Things to Do in Gunma: Enjoy Spring Nature to the Fullest! Driving Tour by Rental Car

Summary

This time we rented a car from Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station and drove around Gunma Prefecture in spring🌸. A day healed by nature! Please take a look at this page…

*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.

Travel Itinerary

09:40 Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station（長野原草津口駅）

Starting from Naganowarakusatsuguchi station! From Tokyo, it takes about 2 hours by Shinkansen and train 🚄♪ We rent a car at a nearby car rental place and set out! The start of the road trip~!

Naganoharakusatsuguchi station is located in Naganohara-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture. This station can be reached from Tokyo in about 2 hours by Shinkansen and train. There are car rental agencies near the station from which you can enjoy a road trip. You can also take a bus from this station to Yubatake. Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station is often used as a base for sightseeing, and its convenience is highly praised by word of mouth.

10:00am Yamba Dam（八ッ場ダム）

The first is the Yamba Dam 🦫, a 10-minute drive from Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station. The road to come is great, and the drive is already fun♪ In my car’s navigation system, it came up under the name Yamba Dam Office 👀.

Yamba Dam Management Branch Office

The building is located right next to the parking lot!

Yanba teahouse next to the administrative branch office

They have food and travel souvenirs here! 🍜 Straight ahead on this road is an observation deck overlooking the dam!

Observation Deck

You can see the dam on this left! We arrived there in less than 5 minutes on foot from the parking lot. I imagined it would be quite a walk, so I was surprised that it was so close! 😹.

Yamba Agatsuma Lake

The color of the lake is a beautiful cobalt blue💙. I checked and it looks like they also do sup and other activities, which I would like to try next time: 🚣‍♂️

Elevator that can go downstream of the dam

If you continue to the left (above the dam), you will find a multi-purpose elevator 🛗 that will take you to the downstream side of the dam. You should definitely go here!

From above the dam to below the dam

Direct elevator from 1st floor to B3 floor! Elevator open hours (9:30am-4:30pm)

Yamba Momizi Bridge（八ッ場もみじ橋）

Get off the elevator and go straight down the slightly long hallway…! The moment you exit the elevator, you will see an eye-catching bright red bridge 🍁.

Yamba Dam (downstream side)

The dam is right in front of the Momiji Bridge, and is so large that even one person can’t help but scream at the sight of it! You can look over the dam while crossing the Momiji Bridge.

Yamba Dam is a multi-purpose dam located in Yogiya, Naganohara-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture. It is a 10-minute drive from Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station, and a sightseeing elevator takes you down below the dam. The dam can also be seen when exploring the Yatsuba Agatsuma Lake area on a rail bike canyon course or by renting a bicycle.

11:00am Yanba Tenmei Mudflow Museum（やんば天明泥流ミュージアム）

The second place is here! About 5 minutes drive from Yamba Dam🚗. The museum allows visitors to experience the village and people’s lives that were buried in the aftermath of the eruption of Mt. Asama 240 years ago, which was discovered during excavations to build the Yamba Dam.

Hours: 9:00am-4:30pm Closed: Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays

admission ticket machine

Adults 600 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 400 yen

Tenmei Mud Fluid Sensory Theater

Theater where you can watch a 10-minute video that reconstructs the situation at the time: 🎞️

No photography is allowed in the theater!

(We had a special YouTube shoot for you!)

inside a theater

The large screen and the realistic sound were just amazingly powerful.

Tenmei Mud Flow Exhibition Hall

The route is well marked and easy to follow!

Photography is allowed in the exhibition.

inside an exhibition

The museum is very beautiful, with easy-to-understand explanations using materials and videos!

Theme Exhibition Room

Many of the actual excavated items are on display!

Faceless clay figurines?

Please take a look when you visit!

The Yanba Tenmei Mudflow Museum is located in Naganohara-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture, about a 5-minute drive from the Yamba Dam. The museum exhibits what the village and its people were like at the time of the eruption of Mt. Asama, which occurred 240 years ago and buried the village. The museum is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm and closed on Wednesdays and during the year-end and New Year holidays. Word of mouth reviews praise the museum’s proximity to the Yamba Dam and its easy accessibility by car.

12:00pm Roadside Station Nakayamabonchi（道の駅中山盆地）

The third location is a roadside station about 45 minutes away by car.

footbath

Closed in winter from mid-December to March. ❄️

Other facilities include!

They also have a day spa and a cottage adjacent to the spa where you can stay overnight. ♨️

Roadside Station Nakayamabonchi, located in Takayama Village, Agatsuma County, Gunma Prefecture, is surrounded by rice paddies. It also has a hot spring facility attached to the station, where visitors can gaze at the starry sky at night. According to reviews, it is located along the Romantic Highway, about a 45-minute drive away.

Roadside Station Nakayamabonchi Direct Sales（道の駅中山盆地直売所）

Inside the building is a direct sales office 🥕.

Business hours】9:00am-6:00pm/Apr. to Oct. 9:30am-5:00pm/Nov. to Mar. Closed on the 10th of every month from December to March. 　　　　　Open daily from April to November

Tsukiakane” brand rice from Takayama Village

Alpine cucumber

Very popular! Kayo’s Soba Inari 500 yen

Soba Inari has been popular since it went on sale 🦊 and sometimes sells out, but this time we were able to get it! The whole inside is made of soba noodles! The inari around it is sweet, and the soba inside has a seven-flavor mixture that is indescribably delicious! I preferred the soba inari to the regular inari, and I hope you will too!

Located in Takayama-mura, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture, Roadside Station Nakayamabonchi Direct Sales is a direct sales shop that sells fresh seasonal agricultural products at low prices. Souvenirs include products from Gunma Prefecture. Soba Inari (buckwheat dumplings) have been a very popular item since they first started selling them.

12:45pm Takayama Future Center Satowa（たかやま未来センターさとのわ）

Satowa is located just a short walk from the direct sales shop. This place is a facility that connects local industry, tourism, and daily life.â

Facility Map

A floor map made of wood, in 3D, which seems to be handmade! 😳

Stairs to B1

Down the stairs is the Dan-dan square!

Dan-dan square.

There is a space to sit on a staircase! There are picture books and a place to sit directly on tatami mats. It is a very relaxing space 🌿. It seems that you can also bring in food from the café!

As an event venue

The Dan Plaza can also be used as a venue for various events such as screenings, karuta tournaments, etc.â

Satonowa Lounge

This is the place where information is posted as a village bulletin board, focusing on tourism and immigration 🌿.

working space

Wi-Fi and copy machines are also available for work and study! ◎

Information on other facilities, etc.

They also have information about other restaurants in the area and they are coexisting with each other in the community! Very nice!

Located in Nakayama, Takayama-mura, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture, the spot called Takayama Future Center Satowa is a facility that connects local industry, tourism, and daily life. It is located a short walk from the direct sales shop. According to word of mouth, visitors can enjoy delicious food made from local ingredients.

3:00pm Akagi Nature Park（赤城自然園）

The last one is here! Drive for about 50 minutes and you will arrive there! A healing forest where you can be happy 🌼

Opening hours: 9:00am-4:30pm Open every day except Tuesdays from April to November. 　　　　　December – March: Saturday, Sunday and Monday Entrance Fee] General Adults (high school students and older) 1,000 yen Free for children (junior high school students and under)

Map of the park

It takes about 2 hours to go around! It is said to be the size of a Disneyland! This time, I went around the pink Saison Garden a pink garden!

Artificial river?

The several rivers flowing in the park seem to be man-made! I was surprised to see that the water seems to be on a timer and stops at times!

viewing platform

From here, you can see the view that is often shown in brochures!

View from the observatory

The view is great, the air is clear, and it is very pleasant! When the weather gets a little warmer, the area will become more colorful with many red and pink “rhododendron” flowers.

rhododendron

This is a rhododendron! They were still in bud.

Shibafu Hiroba.

It would be nice to have a picnic on a sunny day with sandwiches 🧺♪

Hidden heart♡♡

If you look carefully around your feet, you will find a heart mark! It’s fun to look for other flowers and imagine all kinds of things!

Forest Souvenir Corner

They sell handmade goods and sweets from Gunma 🍪 It is a good place to buy souvenirs from your trip!

introspection

Wood splitter for camping

There are places nearby where you can camp, so they also sold wood chippers and such 🔥.

pinecone

Pine cones picked up in the park…so cute! 🐿️

Akagi Nature Park is located in Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture. Word of mouth has it that the park is especially beautiful and relaxing during the fall foliage season. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults and free for junior high school students and younger. The park is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm every day except Tuesdays from April to November, and only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from December to March.

4:00pm Takasaki Station（高崎駅）

After returning the rental car at Takasaki Station, my trip was over 🚗!Please take a look at it as a reference… ♪

Takasaki Station, located in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, is a station of East Japan Railway, Japan Freight Railway, and Jyoshin Electric Railway, and serves as the largest terminal station in the prefecture with nine train lines.