Panoramic view of the Yubatake hot spring field with steaming wooden conduits in central Kusatsu Onsen

Kusatsu

Day trip from Tokyo

Japan's great onsen town — steaming streets and seriously strong water.

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Kusatsu is Japan's most celebrated hot-spring town, built around the Yubatake — a steaming field of wooden channels cooling scalding spring water right in the town center. At three to four hours from Tokyo it's a stretch as a day trip, so stay the night: dawn baths, the yumomi water-stirring show, and strongly acidic water that feels like the real thing.

Before you go

Door to door: ~3 hr
Cost: ~¥6,000–7,000
Route: Ueno Station

Everything we have written about this place

Women in traditional dress stirring hot spring water with long wooden paddles during a yumomi performance at Netsunoyu, Kusatsu Onsen

Guide · 7 min read

Kusatsu Onsen's Yubatake: How a Town Cools 50°C, pH-2 Spring Water

Yubatake hot spring field illuminated at night, wrapped in rising steam, Kusatsu Onsen

FAQ · 7 min read

Is Kusatsu Onsen Worth Visiting? Four Million Say Yes — Here's the Catch

Panoramic view of the Yubatake hot spring field with steaming wooden conduits in central Kusatsu Onsen

Guide · 7 min read

Kusatsu Onsen Food: Eat Well in a 4-Hour Lunch Window

Milky turquoise crater lake Yugama on Mount Kusatsu-Shirane near Kusatsu Onsen

Guide · 8 min read

Things to Do in Kusatsu Onsen, Now That 4 Million People Come Every Year

Steaming hot spring stream flowing between volcanic rocks in Sainokawara Park, Kusatsu Onsen

Itinerary · 7 min read

Kusatsu Onsen in a Day: 7 Stops, Timed Against the Crowds

Women in traditional dress stirring hot spring water with long wooden paddles during a yumomi performance at Netsunoyu, Kusatsu Onsen

Guide · 7 min read

Kusatsu Onsen from Tokyo: Three Routes, and the Timetable That Decides for You (2026)

Yubatake hot spring field illuminated at night, wrapped in rising steam, Kusatsu Onsen

Day trip · 8 min read

Kusatsu Onsen Day Trip from Tokyo: 6 Hours of Travel, 5 Hours of Steam

Panoramic view of the Yubatake hot spring field with steaming wooden conduits in central Kusatsu Onsen

FAQ · 7 min read

Best Time to Visit Kusatsu Onsen: 4 Million Visitors, One Quiet Hour