Rainy Day in Gunma: Best Indoor Spots & Activities

The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma (Gunma Kenritsu Kindai Bijutsukan)

Standing quietly within the lush greenery of Gunma-no-Mori in Takasaki City, this is a richly rewarding art space known to those in the know. It is precisely on days when raindrops quietly wet the trees that the museum's appeal deepens.

The collection, built up since the museum opened in 1974, numbered about 2,100 works as of March 2023. It ranges from modern Western art by Renoir, Monet and Picasso to modern and contemporary Japanese art, contemporary three-dimensional work, and dyed and woven textile pieces befitting Gunma, a land of weaving. Held separately is the 229-piece "Kohoan Inoue Collection" of classical Japanese and Chinese painting and calligraphy. The special exhibitions change theme four times a year, and many travelers are surprised, saying "it was far more serious than I expected." The building was designed by Arata Isozaki and the museum logotype by Ikko Tanaka — details that lovers of architecture and design should not overlook.

Hidden gem information: Gunma-no-Mori, the prefectural park on which the museum stands, is itself a vast park, and a stroll there after the rain lifts is recommended. What is especially welcome on a rainy day is that the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History (992-1 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki City / tel. 027-346-5522) stands right next door inside the same Gunma-no-Mori park. It opened beside the modern art museum in 1979, and its hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.), closed Mondays (the following day if Monday is a public holiday or a substitute holiday) and over the New Year period (December 29 to January 3). Admission when only the permanent exhibition is on is 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for university and high school students, and free for junior high school students and younger (240 yen / 120 yen for groups of 20 or more); during a special exhibition the fee covers the permanent exhibition too and varies by exhibition. On a rainy day, hopping between the two museums lets you fill half a day with barely any umbrella time. Note that umbrellas cannot be brought into the history museum's galleries, so use the free lockers in the hall. The free Wi-Fi inside is a quietly welcome touch as well.

Best season: It can be enjoyed year-round, but May to June with its fresh greenery and October to November during the autumn foliage are especially exceptional, combined with the scenery of the forest. Opening hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.), so arriving on a weekday morning allows for a leisurely viewing.

Tips for travelers: Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for your visit. Admission for the collection display alone is 300 yen for adults and 150 yen for university and high school students (240 yen / 120 yen for groups of 20 or more), and free for junior high school students and younger. Visitors presenting a disability certificate or Mirairo ID plus one carer, and anyone visiting on Gunma Prefecture Citizens' Day (October 28), are also admitted free. Special exhibition fees differ for each exhibition. The museum normally closes on Mondays, but it also shuts for a week or more at a time while displays are changed over, so always check the closing-day calendar on the official website in advance. There is a museum shop and a restaurant on site.

Tomioka Silk Mill (Tomioka Seishijo) — Indoor Tours Available

If you are visiting Gunma on a rainy day, this is the first place to put on your list. Registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2014, it is a miraculous place where a Meiji-era silk reeling factory remains exactly as it was.

The brick buildings lined up across the vast grounds take on an even more vivid red when wet with rain, creating an extraordinary feeling as though you have slipped back in time. The main points of the tour — the Silk Reeling Plant, the East Cocoon Warehouse, and the West Cocoon Warehouse, all National Treasures — can each be entered, but the official website states plainly that "the current tour route centres on exteriors, so please bring rain gear." You will be walking outdoors between buildings, so be sure to carry an umbrella or rainwear. Joining a guided tour with an interpreter (200 yen per person per tour, 100 yen for junior high school students and younger, about 40 minutes each, meeting on the first floor of the East Cocoon Warehouse) brings a vivid explanation of the lives of the female factory workers of the time and the passion poured into Japan's modernization, giving your visit an entirely different depth. Tours start at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, and every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. The audio guide you can listen to on a smartphone app is free and available in Japanese, English, Chinese, French and Korean. A Japanese Sign Language video guide was added in March 2025.

Hidden gem information: "Tomioka Seishijo Dori," the street spreading out in front of the mill's main gate, is dotted with small shops selling local gourmet food and sundries. After the tour, stopping by a restaurant serving the local specialty "konnyaku cuisine" is the local way to enjoy the visit.

Best season: During the cherry blossom season (late March to early April), the contrast between the blossoms on the grounds and the red brick is spectacular. To avoid the crowded summer season, a weekday visit in autumn or winter is the target. Opening hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), and the only closed days are December 29 to 31 at the end of the year. Temporary closures for inspection and maintenance can occur.

Access: About a 15-minute walk from "Joshu-Tomioka Station" on the Joshin Electric Railway. Access is comfortable, about 40 minutes from Takasaki Station by the Joshin Electric Railway. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults, 250 yen for high school and university students (student ID required) and 150 yen for elementary and junior high school students, with preschool children free. Visitors holding a disability certificate plus one carer, and residents of Tomioka City, are also admitted free (groups of 20 or more booked in advance pay 900 yen for adults, 200 yen for high school and university students and 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students). Credit cards, PayPay and Rakuten Pay can be used for payment, but the guided tour fee alone is excluded, so keep some cash on hand. Vehicles cannot enter the mill grounds, so if you are driving, allow about 10 minutes from the "Tomioka IC" on the Joshin-etsu Expressway to the car parks and about a 10-minute walk (roughly 500 m) from there. Allow about 1 hour for the tour alone, or 1.5 to 2 hours including the guided tour.

Gunma Museum of Natural History (Gunma Kenritsu Shizenshi Hakubutsukan)

"There are dinosaurs!" If you want to see the moment a child's eyes light up, head here without hesitation. The Gunma Museum of Natural History in Tomioka City lets you dynamically experience 4.6 billion years of Earth's history, and adults find themselves just as absorbed.

The theme of the permanent exhibition is "A Far Journey of 13.8 Billion Years." Tracing evolution back from modern humans brings you to the Big Bang, and from there the display follows the formation of the Earth, the evolution of life and the mysteries surrounding the extinction of the dinosaurs in chronological order. There is also a section recreating Gunma Prefecture's diverse nature from low to high elevations, an Oze theatre, and the Darwin Room, where the robot professor "Charlie" greets you and you can actually touch and examine specimens gathered from around the world — so you can spend such a fulfilling half-day that you forget the time on a rainy day.

Hidden gem information: The museum sees many group visits from local elementary and junior high school students, but the late afternoon is relatively empty and allows for unhurried viewing. The museum shop is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (tel. 0274-62-1772) and closes 30 minutes before the museum itself, so the right move is to drop in with time to spare rather than at the very end of your visit.

Best season: It can be enjoyed throughout the year, but the summer vacation period is very busy with families. Those who want to avoid the crowds should choose a weekday in spring or autumn. Opening hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.), and it is closed every Monday (the following day if Monday is a public holiday) and over the New Year period. Allow 2 to 3 hours for your visit.

Tips for travelers: Since it is in the same city of Tomioka as the Tomioka Silk Mill, it is efficient to visit the two spots as a set. Going in the order of Tomioka Silk Mill to the Museum of Natural History makes the travel between them smooth. Admission while a special exhibition is running is 1,300 yen for adults and 600 yen for university, technical college and high school students; during periods with no special exhibition (permanent exhibition only) it is 510 yen for adults and 300 yen for university, technical college and high school students. Junior high school students and younger are free in either case (groups of 20 or more pay 1,040 yen / 480 yen and 410 yen / 240 yen respectively). Visitors holding a disability certificate plus one attendant are also free. There is a baby care room, changing tables and a multipurpose toilet, wheelchairs and strollers are available to borrow and there is a lift, so families with small children can relax. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the galleries, but you can eat in the courtyard and the vending machine corner.

Ikaho Onsen

Climbing the 365 stone steps slowly, accompanied by the sound of rain. That alone makes the noise of everyday life seem to fade quietly away. Ikaho, one of Gunma's representative hot spring towns, is a spot that shows its true worth precisely on rainy days.

The cobbled stone-step street is lined with long-established hot spring manju shops, shooting galleries, and small stores selling local souvenirs, so you can wander and explore with an umbrella in hand even in the rain. The sight of mist hanging over the inn district as you look down from the top of the steps is like a scene from a film in which the sentiment of the Showa era remains intact. There are two kinds of hot spring water, Kogane-no-Yu (the golden water) and Shirogane-no-Yu (the silver water). Kogane-no-Yu is the old-established water whose iron content oxidises to a distinctive reddish-brown; it has been loved since the town's therapeutic-bathing days as a soft, mildly stimulating water. Shirogane-no-Yu is a colourless, transparent water whose flow was confirmed only in recent years, and it boasts an abundant yield of 110 litres per minute. Day-use bathing facilities include "Ikaho Rotenburo," run directly by the tourism association, and "Ikaho Onsen Ishidan-no-Yu" on the stone-step street, so even those not staying at an inn can easily enjoy the hot springs.

Hidden gem information: "Ikaho Jinja," located at the top of the stone steps, is the third shrine of Kozuke Province and a shrine of long standing that enshrines Onamuchi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto, deities of hot springs and medicine. It has relatively few tourists and allows for a quiet visit. A little further afield, "Kajika Bashi" is a vermilion-lacquered arched bridge spanning the stream beside the source of Kogane-no-Yu; the fresh greenery of early summer and the autumn foliage are especially beautiful, an illumination is held there every year, and it is a local hidden gem. The adjoining car park for about 17 cars is free. Very close by are the only drinking fountain in Ikaho where you can taste Kogane-no-Yu (up to 200 ml a day, with drinking recommended up to 30 minutes before a meal) and the No. 2 Source Spring Observation Point, where you can watch roughly 1,400 litres a minute welling up through a dome.

Best season: Early summer with its fresh greenery and autumn with its foliage are especially beautiful seasons. On rainy days the atmosphere is greatly enhanced, and combined with the hot springs it makes for a perfect day of healing. For a day trip the standard choice is "Ikaho Rotenburo," run directly by the tourism association: hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from April to September and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from October to March (last entry 5:30 p.m. in both cases), closed on the first and third Thursday (open if that is a public holiday, and open daily in August). Admission is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for elementary school children and younger, and towels (400 yen) and bath towels (1,200 yen) can be bought on site. Note, however, that there is no washing area, so if you want to wash properly, choose another facility such as "Ikaho Onsen Ishidan-no-Yu" on the stone-step street. For parking, it is a 5-minute walk from the free Kajika Bashi car park (about 20 spaces).

Tips for travelers: You can get there on the Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus from Shibukawa Station in about 22 to 25 minutes for 670 yen, or on the Gunma Bus via Mizusawa from Shibukawa Station in about 35 minutes for 720 yen (timetable revised April 1, 2025). From Takasaki Station there is also the Gunma Bus (via Mizusawa) and the reservation-only "Ikaho Liner." The 365 stone steps reached their present number in an extension in 2010, carrying the wish for prosperity that "the hot spring town be busy all 365 days of the year." Granite was laid during a major renovation that took five years from 1980, so the steps are slippery on rainy days and visiting in easy-to-walk shoes is strongly recommended. The steps are carved with the signs of the twelve zodiac animals and poems by Yosano Akiko, so hunting for them as you climb is one way to enjoy the walk.

Kusatsu Onsen (Indoor Facilities Around the Yubatake)

Kusatsu is Japan's finest hot spring town, one it can proudly show the world. The "Yubatake" that springs up at its center sends steam rising toward the sky even in the rain, creating a fantastical scene. Viewing it while holding an umbrella has a charm quite different from a sunny day, and it is an original landscape of Gunma that you will never forget once you have seen it.

Around the Yubatake are the day-use hot spring facilities known as the "Kusatsu Santo" (three baths of Kusatsu), and among them "Sainokawara Rotenburo" is a huge open-air bath whose 500 square metres across the men's and women's sides make it one of the largest in Japan. The indoor facilities are as simple as separate changing rooms for men and women, and the open-air bath has no roof, so it becomes a luxurious moment wrapped in steam while the rain falls on you. Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from April 1 to November 30 and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from December 1 to March 31 (last admission 7:30 p.m. in both cases), and on the second Wednesday of each month only it closes at 5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.) for bath cleaning. Admission is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children. On a day when you would rather not get wet, watching a demonstration show of Kusatsu's traditional "yumomi" at "Netsu-no-Yu," which faces the Yubatake, is recommended. It costs 700 yen for adults and 350 yen for elementary school children, and there are normally six shows a day: 9:30, 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. and 3:30, 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. On some days an extra performance is added from 3:00 p.m. and a night show from 8:00 p.m., and in winter the morning shows shift to later times, so check the performance calendar on the official website for that day's times. Tickets go on sale 30 minutes before each show, and payment is cash or PayPay only. The "yumomi experience," where you actually hold the paddle yourself, runs only on Sundays and Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (last reception 12:50 p.m.), so match your day of the week if you want to try it (300 yen, elementary school age and up).

Hidden gem information: The "yunohana" (hot spring mineral flowers) unique to Kusatsu are a recommended souvenir that also serves as a memento of your trip. About 4,000 litres of source water a minute well up at the Yubatake, and as it passes through the seven neatly arranged wooden conduits (yudoi) the hot spring minerals concentrate and settle so that yunohana can be harvested — which is how the "Yubatake" (hot water field) got its name. The stone pillar marking the water drawn for the eighth shogun Yoshimune and the wooden frames of the baths also remain, testifying to the long history of the place. It is a 5-minute walk from the Yubatake to the bus terminal and about 15 minutes to Sainokawara Park. Sainokawara Park is illuminated from sunset until midnight, when a fantastical scene quite unlike the daytime unfolds.

Best season: Summer is highly popular as a summer retreat, and in winter the collaboration of snowy scenery and rising steam is magical. Every season has its own charm. To avoid the peak crowds, the trick is to move early on a weekday morning.

Access: From Takasaki Station, take a local train on the JR Agatsuma Line to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station in about 1 hour 30 minutes, then a JR bus for 25 minutes. From Ueno Station, the JR limited express "Kusatsu-Shima" reaches Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station in about 2 hours 33 minutes, plus the 25-minute JR bus. From Karuizawa Station, Kusakaru Kotsu and Seibu Kanko buses take between 1 hour 18 minutes and 1 hour 55 minutes (journey times vary considerably by service). Highway buses such as the "Joshu Yumeguri-go" run direct to the Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal from Tokyo Station, Shinjuku (Busta Shinjuku), Shibuya and Yokohama. By private car, allow roughly 60 km from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway via National Routes 353, 145 and 292. The Yubatake Kanko car park, the closest to the Yubatake, holds 180 cars at 700 yen for an ordinary vehicle (under 2 hours), while the Tenguyama No. 1 car park (300 spaces) and the Onsenmon car park (101 spaces), a short walk away, are free.

Access Information

The spots within Gunma Prefecture can be toured efficiently by combining trains, buses, and a private car.

If using rail and bus:

• Tomioka Silk Mill: About 40 minutes from Takasaki Station on the Joshin Electric Railway, get off at "Joshu-Tomioka Station," then about a 15-minute walk
• Gunma Museum of Natural History: About 10 minutes by taxi from Joshu-Tomioka Station, or about a 25-minute walk from Joshu-Nanokaichi Station (visiting as a set with the Tomioka Silk Mill is recommended)
• The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma / Gunma Prefectural Museum of History: From the east exit of Takasaki Station, the Takasaki city loop bus "Gururin" takes about 26 minutes on the Iwahana Line (route 15), about 29 minutes on the Gunma-no-Mori Line (route 10) and about 34 minutes on route 9. All get off at "Gunma-no-Mori"; the fare is 200 yen (a taxi from the east exit of Takasaki Station takes about 20 minutes)
• Ikaho Onsen: About 22 to 25 minutes on the Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus from Shibukawa Station, 670 yen (about 35 minutes and 720 yen on the Gunma Bus via Mizusawa)
• Kusatsu Onsen: About 1 hour 30 minutes from Takasaki Station on the JR Agatsuma Line to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station plus a 25-minute JR bus; from Karuizawa Station, 1 hour 18 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes on Kusakaru Kotsu and Seibu Kanko buses

If using a private car: For the modern art museum and the history museum, allow about 10 minutes from the "Takasaki-Tamamura Smart IC" or about 15 minutes from the "Takasaki IC" on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, about 10 minutes from the "Fujioka IC" on the Joshin-etsu Expressway, or about 15 minutes from the "Maebashi-Minami IC" on the Kita-Kanto Expressway. The car parks at the prefectural park Gunma-no-Mori (No. 1 at the main entrance with about 180 spaces, and No. 2 to No. 4 at the north entrance with about 300 spaces) are all free. Note, however, that the park is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from April to September and 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from October to March, and the car parks cannot be used after closing. The Museum of Natural History is about 7 km from the "Tomioka IC" or "Shitanita IC" on the Joshin-etsu Expressway via National Route 254, and it too has free parking. On rainy days, please take ample care against skidding on mountain roads and mountain passes.

Tips for travelers: Travel distances within Gunma Prefecture tend to be long, so a rental car is the most convenient option if you plan to visit several spots in one day. There are several rental car companies around Takasaki Station, and combining this with Shinkansen access makes the trip much smoother. On rainy days, please watch the road conditions and enjoy your journey through Gunma with a schedule that allows plenty of time.

📚 Sources

The practical details given in this article — opening hours, admission fees, fares and access — were confirmed on October 29, 2026 by opening each facility's official website directly. For The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma we used the official site (mmag.pref.gunma.jp), consulting its "Admission / Group Admission," "Access," "Outline / History" and "About the Characteristics of the Collection" pages and its closing-day calendar. For the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History we used the "Visitor Information" page of its official site (grekisi.pref.gunma.jp). For the Tomioka Silk Mill we used the mill's site (tomioka-silk.jp) within Tomioka City's official tourism website "Shirukuru Tomioka," consulting "Visitor Information (Guided Tours)" and "Access." For the Gunma Museum of Natural History we used the official site (gmnh.pref.gunma.jp), consulting "About the Museum," "Permanent Exhibition," "Museum Shop" and "Transport Access." For Ikaho Onsen we used the official site of the Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association (ikaho-kankou.com), consulting its "Ikaho's Stone Steps," "History of Ikaho Onsen," "Healing / Ikaho Rotenburo," "Things to Do" and "Access" pages, together with the Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus and Gunma Bus timetables and fare tables revised April 1, 2025 that the association publishes. For Kusatsu Onsen we used the Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association site "Yu Love Kusatsu" (kusatsu-onsen.ne.jp), consulting "Access (Car / Train / Bus)," "Netsu-no-Yu," "Yubatake" and "Sainokawara Park," and the day-use hot spring site run by Kusatsu Kanko Kosha (onsen-kusatsu.com), consulting "Sainokawara Rotenburo: Visitor Information / Facility Introduction" and "News."

Please note that we could not individually verify on an official website what the shops lining the street in front of the Tomioka Silk Mill's main gate stock, or which restaurants serve konnyaku cuisine, so no specific shop names or prices are given for those. Fees, hours and timetables are subject to revision. In particular, admission to The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma and the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History changes depending on the special exhibition period, and both close for a week or more at a time while displays are changed over. Admission to the Gunma Museum of Natural History likewise more than doubles depending on whether a special exhibition is running. Please check each facility's official website for the latest information before you set out.