Regions & prefectures
JapanRegions & prefectures
Gunma
The prefecture of hot springs and of Japan’s first industrial silk mill.
- Capital
- Maebashi
- Status
- Prefecture
- Region
- Kantō
- Must-see
- The hot springs of Kusatsu
- Local specialty
- Konjac, Shimonita leeks, daruma dolls
Landlocked, mountainous and volcanic, Gunma runs on hot water: Kusatsu produces the country’s largest thermal flow, so acidic it is cooled by paddling rather than by adding cold water. Japanese industrialisation also started here, with the Tomioka silk mill opened in 1872 under French management, now a World Heritage site.
What to see there
Places, dishes and traditions tied to this territory.
In the magazine
Articles that cover this topic.