How Do You Get to Kusatsu Onsen from Tokyo?
This guide is for visitors travelling from Tokyo to Kusatsu Onsen, a hot spring town in Gunma Prefecture. It covers the train and bus route, the direct highway bus, and how to get around the town once you arrive.
We used the Gunma Official Tourist Guide, run by the prefecture, and the Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association. We read both on 2026-10-04. The prefecture's access page was last updated on 28 March 2024, so check the operators' current timetables and fares before you travel.
The short answer: limited express, then a bus
Kusatsu has no railway station of its own. The nearest station is Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. From there, a bus takes you up to the town.
The prefecture's guide calls this the recommended route. It says you can reach Kusatsu in less than three hours by train and bus from Ueno Station.
- Ueno to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. Take the Limited Express Kusatsu-Shima. The guide says it takes around two hours and 20 minutes. All seats are reserved.
- Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi to Kusatsu Onsen. Take a JR Bus Kanto bus bound for Kusatsu Onsen. The guide says the ride typically takes 25 minutes.
At Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station
Trains from both Ueno and Takasaki run directly to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. After you leave the station, the bus stops are on your left.
The guide says the buses are timed to meet the limited express trains. At other times, buses leave once or twice an hour. You can pay in cash or with a transportation IC card as you get off the bus.
If you do not take the limited express
The prefecture's guide gives two other train options:
- Take a Shinkansen or an express train from Tokyo Station to Takasaki Station. Change there to a local train for Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. Then take the bus.
- Take a Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Ueno Station to Karuizawa Station in Nagano Prefecture. Then change to a bus.
We did not check journey times or fares for these two routes.
The direct highway bus from Tokyo
The guide describes a cheaper, direct option. The JR Bus Kanto Joshu Yumeguri Go leaves from Tokyo Station and from the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, known as Busta Shinjuku. It runs to Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal.
The journey takes around four hours. There is a 20-minute break at Kamisato Service Area.
At Tokyo Station, the buses leave from the JR Expressway Bus Boarding Dock at the Yaesu South Exit. You can buy a ticket online or at the ticket machines near the boarding area. Several bus companies serve Kusatsu, so the guide tells you to check your ticket and the departure screens to board the right bus.
Rail passes
The prefecture's guide says the JR East Pass covers the train to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi and the JR Bus Kanto bus to Kusatsu Onsen. It says the JR Tokyo Wide Pass covers trains in Gunma, but not buses.
The guide also lists a JR Bus Kanto Kusatsu Kogen Line Free Pass. We did not read the terms of any pass, so check each pass's own page.
When you arrive: the bus terminal
Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal is the main arrival point for public transport. The guide says it has a ticket office, a tourist information centre, a restaurant, a cafe, shops and coin lockers.
The guide says Yubatake, the hot water field in the middle of the town, is a six-minute walk from the terminal.
Getting around the town
The Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association describes a one-coin bus that costs 100 yen per ride. It began as a welfare service run by the town. Three buses are in service now. Two are green, European-style retro buses. The third is a barrier-free bus that wheelchair users can board.
Large luggage cannot be carried on this bus. The association gives the limits as 0.3 cubic metres, a length of 1 metre, or a weight of 10 kilograms. It says the bag should be about the size you can hold on your lap.
The association also lists a free shuttle bus between the hot spring town and the ski area.
Kusatsu lies at about 1,200 metres above sea level, according to the association. It says the yearly average temperature is 7°C. Even in July and August, the average is 18°C. Pack a layer, even in summer.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Fares and timetables for the limited express and the buses. JR East's website refused our automated reading, and the prefecture's page gives no prices.
- Whether the Limited Express Kusatsu-Shima runs every day, and its seasonal changes.
- The fare and exact schedule of the highway bus from Tokyo.
- Driving routes and the condition of mountain roads.
- Whether the buses have announcements in English.
Related guides
- What is Kusatsu Onsen? Yubatake and the strongly acidic water
- How do you stay safe in Kusatsu? The volcano, volcanic gas and bears
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- How to get to Kusatsu (Gunma Official Tourist Guide) — (limited express, bus, highway bus, Tokyo Station boarding, passes, bus terminal, walk to Yubatake)
- 草津に着いてからの移動手段 (Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association) — (one-coin bus, luggage limits, free ski shuttle)
- 草津いろは (Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association) — (elevation, average temperatures)