About 100km from Tokyo, nearby Gunma Prefecture is most famous for its hot springs. Between my big, scary tattoos (mostly banned in Japanese hot springs) and my definitively American relationship to public nudity (not personally in favor of it, you do you though) – Japanese hot spring culture has not taken root in my heart. However, Andrew and I set a goal of visiting as many of Japan’s 47 prefectures as we can while we live here. So, I scoured the internet for never-nude activities and put this trip together. Please enjoy!
Day 1: Utsunomiya –> Mt. Tanigawa –> Tsukiyonobidoro Park –> Kajitsunosato Haradano Orchards –> Ikaho Toy, Doll, and Car Museum –> Ryutakuzenji Hotel
We set off for Gunma on a Saturday morning in early September. I read that the ropeway at Mt. Tanigawa brings you within two hours hike of the summit, and after the long, long rainy season, the weather finally looked good for a hike. Tanigawa is quite distinguished as “one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains.” So, probably cool. Can’t say for sure. The ropeway was closed due to “kaminari” (thunder) when we arrived (blue skies as far as my eyes could see, but you’ll find out I was wrong later).
As a silver lining, we happened upon one of Japan’s musical roads driving up to the ropeway. In several locations throughout Japan, grooves are cut into the pavement of the road. Drivers who maintain the recommended speed are treated to a song created by the grooves as they pass through. We weren’t expecting it the first time through, so we had to double back to drive the appropriate speed. I loved it! I guess there are a few of these in the US, but this was my first musical road experience. There’s also a very pretty swimming area in the river near the highway, we stopped briefly to dip our toes in the water and enjoy the sunshine.
From Mt. Tanigawa we drove 30 minutes south to Tsukiyonobidoro Park, a glass-blowing factory/museum/amusement park. Along with tours, guests have the opportunity to choose some of the handblown glassware to decorate and personalize. We decided on a pair of rocks glasses that we sandblasted with designs made from available stickers in the workshop. This was a super fun experience, highly recommend if you’re in the area. Andrew’s cup had a UFO laser-blasting a T-rex in front of a plane crash. My cup had a design of ginkgo and maple leaves.
By the time we finished with our glassware, I was ready for lunch. A 20-minute drive east brought us to Kajitsunosato Haradano Orchards. We arrived during an overlap of grape and apple season, so there were options available to pick either type of fruit. We decided to tour the shop and grab some lunch at their café before making any decisions (code for: I was hangry). Ordered via ticket vending machine, the food at the café was fine. But, by the time we finished it started to rain. Hard. Strike two for our trip after missing out on Mt. Tanigawa. I wasn’t prepared to accept defeat, so I bullied Andrew into buying some of the grapes in the shop. Two bundles of golf-ball-size grapes cost us 2400 yen/22.60 USD. Worth it.
A museum is the perfect activity for a downpour, right? I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Ikaho Toy, Doll, and Car Museum. Like, that’s a lot of different interests to contain in one museum. Privately-owned by Masahiro Yokota, a carpenter who made his fortune building houses during Japan’s economic boom in the 80s, entering this museum is like stepping through the looking glass into a completely different universe. Have fun examining the classic cars, full-sized war tanks, creepy dolls and teddy bears, arcade games, movie posters, clothing, and magazines.
We made our way to the temple/hotel after totally losing ourselves in the museum. Surprisingly, I found this place on Airbnb. It’s a 600-year-old temple that has been run by the same family for 35 generations. The current monk of the temple saw an opportunity to gain revenue for the temple by creating a small hotel on the property. With only 3 guest rooms, this is one of the nicest, most serene, most comfortable, coolest places I have stayed in Japan. We opted for dinner at the hotel, a multi-course “Kyoto-style” meal prepared by the monk. After we finished the meal, the monk joined us for conversation over sake. His English was very good considering that he must have very little practical need to speak English in his regular duties…as a monk…in rural Japan…
Day 2: Ryutakuzenji –> Daimonya –> Mizusawa Temple –> Mizusawa Udon –> Tsuchida Sake Brewery –> Utsunomiya
We woke up with the sun (ok, maybe a little after the sun) for 6AM morning meditation at the temple. Under the guidance of the monk, we sat in silent meditation. Until the monk left shortly afterwards to prepare our breakfast. Andrew and I did made sure to meditate at least a little bit longer than the Japanese family who were the only other guests. The breakfast prepared was pretty standard for a Japanese hotel: fish, salad, pickles, rice, miso soup, slices of omelet. Tasty.
Gunma is also “well-known” in Japan for their production of Daruma dolls. A symbol of good luck, Daruma dolls are typically symbolize goal setting. When purchased, the dolls have no pupils. Then, you make a wish or goal and fill in one pupil. When your wish/goal comes true, fill in the other pupil. Then return your doll to a temple for ceremonial burning. Every year, there’s a festival for Daruma dolls in Takasaki, Gunma where 80% of Japan’s Daruma dolls are produced. We visited Daimonya, a shop where 70,000 Daruma dolls are produced annually, to purchase our own Daruma. We picked out a cherry blossom-themed Daruma to make our wish.
After Daruma shopping, we drove 30 minutes north to visit Mizusawa Temple. For the history, of course. The famous udon street at the base of the temple is just a perk to enjoy after really basking in the history here. Founded 1300 years ago, Mizusawa Temple’s largest claim to fame is their statue of Kannon, goddess of peace. Unfortunately, it is never displayed to the public. But I believe it is great. Tourists can walk around the grounds, which are pretty breathtaking. There are several buildings on the grounds that are nice to look at. Ok, really, I wanted to eat the udon. Served cold with sesame or soy dipping sauces (or both if you’re me), this is one of Japan’s “three famous udon.” They’re fantastic, I love a cold noodle.
After lunch, we decided to drive up to Tsuchida Sake Brewery. Neither of us are particularly knowledgeable or, uh, particularly interested in sake. But it’s the thing you do in the place you do it, you know? When in Rome. A family operation since 1907, Tsuchida focuses on historical sake brewing methods with no additives. If you know me personally, or have been following this blog for some reason as a stranger to me, you’ll know I love soft serve. Once I saw that Tsuchida has a soft serve made from sake lees, a leftover/byproduct of sake production, I knew we made the right choice coming here. We also loaded up a couple bottles of sake, like, just because…you never know?
At this point, we decided to head home. Pretty sure we had a really important Formula 1 race to prep for (order pizza, pick up beer).
