 Gunma Prefecture (群馬県) Travel Guide
Gunma Prefecture (群馬県) is a prefecture in the Kanto Region of Honshu Island in Japan. This landlocked prefecture is bordered by Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the east, Saitama Prefecture to the south and Nagano Prefecture to the west. It covers 6,363 sq km (21st place out of 47 prefectures) and has a population of 2 million (19th place).
The area of Gunma Prefecture has seen human habitation going back to the Paleolithic period, based on remains discovered at Iwajuku, where a museum is erected to display the findings. It was the center of horsebreeding since the 5th century AD, when horses were introduced into Japan.
Mount Nikko-Shirane summit
Author: ys-energy (public domain)
Gunma benefited from being the eastern prefecture near Tokyo. This helps it to developed industrys in transport equipment and electrical equipment. The industrial areas are concentrated in the city of Maebashi while the city of Ota has a thriving automotive industry and a large Subaru manufacturing plant. The prefecture is also aa major agricultural region producing cabbages and konjacs.
Gunma Prefecture is popular for its many hot spring resorts and ski resorts. There are also a number of mountain sights to visit.
Going to Gunma Prefecture
Unlike other places in Japan, rail transportation is quite limited in Gunma Prefecture. There are trains going through Gunma which you can take, but to explore Gunma itself, you'd need road transport.
Zendo-ji Temple, Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture
Author: taketarou (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
By Train
The Joetsu Shinkansen bullet train stops in Gunma on its way to Niigata. You can also take the Nagano Shinkansen bullet train to Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture.
By Road
Gunma Prefecture has the highest proportion of car owners to population, among all the prefectures of Japan. You can rent a car upon arriving at the railway station in Gunma Prefecture.
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Cities of Gunma Prefecture
- Maebashi - capital
- Takasaki - transportation hub
- Annaka
- Fujioka
- Kiryu
- Kusatsu
- Isesaki
- Midori
- Ota
- Tatebayashi
Tourist Attractions of Gunma Prefecture
- Mount Akagi
- Mount Haruna
- Mount Kusatsu-Shirane
- Mount Tanigawa
- Yubatake Waterfall
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