panels · Shinkyo Bridge - the red lacquered bridge at the entrance to the old shrine precinct, a fixed photo point for the town · Kegon Falls - a roughly 100-metre single-drop waterfall with an elevator down to a viewing platform at the base · Lake Chuzenji - a caldera lake formed by the eruption that created Kegon Falls, with lakeside walking paths · Rinno-ji Temple - a large Buddhist temple complex adjoining Toshogu, part of the same shrine-and-temple UNESCO listing

75km from Takasaki

Karuizawa (Nagano Prefecture)

A former summer retreat for foreign missionaries and Tokyo's elite, now a shinkansen-accessible resort town of cool-climate forest, outlet shopping and old-fashioned villa streets. It's an easy day trip from Takasaki given the short Shinkansen hop, and works well as a slower-paced contrast to Gunma's onsen towns since the appeal here is walking and browsing rather than bathing.

Highlights: Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza - the old main street of the resort town, lined with bakeries, jam shops and cafes from its early 20th-century heyday · Shiraito Falls - a wide, low curtain waterfall a short bus or taxi ride from the town centre, notable for its shape rather than its height · Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza - a large outlet mall directly by the station, one of the biggest draws for same-day Shinkansen visitors · Kumoba Pond - a small forested pond with a walking path, known locally as 'Swan Lake' for its reflections · Usui Pass Megane-bashi - a brick double-arch bridge from the old railway line, a short drive from town

50km north of Takasaki

Narita Fureai no Sato Tochigi Winery

130km from Takasaki

Kusatsu Onsen + Shiga Kogen Highlands

A long day pairing Gunma's best-known hot spring town with the high-altitude plateau of Shiga Kogen just over the Nagano border, connected by the mountain road that climbs over the Shibu-Kusatsu (Shirane) pass. It only really works as a day trip in the warmer months when that road is open, and it's a full day of travel rather than a relaxed onsen soak - go for the combination of hot spring culture and alpine scenery, not for extended bathing time.

Highlights: Yubatake - the steaming central hot-spring field in Kusatsu that channels mineral water through wooden troughs and defines the town's centre · Netsu-no-Yu - the bathhouse near Yubatake where staff perform yumomi, the traditional paddle-stirring of the hot spring water, as a timed demonstration · Sai-no-Kawara Park - a riverside park above the town with open-air foot baths and small geothermal pools · Shiga Kogen - a high plateau of marshland and forest that becomes a hiking area in summer and a large connected ski resort in winter · Shibu-Toge (Shibu Pass) road - the high mountain pass connecting Kusatsu to Shiga Kogen, with roadside views back down over the volcanic terrain