Gunma in Winter

Most of Gunma's ski resorts can be found in the mountainous north regions of the prefecture, many of which are concentrated around hot spring resorts. The snow quality in Gunma’s mountains is generally very dry—ideal for powder skiing and beginners. You’ll find a variety of terrain for all levels of skiers and snowboarders around two to three hour's drive from Tokyo.

The Minakami Onsen Area has seven ski resorts, including beginner-friendly Hodaigi, and the steep slopes of Mt. T, renowned for its backcountry and sidecountry terrain. Norn Minakami and Okutone Snow Park offer mellow slopes for learners and are popular for night skiing. In the Katashina area in the northeast, there is the skiers-only Katashina Kogen Ski Area, which provides children’s activities and amenities, and Oze-Iwakura Ski Resort, a ski-in, ski-out resort known for its high-quality powder snow and location far from the crowds.

How to get to Tanigawa

You don’t have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy Gunma’s mountains in winter. Snowshoeing is a great way to take in the winter scenery and access Gunma’s beautiful wilderness covered in snow. Join one of the many snowshoe tours available, or if you are experienced, you can rent snowshoes from a ski resort and explore on your own.

In Kusatsu, take a beginner-friendly snowshoe tour through a valley covered in deep snow. There is a chance to spot wildlife such as foxes and rabbits along the way. In the Minakami area, there are multiple tour operators that run guided tours in the mountainous backcountry of varying lengths and difficulty.

How to get to Kusatsu

Ice fishing on Akagi’s Lake Onuma is a popular activity when the lake freezes in winter, usually from mid-January to the end of March. The lake is filled with Japanese pond smelt, called wakasagi. Beginners are welcome, as there are several shops around the lakeshore that rent ice-fishing equipment. The shops will fry up your catch of the day free of charge.

How to get to Mt. Akagi

Winter is the season for strawberries in Japan, and strawberry picking is a popular activity from December to May. Yayoihime is a variety cultivated mainly in Gunma, known for its firmness and ruby-red color.

Kajitsu no Sato Harada Farm in Numata is open all year round for fruit picking. In winter, you can pick juicy, delicious strawberries. Don’t miss the adjoining farm shop, which stocks cake, apple juice, apple pie, and other products made from fruit grown on the farm.

Minakami Fruits Land Mogitore offers year-round fruit picking, including strawberries, grapes, cherries, blueberries, apples, and plums. Wheelchair-accessible greenhouses allow for strawberry picking in any weather.

Nearby, Takuminosato Strawberry House offers a pick-and-eat experience with premium varieties like Akihime, Kaorino, and the rare Royal Queen. The farm cafe serves strawberry-themed treats, and visitors can join hands-on activities like making fruit smoothies and ichigo daifuku (strawberry-filled mochi).

Winter is an ideal time to discover Gunma’s plentiful onsen. After a day outside skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing, ease your tired muscles by taking a bath at one of the many hot-spring inns of Gunma’s mountainous regions. Or simply relax and unwind in thermal waters while snow falls quietly around you.

Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku is a traditional Japanese hot-spring inn set within a deep valley along the Takaragawa River, about a 15-minute drive from Minakami Kogen Ski Resort. Soak in one of the inn’s large outdoor baths along the fast-flowing river while taking in the scenery of the snow-covered hillsides. At Manza Onsen, one of Japan’s highest-altitude hot-spring resort towns, enjoy sweeping views of snow-capped mountains from an open-air bath at an inn.

How to get to Takaragawa and Manza

Festivals light up winter nights throughout Gunma’s mountains, villages and cities from December to February. Enjoy spectacular fireworks displays, festive illuminations and streets lit with snow lanterns. Some festivals have events during the day, such as concerts and snow tubing.

Throughout most of December, the Lake Haruna Illumination Festa takes place on the lake under dazzling starry skies. On Saturday nights and the nights before national holidays in January and February, the streets of Oigami Onsen are lit up by hundreds of candles during the Oigami Onsen Snow Fireflies Festival. The Takasaki Pageant of Starlight illuminates the streets around Takasaki Station from the end of November to early January, and at the Christmas tree at Yubatake in Kusatsu is lit from late November to mid-February.

How to get to Haruna and Kusatsu

Warm up with Gunma’s hearty winter dishes and snacks. Okkirikomi is a hearty stew dish native to Gunma. Wide udon noodles are cooked together with seasonal vegetables in a soy sauce-based soup. Miso-based soups and soups that combine soy sauce and miso are also typical.

Sukiyaki is a hot pot-style dish popular around Japan but particularly beloved in Gunma. The meal consists of beef or pork, tofu, vegetables, mushrooms, and shirataki (konnyaku noodles) cooked in a broth of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Specializing in Gunma’s Joshu Wagyu beef, the restaurant Gyuya Kiyoshi serves classic sukiyaki and shabushabu hotpots with melt-in-the-mouth slices of beef. The rich, tasty dishes are accompanied by local produce including sweet Shimonita-negi leeks and aromatic shiitake mushrooms.

For a warm, savory-sweet snack on the go, try yakimanju, a popular dish from Maebashi. Dumpling-like buns are skewered on a stick, brushed with a sweet miso sauce, and roasted over hot charcoal.You can buy yakimanju in many parts of Gunma.

Spring in Japan is famous for abundant pink cherry blossoms, but you can also experience abundant winter blooms in Gunma. Fuyuzakura is a variety of cherry blossom that flowers twice a year, in spring and winter. Visit Sakurayama Park to see some 7,000 winter cherry blossom trees between mid-November and mid-December.

Plum (ume) blossoms flourish across Gunma at the end of winter, around late February to March. Visit the “three great plum groves of Gunma” to see vast stretches of plum trees in bloom, and enjoy local festivals. At Misato Ume Garden in Takasaki, more than 100,000 plum trees grow on a hill overlooking the Kanto plain. Enjoy the white and pink blossoms and explore the food stalls with plum-themed snacks at Misato Ume Festival.

At the end of winter, the hills above the Akima River in the town of Annaka, some 35,000 plum blossom trees burst into bloom. The Akima Ume Grove Festival celebrates the blossoms with events such as taiko drum performances and mochi rice cake pounding.

At Haruna Plum Grove, some 70,000 plum trees bloom from early to late March against the backdrop of Mt. Haruna. The blossoms are celebrated at the Haruna Ume Festival, held at Haruna Bunka Kaikan (Ecole), with games, activities, and performances.